BRONX, N.Y. – Senior forward Gerrale Gates totaled 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Stonehill 81-79 in its opening game of the Tom Konchalski Classic at Rose Hill Gymnasium. The Crusaders fall to 1-3 overall, while the Skyhawks improve to 2-3 on the year.

Holy Cross made 45.2 percent of its field goal attempts, 40.0 percent of its three-pointers and 78.6 percent of its foul shots on the night. Stonehill was able to connect on 50.9 percent of its shots from the floor and 91.7 percent of its attempts at the charity stripe, while holding a 24-14 advantage in free throw attempts.

The Crusaders started the game hot, using a 13-1 run over the first three minutes to build a double-digit lead. Holy Cross was still up by 12 (22-10) with 11:47 left in the half, before the Skyhawks used a 12-2 spurt to close the gap. The Crusaders eventually took a one-point advantage (34-33) into the locker room at halftime.

Holy Cross came out on fire to start the second half, using a 16-6 run to go back up by 11 (50-39) with 16:59 left to play. But Stonehill responded with a 14-3 spurt over the next four minutes to tie up the score at 53-53. Neither team would lead by more than four points the rest of the way, and the score was tied at 76-76 with two minutes to go. The Skyhawks were able to pull back in front by three (79-76), before a three-point play by Gates with 11.0 seconds left tied the game at 79-79. But on Stonehill's final possession, Josh Mack drove the lane and scored with 2.1 seconds remaining to give the Skyhawks the win.

Freshman guard Will Batchelder finished the night with 21 points, five assists and four steals, while hitting seven of 15 shots from three-point range. Batchelder's seven made three-pointers tied the school single-game record. Junior guard Bo Montgomery added 16 points, five assists and three rebounds. The Skyhawks were led by Isaiah Burnett with 30 points.

The Crusaders return to action on Monday, Nov. 21, when they face Fordham at 7:00 p.m. in their second game of the Tom Konchalski Classic.

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