WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior forward Gerrale Gates posted a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds, to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to a 60-58 victory over Bucknell at the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex. The Crusaders improve to 4-10 overall and 1-0 in the Patriot League with the win, while the Bison fall to 7-7 on the year and 0-1 in the conference.

Holy Cross turned in one of its top defensive performances of the season, holding Bucknell to 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 10.5 percent shooting from three-point range. The Crusaders also connected on 43.3 percent of their shots from the floor while committing just eight turnovers.

The game was close early on, and the Bison held a 14-12 lead with 7:56 remaining in the first half. Holy Cross then used an 11-4 spurt to pull ahead, and later led 23-22 with 3:45 left before the break. The Crusaders would go on to close out the half with 11 straight points, taking a 12-point advantage (34-22) into the locker room at halftime.

Holy Cross stayed hot to start the second half, using a 7-3 spurt over the first five minutes to expand its lead to 16 (41-25). The Crusaders were later up by 18 (49-31) with 10:52 left to play, before Bucknell went on a 13-2 run to trim the deficit to seven (51-44). The Bison would come all the way back to tie up the game at 57-57 with less than two minutes to go, before a layup by freshman guard Will Batchelder put Holy Cross back in front for good. The Crusaders hit just one of three free throw attempts in the final minute, but still held on as a desperation three-point attempt by Bucknell's Xander Rice was off the mark at the final buzzer.

Junior guard Bo Montgomery finished the day with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Batchelder added eight points and junior guard Nolan Dorsey scored seven points. The Bison were led by Alex Timmerman with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Holy Cross returns to action on Monday, Jan. 2, when it travels to Navy for a 1:00 p.m. game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• The Crusaders allowed Bucknell to hit just two of 19 attempts from three-point range, after the Bison entered the game hitting 39.8 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
• Gates' 14 rebounds tied his career high.
• Holy Cross won its Patriot League opener for the first time since the 2018-2019 season, improving to 18-15 all-time in league openers.

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