WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior forward Gerrale Gates posted 19 points and four rebounds, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Navy 86-68 at the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex. The Crusaders fall to 8-17 overall and 5-7 in the Patriot League, while the Midshipmen improve to 13-11 on the year and 6-6 in the conference.

Holy Cross made 41.2 percent of its three-pointers and 78.9 percent of its free throws on the day, but was only able to make 39.7 percent of its shots from the field overall. Navy knocked down 47.8 percent of its shots from the floor and 88.9 percent of its attempts at the charity stripe, while holding a 46-28 rebounding advantage.

The Midshipmen opened the game by jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead, and were later up 19-13 with 7:21 left in the first half. The Crusaders then scored nine straight points, including a pair of three-pointers by junior guard Joe Octave, to pull in front by three (22-19). Navy scored the next six points to regain the lead, and was eventually up 30-29 heading into the locker room at halftime.

The score stayed close early in the second half, and the game was tied at 49-49 with nine minutes left to play. But Navy would only miss two more shots the rest of the day, at one point using a 13-1 run to claim a double-digit lead. The Midshipmen went on to lead by as many as 20 points, before finally posting an 18-point victory.

Junior guard Bo Montgomery totaled 15 points, six rebounds and four assists on the afternoon, while Octave and freshman guard Will Batchelder added 10 points each. Navy was led by Daniel Deaver with 35 points and 16 rebounds.

Holy Cross returns to action on Monday, Feb. 6, when it plays host to Lafayette at 7:00 p.m. The game between the Crusaders and the Leopards will be shown live to a national audience on the CBS Sports Network.

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