WORCESTER, Mass. – Freshman guard Will Batchelder scored a career-high 28 points, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Lafayette 72-58 at the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex. The Crusaders fall to 8-18 overall and 5-8 in the Patriot League, while the Leopards improve to 8-18 on the year and 6-7 in the conference.

Batchelder hit eight of 15 attempts from three-point range, to break the school record for the most three-pointers made in a single game. The previous mark of seven three-pointers was shared by eight different players, including Batchelder and junior guard Joe Octave. 

Holy Cross started the game hot, jumping out to a quick 9-0 lead after the first 3:26 of action. After Lafayette scored the next nine points, the Crusaders used an 11-2 spurt to go back in front by nine (20-11) with 8:58 left in the first half. But the Leopards scored 10 straight points to pull in front, and eventually took a 35-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The score remained close early in the second half, and Lafayette was up 41-37 with 13:35 remaining. The Leopards then used a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to put the game away. Lafayette would lead by as many as 19 points before finally posting a 14-point victory.

Holy Cross made just 32.8 percent of its field goal attempts and 37.9 percent of its three-pointers on the night. The Leopards connected on 51.9 percent of their shots from the floor and 50.0 percent of their attempts from three-point range. 

Octave finished the game with 13 points and five rebounds. Josh Rivera led Lafayette with 25 points.

The Crusaders will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 11, when they travel to American for a 2:00 p.m. game.

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