SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Freshman forward
Joe Pridgen totaled 16 points and nine rebounds, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by San Diego 68-51 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Crusaders fall to 1-8 on the season with the loss, while the Toreros improve to 4-7 overall.
Holy Cross had a tough night shooting the ball, making just 37.9 percent of its field goal attempts, 30.0 percent of its three-pointers and 30.8 percent of its free throws. San Diego hit 48.1 percent of its shots from the floor overall, but connected on just 29.4 percent from long range and 50.0 percent at the foul line.
The Crusaders started the game by jumping out to an early 11-5 lead after the first six minutes of play. The Toreros responded with eight straight points to pull in front, and later held a 26-24 lead with 4:44 left before the break. San Diego then closed out the half with an 11-2 run to take a 37-26 advantage into the locker room.
Holy Cross opened the second half with a 12-5 spurt to close to within four points (42-38) with 14:46 left to play. But the Crusaders then went cold from the field, going over seven minutes without a point as the Toreros used a 15-0 run to put the game away. San Diego led by at least 14 points the rest of night, eventually posting a 17-point victory.
Junior guard
Austin Butler finished the game with nine points and 13 rebounds, while junior forward
Connor Niego scored nine points. The Toreros were led by Yauhen Massalski with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Holy Cross returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 10, when it plays host to UMass Boston at 7:00 p.m.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• The game was part of the Boca Raton Beach Classic.
• Butler's 13 rebounds were a career high and also the most by a Crusader in a single game this season.
• The contest marked the first-ever meeting between Holy Cross and San Diego on the hardwood.
