WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior forward
Matt Faw totaled a career-high 22 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Army West Point 79-67 at the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex. The Crusaders fall to 2-16 on the season and 1-4 in the Patriot League with the loss, while the Black Knights improve to 6-10 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
Holy Cross started the game hot, jumping out to an early 18-7 lead after the first 6:01 of action. Army responded with a 12-0 run to pull in front, and was later up 23-20 with 8:36 to go before the break. The Crusaders came back with a 12-2 spurt to go back in front by seven, and led 34-27 with 4:31 remaining before half time. But the Black Knights then closed out the half with a 14-0 run and were in front 41-34 heading into the locker room.
Army increased the margin to 10 points (46-36) early in the second half, when Holy Cross used a 14-3 run to reclaim the lead (50-39) with 13:14 left in regulation. Faw scored seven points during that spurt, including a layup which gave the Crusaders the lead. The score stayed close for several minutes, and the Black Knights were up by one (60-59) with 6:50 left to play. But Army scored the next nine points to go back in front by 10 (69-59), and Holy Cross would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
The Black Knights hit 53.2 percent of their field goal attempts on the afternoon while committing just four turnovers. The Crusaders made just 44.1 percent of their shots from the floor.
Freshman forward
Joe Pridgen finished the game with 17 points and six rebounds, while junior forward
Connor Niego added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Matt Wilson led Army with 23 points.
Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 18, when it travels to American for a 4:00 p.m. game.
MOMENT OF SILENCE:
• Prior to the game, there was a moment of silence in remembrance of sophomore Grace Rett, a member of the Crusader women's rowing team who lost her life in a serious motor vehicle accident while on a winter training trip in Florida.Â
• The Holy Cross-Army game was originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 15, but was rescheduled due to the tragic accident.
• For updates and additional information on Holy Cross rowing, visit the
Holy Cross Newsroom.
