LEWISBURG, Pa. – Freshman guard Will Batchelder totaled 22 points, three rebounds and three assists, as the Holy Cross men's basketball team posted an 80-73 victory over Bucknell at Sojka Pavilion. Crusaders improve to 7-14 overall and 4-4 in the Patriot League with the win, while the Bison fall to 8-13 on the year and 1-7 in the conference.

Holy Cross made 52.6 percent of its field goal attempts and 52.6 percent of its three-pointers on the day. Bucknell was able to connect on 47.5 percent of its shots from the floor, but only made 21.7 percent of its attempts from three-point range.

The Crusaders opened the game by jumping out to a quick 10-2 lead after the first 3:36 of action. The Bison came back with a 16-5 run to pull in front, and later held a 24-23 edge with eight minutes left before the break. Holy Cross scored the next seven points to regain the lead and would eventually hold a 38-32 advantage at halftime.

The Crusaders increased their edge to 10 (42-32) early in the second half and were still up by nine (47-38) with 14 minutes left to play. Bucknell then scored six straight points to narrow the gap, and would later pull to within one (70-69) with 3:52 remaining. Junior guard Bo Montgomery and senior forward Gerrale Gates scored key baskets on Holy Cross' next two possessions to push the lead back to five (74-69), and the Crusaders would hold on for the win despite making just four of eight free throws in the final minute.

Gates finished the day with 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Montgomery added 13 points, three rebounds and three assists. The Bison were led by Alex Timmerman with 17 points and nine rebounds. 

Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 25, when it plays host to Lehigh at 7:00 p.m.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• The Crusaders previously defeated Bucknell 60-58 on Dec. 30, sweeping the regular season series from the Bison for the first time since 2003.
• Batchelder hit the 20-point mark for the second straight game and the fifth time overall this season.
• Gates has now scored in double-figures in 29 straight games dating back to last season. 
• The Crusaders have won 11 straight games when hitting at least 50 percent of their field goal attempts.

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