WASHINGTON, D.C. – Freshman forward
Joe Pridgen posted his first career double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by American 81-69 at Bender Arena. The Crusaders fall to 2-17 on the season and 1-5 in the Patriot League with the loss, while the Eagles improve to 8-9 overall and 4-2 in the conference.
Holy Cross made 48.2 percent of its field goal attempts on the day and held a 31-24 rebounding advantage, but only connected on 26.7 percent of its shots from three-point range. American was able to hit 61.5 percent of its shots from the floor and committed just eight turnovers.
The score was tied at 9-9 after the first four minutes of play, when the Eagles went on a 21-6 run to take a 30-15 lead. American was still up by 15 (35-20) with 5:46 left before the break, when the Crusaders used a 12-2 spurt to close the gap. The Eagles eventually took a 43-36 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
American expanded its lead back to double figures (49-38) early in the second half, before a 10-2 run brought Holy Cross back to within three (51-48). The score then stayed close for the majority of the half, and the Eagles were up by just four (65-61) with 7:35 left to play. But American scored the next five points to regain control, and eventually pulled away for a 12-point victory.
Junior forward
Matt Faw finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard
Austin Butler added 15 points, three rebounds and two assists. Sa'eed Nelson led the Eagles with 21 points and five assists.
Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 22, when it plays host to Lehigh at 7:00 p.m.
