by THE BASICS:
- Score: Holy Cross 58, #25 Harvard 57
- Records: Holy Cross 1-0, Harvard 1-1
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
- Date: November 16, 2014
- The Lead: Senior guard Justin Burrell (Dumfries, Va.) totaled 16 points, four assists and three steals, to lead the Holy Cross men’s basketball team to a 58-57 victory over No. 25 Harvard at the TD Garden in the final game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tripleheader.
THE CRUSADERS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS:
- The win marked Holy Cross’ first victory over a ranked opponent since March 5, 1977, when it defeated No. 8 Providence 68-67.
- Since that time, the Crusaders had dropped 29 straight games against ranked foes until beating Harvard tonight.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Crimson led by five points (48-43) with eight minutes remaining in the second half, before a three-pointer by Burrell and a jump shot by junior guard Eric Green (Hualapai Tribe) tied the score at 48-48.
- Harvard had later pulled back in front by four (55-51) with 3:21 on the clock, when Holy Cross used a 7-0 run to pull ahead for good.
- A pair of free throws by Burrell with 2:01 to play put the Crusaders up 56-55, then senior forward Malcolm Miller (Laytonsville, Md.) drained two foul shots to make the score 58-55 with 1:02 remaining.
- The Crimson were able to trim the margin to one point (58-57) and had one last possession in the closing seconds, but a jumper by Wesley Saunders was off the mark and Holy Cross held on for the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Miller finished the night with 12 points, three rebounds and three steals, while Green tallied 12 points three rebounds and two steals.
- Saunders led Harvard with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds.
- As a team, Holy Cross totaled 14 steals on the night, while forcing the Crimson to commit 24 turnovers.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19, when they play host to Brown at 7:05 p.m.
