WEST POINT, N.Y. – Senior guard Joe Octave totaled 28 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to an 84-68 victory over Army West Point in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament at Christl Arena. The Crusaders improve to 10-22 overall and move on to face Colgate in the quarterfinals, while the Black Knights conclude the season at 10-22.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Holy Cross hit 52.9 percent of its field goal attempts and 63.2 percent of its three-pointers on the night, while recording a 36-31 rebounding advantage.
• The Crusaders also held the Black Knights to 41.3 percent shooting from the floor and 22.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
• Senior guard Bo Montgomery finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds, while junior forward Caleb Kenney added 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
• Josh Scovens led Army with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Black Knights opened the game by jumping out to an early 6-2 lead, and were later up 14-13 with 10:59 left in the first half. 
• Holy Cross then used a 10-2 run to pull in front (23-16), and went on to take a nine-point advantage (36-27) into the locker room at halftime. 
• The game stayed close early in the second half, and the Crusaders were up by just six (51-45) with 12:44 remaining.
• Holy Cross then scored nine straight points, including six from Octave, to take a 15-point advantage (60-45) with 9:53 on the clock.
• The Crusaders led by at least 11 points the rest of the way, while hitting nine of 11 free throws in the final five minutes.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• Holy Cross hit 12 three-point field goals on the night, its most ever in a Patriot League Tournament game.
• Octave's 28 points were the most by a Crusader in the Patriot League Tournament since Malcolm Miller scored 34 points at Bucknell on March 5, 2015.

UP NEXT:
• The Crusaders return to action on Thursday, March 7, when the travel to Colgate for a 7 p.m. game in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals.

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