• Score: Holy Cross 59, American 50
• Records: HC (12-14, 9-6); AU (6-20, 4-11)
• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Arena: Bender Arena (298)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) and sophomore Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) each scored 17 points apiece to help lead the Crusaders to a 59-50 victory over American in Patriot League women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

TURNING POINT:

• After trailing for most of the first half, American held a 32-28 lead at the 7:19-mark of the third quarter. Holy Cross, however, embarked on a 19-9 surge to close out the quarter and head into the fourth with a 47-41 advantage.
• Mifsud scored five points for the Crusaders during the run, as Holy Cross shot 71.4 percent from the field in the third quarter (10-14). 

HOLY CROSS HIGHLIGHTS:

• Mifsud totaled 17 points, a game-high seven assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds, while Thomas-Waheed posted 17 points, four rebounds and a trio of steals.
• Senior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, while sophomore forward Amy Hasenauer (Greece, N.Y.) tallied six points, four boards and a trio of blocks.  

FIRST HALF:

• The Crusaders grabbed a pair of three-point leads over the first 3:30 of the first quarter, but the score was all tied at 10-10 with 3:30 left in the opening stanza. Holy Cross, however, ended the first period on a 7-4 spurt to head into the second quarter with a 17-14 edge.
• Almost three minutes passed before American scored the first points of the second quarter with a layup at 7:03 to cut the deficit to two (17-15). The Eagles sliced the margin to one point (19-18) with 4:41 on the clock, but a 7-2 rally capped off with a Mifsud three-pointer gave Holy Cross a 26-20 lead (2:49).
• American, however, ended the second quarter on a 5-0 run to head into the locker room trailing Holy Cross by one point (26-25).

SECOND HALF:

• American used a 7-2 run over the first 2:41 of the third quarter to gain a 32-28 lead, but a layup by Thomas-Waheed and a steal and fast-break layup by Mifsud on back-to-back possessions tied the game at 32-32 (6:19).
• The Eagles held a 36-32 lead just over a minute later (5:07), but the Crusaders slowly chipped away and gained a 40-39 edge with 1:35 left in the third quarter.
• Holy Cross then scored seven straight points to gain an eight-point lead (47-39) with 31 seconds left, but a pair of free throws by American with 22 ticks on the clock made the score 47-41 after three quarters of play.
• The Eagles scored five quick points to slice the deficit to one (47-46) with 8:06 on the clock, but the Crusaders erupted on a 10-0 surge over the next 5:09 to grab an 11-point, 57-46 advantage.
• American hit a pair of free throws to make the score 57-48 with 1:10 left in regulation, but it would not get any closer as Holy Cross earned a 59-50 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross shot 39.3 percent from the field (22-56) and drained 3-of-14 from behind the arc (21.4%), while it limited American to 35.4 percent shooting (17-48) and 1-of-11 from downtown (9.1%).
• The Crusaders drained 12-of-17 from the free-throw line (70.6%), while the Eagles connected on 15-of-20 from the charity stripe (75.0%).
• Holy Cross held the statistical edge in steals (10-4), assists (14-7), points in the paint (28-22) and blocked shots (7-4). American held the 42-27 advantage in total rebounds.
• The Eagles were led by Lauren Crisler, who recorded a double-double with team-highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Mifsud moved into 26th place on the Holy Cross all-time scoring list, as she now has 1,055 career points.
• Holy Cross now has a three-game winning streak against American and now leads the all-time series, 20-15.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 24, when it entertains Loyola Maryland at 7:05 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.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For everything Holy Cross women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@HCrossWBB), on Facebook and on Instagram. You can also subscribe for email alerts for all news and information on the team by clicking here.