DURHAM, N.H. – Junior guard Joe Octave scored a season-high 19 points, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by New Hampshire 78-60 at Lundholm Gymnasium. The Crusaders fall to 3-9 overall, while the Wildcats improve to 5-6 on the year.

Holy Cross hit 44.4 percent of its shots from three-point range, but only connected on 41.1 percent of its field goals overall and 60.0 percent of its free throws. New Hampshire was able to knock down 54.0 percent of its shots from the floor, 45.0 percent of its three-pointers and 75.0 percent of its foul shots.

The game was close early on, and the Wildcats held a 15-14 lead after the first nine minutes of play. New Hampshire then went on a 10-1 run to take a double digit lead (25-15), and went on to extend the margin to 14 (38-24) late in the half. The Wildcats eventually took a 39-29 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

The Crusaders scored five straight points to open the second half, trimming the deficit to five (39-34). But New Hampshire responded with a 12-4 spurt to push the margin back to double-figures (51-38), and would lead by at least eight the rest of the way. The Wildcats eventually pulled away in the closing minutes for an 18-point win.

Junior guard Nolan Dorsey finished with 13 points and three assists, while senior forward Gerrale Gates added 10 points to score in double-digits for the 20th straight game. Clarence Daniels led New Hampshire with 30 points and eight rebounds.

The Crusaders return to action on Thursday, Dec. 22, when they travel to Sacred Heart for an 11:30 a.m. game.

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