BUFFALO, N.Y. – Freshman guard
Drew Lowder scored a team-high 18 points, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Canisius 80-72 at the Koessler Athletic Center. The Crusaders fall to 1-10 on the season with the loss, while the Golden Griffins improve to 5-4 overall.
Holy Cross held a 41-33 rebounding advantage, but also committed 20 turnovers and connected on just 41.0 percent of its shots from the floor. Canisius was able to knock down 50.0 percent of its field goal attempts on the day.
The game was close early on, with the score being tied at 23-23 with 7:18 left in the first half. The Crusaders then scored eight straight points, including a pair of three-pointers by Lowder, to take a 31-23 lead. The Golden Griffins scored the next five points to close the gap, and eventually took a 37-36 lead into the locker room.
Holy Cross opened the second half with a quick 7-0 spurt, claiming a 43-37 advantage with 19:01 left to play. The Crusaders were still up by five (46-41) with 16:18 remaining, when Canisius used a 17-2 run to take the lead for good. Holy Cross would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way, as the Golden Griffins went on to post an eight-point victory.
Freshman forward
Joe Pridgen finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds. Junior forward
Connor Niego added 11 points and eight boards, while junior guard
Austin Butler posted 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Malik Johnson led Canisius with 20 points, seven assists and seven steals.
Holy Cross returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 22, when it plays host to Sacred Heart at 12:00 p.m.
