EASTON, Pa. — Sophomore forward Joe Nugent posted 18 points and four rebounds, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Lafayette 82-65 at the Kirby Sports Center. The Crusaders fall to 10-7 on the year and 2-2 in the Patriot League, while the Eagles improve to 7-10 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Holy Cross made just 43.3 percent of its field goal attempts and 27.3 percent of its three-pointers on the afternoon.
• Lafayette was able to connect on 57.6 percent of its shots from the floor and 42.1 percent of its attempts from three-point range, while holding a 33-29 rebounding advantage.
• Senior forward Caleb Kenney finished the day with 14 points and six rebounds.
• Junior forward Jaiden Feroah added 10 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard DeAndre Williams tallied 12 points and six assists.
• Justin Vander Baan led Lafayette with 18 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Crusaders opened the game by jumping out to an early 8-5 lead after the first four minutes of play.
• The Leopards scored the next seven points, part of a 21-4 spurt that put them in front by 14 (26-12).
• Lafayette went on to lead by as many as 21 points late in the half, before eventually taking a 44-25 advantage into the locker room.
• The Leopards were still up by 19 (51-32) with 18 minutes remaining, when Holy Cross scored nine straight to make it a 10-point game (51-41). 
• The Crusaders would trim the deficit to eight (66-58) with 8:19 left to play, and were still down by just eight (71-63) at the six-minute mark. 
• But that was as close as Holy Cross would get, as Lafayette pulled away down the stretch to win by 17.

UP NEXT:
• Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when it travels to Bucknell for a 7 p.m. game.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:
• Tickets to see the Crusaders in action can be purchased online at GoHolyCross.com/tickets or by calling or texting 1-844-GOCROSS.
  
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS:
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross men's basketball team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
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