BALTIMORE — The Holy Cross men's basketball team rallied in the second half, but was unable to contain Loyola (Md.), falling 73-69 in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Reitz Arena. 

The Crusaders (10-22) stormed back in the second half to erase a 16-point first-half deficit, tying the game at 41-41 with 14:01 to go. Loyola (13-19) did not let the Crusaders take the lead at any point, and though Holy Cross was within two points with 10 seconds to go, the Greyhounds made their final two free throws to hold off the Crusaders.

Four Crusaders scored in double figures, led by freshman guard Will Batchelder's 18 points. Junior guard Bo Montgomery finished with 17 points, and senior forward Gerrale Gates recorded a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds. Junior guard Joe Octave tallied 10 points. 

The game got off to a slow start, as the Crusaders trailed 10-0 early before Montgomery converted on an and-one to make it a 10-3 game with 14:23 left in the first. Loyola immediately responded with a 3-pointer to make it 13-3 before the Crusaders scored five unanswered points to cut within 13-8. 

Loyola quickly extended its advantage and led by as much as 16 in the first half, holding a 30-14 advantage with 4:44 to go, and the Greyhounds led 35-22 headed into halftime. 

The Crusaders opened the second half on a 15-3 run to make it a one-point game, 38-37, with 15:17 left after back-to-back threes by Batchelder and junior guard Nolan Dorsey and a basket by Montgomery. Gates drained two free throws to make it 41-41 with 14:01 to go before Loyola outscored Holy Cross 10-1 over the next two minutes to gain a 51-42 lead, capped with a four-point play with 11:59 remaining. 

Holy Cross managed to cut within 62-60 with 2:18 to go after a layup by sophomore forward Caleb Kenney. The Crusaders kept it a close game throughout the final minutes, but Loyola made its free throws down the stretch to prevent a final push by the Crusaders. 

Loyola advances to face top-seeded Colgate in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 2. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Gates had his 13th double-double of the season; his 14 rebounds tied a career high.