WORCESTER, Mass. – A pair of double-doubles helped guide the Holy Cross women's basketball team past New Hampshire in an 82-61 final on Sunday, Dec 22 at the Hart Center.
Senior
Lauren Manis had a season-high 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 11 rebounds, while senior
Megan Swords had a double-double of 20 points (8-for-12) and 12 rebounds for the Crusaders (6-3). Sophomore
Avery LaBarbera was in double digits with 13 points, and senior
Kathryn Pedi had eight points. Freshman
Addisyn Cross had her first collegiate points, finishing with six in the game.
Caroline Soucy led New Hampshire (3-8) with 26 points, while Ashley Storey had 16.
The Crusaders outscored the Wildcats 36-26 in the paint and shot 54 percent from the field during the game, while New Hampshire shot 35.4 percent.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With the Crusaders leading just 11-8 early, a 3-pointer by Manis sparked a 14-2 run for the Crusaders. Manis had a dish to Cross for the rookie's first collegiate field goal with five seconds remaining, capping off an 8-0 run as the Crusaders led 25-10 after one quarter.
- LaBarbera had a three to give Holy Cross a 39-21 lead with 3:06 left in the half. Manis' three with 35 seconds remaining matched Holy Cross' largest advantage of the game, 44-23; New Hampshire made a layup with 11 seconds remaining to cut within 19 points entering halftime.
- The Wildcats were able to cut their deficit to just 12 points, 53-41, with 3:49 to go in the third. Pedi's 3-pointer pushed the Holy Cross lead back to 15, and the Crusaders rebuilt their lead to 18 after a Swords putback with 34 seconds left in the quarter.
- New Hampshire again made it a 12-point game with 4:53 left, forcing a Holy Cross timeout. Out of the timeout, Swords tipped in her own miss, and Manis had a three to push the lead to 75-58 with 3:52 to go. Swords had another basket and the Crusaders went 4-for-4 from the line to maintain a steady lead for the remainder of the game.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Manis, making her 100th career start, finished just two points shy of her career high in points while recording her sixth double-double of the year.
- Swords finished just one point shy of her season and career high while also notching her fourth double-double of the season.
- Holy Cross is now 4-0 at the Hart Center this season and has won 17 of its last 21 home games.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders head to the Sunshine State after Christmas, taking on the University of North Florida on Dec. 28.
