THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 77, Lehigh 71 (OT)
• Records: HC (11-13, 8-5); LEH (15-9, 8-5)
• Location: Worcester, Mass.
• Arena: Hart Center (1,542)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) scored a game-high 21 points – including a three-pointer with 1.8 left in the fourth quarter to force overtime – to help lead the Crusaders to a 77-71 overtime triumph versus Lehigh in Patriot League women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center.

TURNING POINT:

• Holy Cross held a 64-62 lead with 1:05 left in the fourth quarter, but a three-pointer by Lehigh's Quinci Mann with 44 ticks left put the visitors ahead 65-64.
• The Mountain Hawks hit a pair of free-throws with 19 seconds remaining in regulation to go ahead, 67-64, but a three-pointer by Mifsud off a pass by sophomore guard Tricia Byrne (Dunmore, Pa) with 1.8 on the clock forced the overtime period.
• Holy Cross gained the lead on the first possession of overtime and never trailed for the remainder of the period.

HOLY CROSS HIGHLIGHTS:

• In addition to her 21 points, Mifsud's final stat line included a game-high five assists, three rebounds and two steals, while she drained 4-of-8 from behind the arc.
• Sophomore guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) totaled 17 points, five rebounds, three steals and a career- and game-high five blocked shots, while Byrne tallied 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with a game-high five helpers.
• Senior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) notched her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and a team-high 13 rebounds – to go with three blocks and three assists – while sophomore guard Katie Doherty (Holbrook, N.Y.) was the fifth Crusader with double-digit points, as she totaled 11 with five rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals.  

FIRST HALF:

• The two teams traded buckets over the first part of the opening quarter, as the score was all square at 8-8 just 4:04 into the contest.
• Lehigh, however, opened up an 11-2 rally to grab the 19-10 advantage with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
• Mifsud ended the Lehigh run right before the final horn, as she canned a three-pointer with four ticks on the clock to cut the deficit to 19-13 after one quarter of play.
• In the second quarter, the Mountain Hawks used a 6-1 spurt to gain an 11-point, 25-14 lead with 6:27 on the clock. The lead remained at 11 (28-17) just over a minute later (5:25), but a 10-3 run by Holy Cross cut the margin to three points (31-28; 1:14).
• Lehigh, however, ended the first half with five straight points to head into the locker room with a 36-27 lead.

SECOND HALF:

• The Mountain Hawks went ahead by 10 points (42-32) just 2:45 into the third quarter, but the Crusaders began their comeback.
• A jumper by Thomas-Waheed ignited an 18-3 surge for Holy Cross over the next 4:25 to give the Crusaders a 50-45 advantage with 2:28 left in the period. Byrne scored six of her 10 points during the run, as Mifsud chipped in with five points. Lehigh was 1-of-6 from the floor during the Holy Cross rally and committed a trio of turnovers.
• The Crusaders kept the lead and went into the fourth quarter with a 51-47 edge.
• Holy Cross increased its margin to 11 points (58-47) on a layup by junior forward Madelyn Ganser (Needham, Mass.) at the 7:21-mark of the fourth quarter. The Crusaders held an eight-point cushion (62-54) with 4:38 on the clock, but an 8-0 run by Lehigh tied the game at 62-62 (2:39).
• Holy Cross went ahead by two points on a pair of free-throws by Mifsud with 1:05 on the clock, but a three-pointer by Mann with 44 seconds left gave Lehigh a 65-64 edge.
• Mifsud missed a layup on the other end and Lehigh's Lexi Martins drilled a pair from the charity stripe to give the visitors a 67-64 lead with 19 ticks on the clock.
• After a Holy Cross timeout, Thomas-Waheed tried to take the ball to the rim, but missed her layup. Hourigan corralled the rebound with nine seconds left and dished the ball to the left wing to an open Byrne.
• Byrne found Mifsud at the top of the arc. Mifsud up-faked her initial shot and then launched a three-ball that swished through the net with 1.8 left in regulation to tie the game at 67-67.
• Lehigh drew up a play to Kerry Kinek out of a timeout, but her bid failed, as the crowd of 1,542 was treated to free basketball.

OVERTIME:

• Thomas-Waheed gave Holy Cross a 69-67 lead with a layup at the 3:37-mark of the extra session, but Lehigh tied the game on a next possession on a shot by Martins.
• The Crusaders went ahead by one (70-69) on a free-throw by Mifsud (2:23) and increased their lead to four points (73-69) on a trey by Doherty with 1:42 left in overtime.
• Martins hit a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left to cut the deficit to two points (73-71), but the Crusaders finished the game 4-of-6 from the charity stripe to ice the game and clinch the come-from-behind victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross shot 44.4 percent from the field (28-63) and connected on 8-of-19 from behind the arc (42.1%), while it limited Lehigh to 33.8 percent shooting (23-68) and an 11-of-29 clip from downtown (37.9%).
• Holy Cross sank 13-of-18 from the free-throw line (72.2%), while Lehigh went a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe (100.0%).
• Holy Cross held the statistical edge in assists (17-15), blocks (8-2), steals (11-5), points in the paint (28-20) and points off turnovers (21-11), while Lehigh led in total rebounds (46-35) and second-chance points (24-10).
• Lehigh was led by Martins, who registered a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Mann totaled 15 points and five rebounds, while Kinek tallied 10 boards.

NEWS & NOTES:

• For her performance, Mifsud was presented with the Rev. George L. O'Brien Award for being the Most Valuable Player of the Winter Homecoming game.
• The win for Holy Cross snaps a four-game losing streak against Lehigh, as the Crusaders are now 41-21 all-time against the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh earned a 61-58 victory earlier this season on Jan. 17 in Bethlehem.
• The Crusaders also earned their eighth home victory of the season and are now 8-3 in games played at the Hart Center.
• Holy Cross is now tied for third place in the Patriot League with Lehigh at 8-5.
• The 21 points were a season-high for Mifsud, as she is now tied for 26th in Holy Cross history with 1,029 career points.
• The double-double for Hourigan was her team-leading sixth of the season and the seventh of her career
• Crusader sophomore forward Amy Hasenauer (Greece, N.Y.) earned her first collegiate start.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 17, when it entertains Army West Point at 7:05 p.m.

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