BOCA RATON, Fla. – Freshman forward
Joe Pridgen scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds, to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to an 81-67 victory over Mercer in the Boca Raton Beach Classic at Abessino Court at FAU Arena. The Crusaders improve to 1-7 on the season with the win, while the Bears fall to 4-5 overall.
Mercer led 39-38 at halftime and increased its advantage to 45-40 early in the second half. Holy Cross then used an 8-0 run to pull in front, including a pair of three-pointers by junior guard
Austin Butler. The Crusaders were later up by two (53-51) with 11 minutes left to play, before using a 14-1 spurt to take control of the game. Sophomore forward
Blake Verbeek scored six points during that run, while sophomore guard
Lincoln Yeutter added four points. Holy Cross eventually extended its lead to 25 (81-56) with 2:26 remaining, but the Bears closed the game on an 11-0 run to make the final score look respectable.
The Crusaders hit 52.5 percent of their field goal attempts on the night, including 65.5 percent in the second half. Holy Cross also held a 38-30 rebounding advantage, while holding Mercer to 26.3 percent shooting from three-point range.
Butler finished the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Verbeek added nine points and three boards, while Yeutter totaled eight points and five assists.
Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 7, when it travels to San Diego for its final game in the Boca Raton Beach Classic.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
•
Brett Nelson earned his first career victory as the head coach of the Crusaders.
• Pridgen became the third different Holy Cross freshman to score 20 points in a game this season.
• Yeutter played 35 minutes in his first career start, and set career highs for points (eight) and assists (five).
• Pridgen was named to the Boca Raton Beach Classic All-Tournament team.
