The Holy Cross Crusaders nearly erased a 19-point deficit late in their game against Lehigh Monday night as they fell 71-67 to the Mountain Hawks.
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEH (9-13, 4-7) | 35 | 36 | 71 |
| HC (7-15, 4-7) | 33 | 34 | 67 |
Lehigh (9-13, 4-7) came out of the halftime break strong, leading the Crusaders 61-42 with under 10 minutes to play. As Holy Cross slowly chipped away at the Mountain Hawks lead, Lehigh had a basket called back after a controversial review said they did not get off the shot in time. The Crusaders lowered the deficit to just two points with 1:11 left, but a missed three-pointer from freshman Caleb Green ended their momentum.
Jehyve Floyd, who was named Men’s Player of the Week by Worcester Area College Basketball Association this week, shot 100 percent from the field for the second game in a row as he scored 15 points and lead the Crusaders in rebounds with nine. He also led the team with season-high six blocks.
Go ahead and FLEX big man. @HCrossMBB throws it down with authority. pic.twitter.com/OFDEdJMlxb
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) January 30, 2018
The Crusaders were led by junior forward Karl Charles, who scored 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, also leading the team in assists with five. Freshmen Austin Butler and Jacob Grandison both scored double-digit points with 12 and 13 points scored respectively. The pair both struggled from deep, however, as Butler shot 1-of-6 and Grandison shot 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Lehigh was led by sophomore guard Jordan Cohen, who scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and added six rebounds. Cohen also sunk two free throws with eight seconds left to help seal the victory. Guards Kahron Ross and Kyle Leufroy both scored double-digits with 13 and 12 points respectively.
The difference for the Crusaders came from their shot selection, as they attempted more three-point shots than their opponents, but only managed to convert 30 percent of them. While this was a heartbreaking defeat, Holy Cross displayed that they have the ability to come back in games, even when they have their backs against the wall.
The Crusaders (7-15, 4-7) are tied for eighth in the Patriot League and next face off against Loyola (MD) (7-14, 5-5) away from home on Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.
