WORCESTER, Mass. – Freshman forward Aiden Disu scored a career-high 21 points while junior guard/forward Gabe Warren added 20 markers as the Holy Cross men's basketball team rallied from a 10-point second half deficit for a 76-67 win during Winter Homecoming weekend against Patriot League foe Lehigh on Saturday.
 
In a pregame ceremony, the hardwood inside the Hart Center Arena was dedicated to Bob Cousy '50. The comeback victory was the first win for the Crusaders on Cousy Court.
 
Disu was one rebound shy of a double-double (nine boards) and he was 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from the field and 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) at the line with two steals and two blocks, earning the Martin J. O'Malley Award, which is given to the most outstanding player of the Winter Homecoming Game. Warren scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half, and was 9-for-10 (90 percent) at the charity stripe for the Crusaders (9-16, 4-6 PL).
 
Lehigh (10-15, 6-6 PL) was led by Hank Alvey, who scored 28 points on 13-for-15 (86.7 percent) shooting. Nasir Whitlock also double-doubled with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Disu picked off a pass and went the other way for a two-handed slam, giving the Crusaders a 10-8 edge at the 14:02 mark. Lehigh regained the lead, 15-12, thanks to a hoop and harm with 11:41 left before the half. Buckets in close from freshman forward Tim Finau and junior guard John St. Germain III pushed Holy Cross back ahead, 18-17.
• Five straight points from the Mountain Hawks put the guests in the lead at 22-18. Holy Cross fought back to take the lead at 24-22 following a Disu jumper off an inbounds play. A pair of Warren free throws brought them within one, 30-29 at halftime.
• Lehigh scored nine straight to start the second half, which upped its lead to 39-29. Down by 10, the Crusaders went on a 26-8 run over the next 9:31 of game time, as Disu posted 10 points during the burst. Warren and sophomore guard Tyler Boston electrified the crowd of 2,917 fans with a pair of threes during the run.
• Two freebies from Lehigh with under two minutes to play closed the gap to five, 66-61 with 1:49 to go. Boston countered with a three-pointer to reestablish an eight-point edge, 69-61. The Mountain Hawks closed within two scores, but the Crusaders made their free throws down the stretch to capture the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Disu is 25-for-27 (92.6 percent) from the line over his last eight games.
• Warren set a career-high in single game free throw conversions (nine) and free throw attempts (10).
• Boston scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half. He also dished out a team-best five assists.
• Holy Cross has turned the ball over 12 or fewer times in 14 of the last 16 games.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross ends its three-game home stretch on Wednesday, Feb. 11 against Colgate (14-10, 8-3 PL) at 6 p.m.
• Single-game tickets for Holy Cross men's basketball are on sale through the Holy Cross Ticket Office.

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