WEST POINT, N.Y. – Senior forward
Matt Faw totaled 15 points, five rebounds and four steals, as the Holy Cross men's basketball team posted a 70-61 victory over Army West Point at Christl Arena. The Crusaders improve to 2-2 overall and 2-2 in the Patriot League with the win, while the Black Knights fall to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Senior guard
Austin Butler posted his seventh career double-double, finishing with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Junior forward
Gerrale Gates recorded 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots, while sophomore guard
Ryan Wade added 11 points and three assists. Alex King led the Black Knights with 21 points.
Holy Cross opened the game with an early 10-9 lead, before Army went on a 12-2 run to claim a 21-12 advantage with nine minutes left in the first half. The Crusaders responded with a 14-4 spurt to reclaim the lead, but the Black Knights would go on to take a 37-31 edge into the locker room at halftime.
Army increased its lead to 41-31 with 17 minutes left in regulation, before Holy Cross went on an 11-2 run to close the margin to one point (43-42). The score was later tied at 53-53 with less than seven minutes left to play, when Butler knocked down a three-pointer to give the Crusaders the lead for good. That shot started a 12-4 run, including a pair of three-pointers by Wade, which allowed Holy Cross to take control. The Crusaders went on to hit five of seven free throws in the final minute to pull away for a nine-point win.
Holy Cross made 44.6 percent of its field goal attempts on the afternoon, including 11 of 24 shots from three-point range (45.8 percent). The Crusaders also held the Black Knights to 40.7 percent shooting from the floor, in addition to claiming a 38-33 rebounding advantage.
Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 16, when it travels to Colgate.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Butler's 14 rebounds are the most by a Crusader in a single game this season.
• Faw tied his career high with four steals.
• Gates set a season-high with his four blocked shots.
