ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Holy Cross women's basketball team held off Navy for the Crusaders' third straight victory in a 58-49 final on Saturday, Jan. 4.

Senior Megan Swords led the way for Holy Cross (9-4, 2-0 Patriot League) with 20 points and 11 rebounds, along with a block and two steals. Sophomore Avery LaBarbera chipped in 16 points, including 13 in the second half, while senior Lauren Manis had 12 rebounds to surpass the 1,000-rebound mark for her career. Senior Madalyn Smith dished out eight assists.

Laurel Jaunich had 16 points to pace Navy (5-8, 0-2 Patriot League). Lindsay Llewellyn was in double figures with 13 points, and Mary Kate Ulasewicz had nine.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Swords had the Crusaders' first 10 points as Holy Cross led 10-9 with 1:19 to go. A layup by sophomore Oluchi Ezemma gave the Crusaders a 12-9 advantage through the first quarter.
• Navy went on a 10-2 run to open the second quarter, broken up only by a layup by freshman Addisyn Cross. LaBarbera had a 3-pointer to cut within two, but Navy maintained a lead through the end of the half, with a 3-pointer from Jaunich giving the Midshipmen a 27-22 lead with 1:06 to go in the first half.
• Holy Cross opened the third quarter on a 14-5 run. A three from LaBarbera tied the game up at 30-30 with 7:46 to go in the third, and after Llewellyn hit a jumper to put Navy back ahead, Swords had back-to-back layups to put the Crusaders back in the lead for good. Swords added another layup with 41 seconds remaining in the third to give Holy Cross a five-point advantage, 42-37.
• Swords hit another layup early in the fourth quarter, and a layup by Ezemma and a 3-pointer by LaBarbera extended Holy Cross' lead to 12 points with 7:03 to go. The Midshipmen cut within eight with 3:54 to go, but a layup from Manis brought the Crusaders' lead back to double figures.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• This was the Crusaders' first win at Navy since Jan. 24, 2015.
• With her board at 6:38 of the fourth quarter, Manis became just the third player in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds; she trails Janet Hourihan (1,178) and Kathy Courtney (1,101) for the all-time lead.
• Swords was just one point short of matching her career high; she has five double-doubles this year and has recorded 20 or more points in four games this year.

UP NEXT:

• After playing eight of its last nine games on the road, Holy Cross returns home for the next two contests, hosting Lafayette on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
• Tipoff for the annual Get Fit With the Crusaders Day is scheduled for 11 a.m.