THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 80, Colgate 71
• Records: HC (6-8, 3-0); COL (3-10, 1-2)
• Location: Hamilton, N.Y.
• Arena: Cotterell Court (1,185)
• The Lead: Senior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) totaled 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with eight blocks and seven rebounds to help lead the Crusaders to an 80-71 victory over Colgate in Patriot League women's basketball action on Wednesday afternoon. With the win, the Crusaders improve their record to 3-0 in the Patriot League.

TURNING POINT:

• With 3:41 left in the fourth quarter, Colgate gained a 67-66 lead on a pair of free throws by Josie Stockill. On the next possession for Holy Cross, senior Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) drilled a three-pointer to give the Crusaders the 69-67 edge.
• After a defensive stop on the other end by Holy Cross, junior forward Madelyn Ganser (Needham, Mass.) converted a layup that gave the Crusaders a 71-67 advantage.
• Stockill hit a layup on the next Colgate possession, but Hourigan put in a layup on the other end to give the Crusaders a 73-69 lead. Colgate would not get any closer than four points for the remainder of the contest.

HOLY CROSS HIGHLIGHTS:

• In addition to Hourigan, sophomore Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) posted a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds, while Mifsud totaled 18 points and six helpers.
• Sophomore guard Tricia Byrne (Dunmore, Pa.) scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while classmate Katie Doherty (Holbrook, N.Y.) posted eight points.
• Sophomore forward Amy Hasenauer (Greece, N.Y.) and junior forward Madelyn Ganser (Needham, Mass.) hauled in eight and seven rebounds, respectively.

FIRST HALF:

• The two teams traded baskets to begin the contest, as there were eight lead changes and five tied scores, but a pair of free throws by Hasenauer put Holy Cross ahead 18-17 (3:49).
• Two free throws by Thomas-Waheed gave the Crusaders a 20-17 advantage on the next possession, but a three-pointer by Colgate tied the contest at 20-20 (3:15).
• The Raiders ended the first quarter on a 6-2 spurt to gain a 26-22 advantage after one period.
• Holy Cross began the second quarter on a 10-2 surge to pull ahead by four points (32-28) at the 5:40-mark of the stanza. Hourigan led Holy Cross with four points during the run.
• Colgate, however, countered with an 8-3 rally to grab a 36-35 lead (2:49). The Crusaders scored the final four points of the second quarter and went into the locker room with the 39-36 edge.

SECOND HALF:

• Holy Cross went up by five points (41-36) early in the third quarter, but a 9-0 rally by Colgate over the next 3:22 gave the hosts the 45-41 advantage (5:03).
• The Crusaders tied the game at 45-45 (4:28), but five straight points by Colgate gave it the 50-45 advantage (3:19).
• Doherty then sparked a Crusader 11-2 surge over the final three-plus minutes to put Holy Cross ahead by two points (56-54) after three quarters. Thomas-Waheed hit back-to-back three pointers during the stretch, while senior guard Kate Gillespie (Washington, D.C.) also hit a trey.
• The Crusaders held the five-point lead (66-61) midway through the fourth quarter, but six straight points by the Raiders gave them the 67-66 edge (3:41).
• Mifsud drilled a three-pointer on the next possession to give Holy Cross the lead back (69-67) and Ganser extended the margin with a layup at the 2:43-mark of the fourth (71-67).
• Colgate converted a layup on the other end (71-69), but Hourigan put the Crusaders back up by four (73-69) with 2:06 on the clock.
• Holy Cross hit seven of its next eight free throws to make the score its final, 80-71.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross shot 47.4 percent from the field (27-57), while it limited Colgate to 35.5 percent shooting from the floor (27-76). The Crusaders canned 8-of-19 from downtown (42.1%) and 18-of-26 from the charity stripe (69.2%).
• Colgate held the statistical edge in total rebounds (46-41), assists (20-19), points in the paint (32-28) and second-chance points (16-6), while Holy Cross led in blocks (12-4) and steals (7-6).

NEWS & NOTES:

• With the win, Holy Cross moves to 3-0 in the Patriot League for the third time in the last 11 seasons. The Crusaders also are now 51-5 all-time against Colgate and have won two straight versus the Raiders.
• The win for Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons is his 250th Patriot League regular season victory, as he is now 250-97 in league games for a .720 winning percentage.
• The victory also gives Holy Cross its first three-game winning streak of the 2015-2016 campaign.
• Hourigan tied a career-high with eight blocked shots, which ranks tied for third all-time in Holy Cross history for a single game.
• Hasenauer (8) and Ganser (7) each set career highs in total rebounds.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 9, when it hosts Bucknell at 1:05 p.m.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:

• To purchase single-game tickets for the 2015-2016 Holy Cross women's basketball season, visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets or call the ticket office at 1-844-GOCROSS.

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