|
1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Navy |
34 |
30 |
64 |
| Holy Cross |
32 |
37 |
69 |
Final Statistics • Highlight Video
WORCESTER, Mass. – Sophomore guard Austin Butler totaled 22 points, three rebounds and three steals, to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to a 69-64 victory over Navy at the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex. Following the contest, Butler received the Martin J. O'Malley Award as the most outstanding player in Holy Cross' Winter Homecoming game. The Crusaders improve to 12-9 overall and 3-5 in the Patriot League with the win, while the Midshipmen fall to 6-13 on the season and 3-5 in the conference.
Holy Cross hit 63.2 percent of its three-point field goal attempts on the afternoon, while connecting on 45.3 percent of its shots from the floor overall. The Midshipmen made just 38.2 per-cent of their field goal attempts and 40.0 percent of three their attempts from beyond the arc.
The Crusaders held an 8-6 lead early on, before going on a 13-3 run to claim a 21-9 advantage with 11:47 left in the first half. Sophomore guard Jacob Grandison scored 11 of Holy Cross' points during that spurt. Navy responded by scoring the next eight points to get back into the game, and eventually pulled in front 34-32 at halftime.
A 10-0 run to start the second half put the Crusaders back in front (42-34), and Holy Cross was later up 48-46 with 11:50 left to play. The Crusaders then held the Midshipmen to only eight points over the next 10 minutes, while scoring 17 points of their own to take a 65-54 advantage with two minutes remaining. Holy Cross made just four of seven free throw attempts down the stretch, but was still able to hold on for a five-point victory.
Grandison finished the game with 22 points, five assists and three rebounds, while sophomore guard Caleb Green added 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. George Kiernan led Navy with 27 points and eight rebounds.
The Crusaders will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 30, when they travel to Boston University for a 7:00 p.m. game.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• Butler becomes just the third two-time recipient of the O'Malley Award, after also winning the honor last season. The other two-time winners are Rob Feaster (1993 and 1995) and Andrew Keister (2010 and 2011).
• Holy Cross' three-point percentage of .632 was its best so far this season.
• Butler and Grandison gave the Crusaders two 20-point scorers in a game for the third time this year
