BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior forward
Gerrale Gates totaled 21 points and nine rebounds, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Lehigh 77-69 at Stabler Arena. The Crusaders fall to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in the Patriot League, while the Mountain Hawks improve to 5-11 on the season and 3-1 in the conference.
Holy Cross finished the night with a season-low five turnovers, but made just 33.8 percent of its field goal attempts and 22.2 percent of its three-pointers. Lehigh was able to connect on 46.3 percent of its shots from the floor and 44.4 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc, while holding a 44-35 rebounding advantage.
The Crusaders opened the game by jumping out to an early 8-2 after the first six minutes of play. The Mountain Hawks responded by going on a 22-2 run to claim a 14-point lead (24-10). Lehigh would go on to lead by as many as 15 points (33-18) late in the half, before Holy Cross used an 8-2 spurt to cut the deficit to nine (35-26) heading into the locker room.
After the Mountain Hawks opened the second half with a three-pointer, the Crusaders went on a 9-3 run to close to within six (41-35) with 16:49 to go. But Lehigh scored the next seven points to go back up by double figures, and went on to take a 62-46 advantage with 7:45 remaining. Holy Cross scored the next seven points to keep things interesting, but could get no closer than eight points down the stretch as the Mountain Hawks held on for the win.
Freshman guard
Kyrell Luc finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while sophomore guard
DáJion Humphrey added 15 points. Marques Wilson led Lehigh with 17 points and six rebounds.
The Crusaders return to action on Thursday, Jan. 13, when they play host to American at 7:00 p.m.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• Gates hit the 20-point mark for the second straight game and the sixth time in his Holy Cross career.
• Holy Cross' five turnovers were its fewest in a single game since Nov. 18, 2018, when it had just five turnovers against Siena.
• Luc set a new career high with his seven rebounds.
