BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Led by a pair of double-doubles from seniors Lauren Manis and Megan Swords, the Holy Cross women's basketball team earned a road victory over Lehigh, 74-57, on Wednesday, Jan. 22. In a matchup of the top two teams in the Patriot League's preseason poll, the Crusaders out-rebounded the Mountain Hawks by a 45-24 margin and shot 50.9 percent from the field.

Manis recorded 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Swords scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to lead the Crusaders (12-6, 5-2 Patriot League). Sophomore Avery LaBarbera scored 12 points, with 10 in the second half, and senior Madalyn Smith handed out seven assists.

Lehigh (13-5, 5-2 Patriot League) was led by Emma Grothaus, who had 13 points, and Camryn Buhr, who scored 10 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• With the score tied at 10-10 just three minutes into the game, Manis hit a 3-pointer to kick off a 10-3 Holy Cross run, which ended with an and-one by Manis, who had 14 first-quarter points.
• Swords battled for a layup that gave Holy Cross a 35-20 lead with 5:24 to go in the half, and later made a free throw that pushed the advantage to 16 points. The Crusaders ended the first half with seven unanswered points, off a pair of layups from Swords and a 3-pointer by senior Kathryn Pedi, to hold a 40-20 advantage at the half.
• Holy Cross pushed its lead to 24 with 6:11 left in the third after a fastbreak layup from LaBarbera. Lehigh had the next seven points, going on to outscore the Crusaders 16-14 in the third quarter.
• Lehigh was able to cut the Crusaders' lead to just 13 points after a 3-pointer from Grothaus and a layup from Cameryn Benz with 9:06 left in the game.
• After Benz's basket, junior Jenay Faulkner immediately responded with a 3-pointer, and Manis hit another trey to push the advantage back to 19 with 8:12 left. The Crusaders kept the Mountain Hawks at a distance for the remainder of the game, with Lehigh only cutting as close as 15 points with 3:00 to go.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• With her 16-rebound performance, Swords bested her previous career high of 14 rebounds. This marks the fifth time a Crusader has had 15-plus rebounds this season.
• Lehigh's 24 rebounds were the fewest by a Holy Cross opponent this season.
• Manis' 29-point showing marked a season high and fell one point shy of a career high. She has had 25 or more points in four games this season.
• With a 20-point advantage at the half, Holy Cross posted its largest halftime lead of the year; Holy Cross also had its highest point total in a Patriot League contest this season and its largest margin of victory in conference play this year.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders head down the Massachusetts Turnpike to face Boston University on Saturday, January 25.
• Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.