WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior guard/forward
Joe Nugent scored a team-high 18 points as the Holy Cross men's basketball team fell by a 76-67 score Saturday afternoon in the Hart Center Arena.
Nugent was on fire from three-point range scoring all 18 of his markers from deep going 6-for-9 (66.7 percent) with three rebounds and two steals for the Crusaders (8-13, 3-5 PL). His six three-pointers were a season-high. Freshman forward
Aiden Disu dropped 12 points with four boards and two blocks in 32 minutes of action as junior guard/forward
Gabe Warren added 11 points as well as sophomore guard
Tyler Boston.
American (13-8, 6-2 PL) was led by Madden Collins' 20 points in 27 minutes off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- American notched the first five points of the game until Disu drove through traffic for the opening Crusader points. This was the start on an 8-2 Crusader burst as Boston connected on a wing three to give Holy Cross their first lead at 8-7 4:31 into the game. Following a Nugent three to push the Crusaders back ahead, American then promptly scored 14 straight points to lead 25-13. Junior guard DeAndre Williams halted the scoring stretch to make it a 25-15 game with 9:02 to play in the half.
- Disu drove and dished to Warren in the corner for a triple making the deficit single-digits at 29-20 with 6:19 left. Warren then slammed with two hands for the and1 making the free throw and putting Holy Cross down 31-23 at the 5:31 mark. American outscored the Crusaders 10-4 to lead 41-27 at the intermission.
- Holy Cross came out of the locker room on an 8-2 run as good ball movement resulted in a wide open triple for Nugent in the corner as the hosts trailed 43-35. A Disu spinning post score brought the Crusaders within seven, 49-42 with 13:51 left. American rebuilt the lead to 14, 56-42.
- The Crusaders kept at it as a junior guard John St. Germain III's baseline drive for two started a 13-5 run with Disu ending the stretch to put the Crusaders within two possessions, 61-55 at the 6:57 mark. Boston kept his squad down two scores stepping back and drilling a mid range shot with 1:44 left as Holy Cross trailed 67-61. On the next possession, American got a second chance layup to go back ahead 69-61. Nugent buried a three-ball making it a five point game, 69-64 with 1:10 left. Holy Cross started to foul and American went 7-for-8 at the line over the remainder of the game to clinch the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Nugent recorded his fifth game of four or more three-pointers this season. He has 184 career three-pointers and needs eight more to climb into third place (191, Devin Brown – 2008-2012) and 11 more for second place (194, Keith Simmons – 2003-2007) on the program's all-time list Nugent needs 39 more three-pointers to become the program's all-time leader (222, Kevin Hamilton – 2002-2006).
- Warren matched his career-best with four assists.
- Disu has reached double-figures in three of the last four games.
UP NEXT:
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