Men's Basketball falls to St. Francis University (IL)

First Half: 

In the first half against St. Francis (IL), the Holy Cross College men's basketball team found themselves facing a challenging 40-25 deficit. Despite strong individual performances, the Saints struggled with shooting efficiency, making just 10 of 34 field goals, including only 1 of 11 from beyond the arc. Joey Garwood (Elkhart, IN / Penn HS) led the offense with 9 points, shooting 4-8 from the field and adding a three-pointer, while Nash Hostetler (Dublin, OH / Dublin Coffman HS) contributed 7 points and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes of play. Justin O'Neal (Dayton, OH / Dunbar HS) had 3 points and 3 rebounds, but struggled from the field with 1-7 shooting. Davide Brembilla (Alghero, Italy / Don Bosco Prep) added 7 rebounds, but the Saints were limited offensively and failed to generate much consistent scoring. Despite strong efforts on the boards, with 15 total rebounds, the Saints had difficulty overcoming their shooting issues and found themselves trailing at halftime.

Second Half:

In the second half, the Saints continued to battle hard, but they ultimately fell to St. Francis (IL) with a final score of 76-56. Despite improving their shooting to 10-28, Holy Cross College struggled to close the gap, as they were unable to overcome a tough first half deficit. Joey Garwood led the way with 9 second-half points, shooting 2-4 from the field and 2-2 from beyond the arc, while Nash Hostetler added 8 points in 14 minutes of play. Despite some strong individual efforts, including 5 points from Callaghan Weatherspoon (Dayton OH/Chaminade Julienne Catholic HS) and 2 points each from Beau Barhams (Elkhart, IN / Jimtown HS) and Karl Birgisson (Reykjavik, Iceland / Menntaskolinn i Reykjavik), the Saints couldn't contain St. Francis' offense. The Saints' defense allowed their opponents to continue building on their lead, and while the team showed resilience, they ultimately couldn't recover in the second half, resulting in a tough 20-point loss.

• Score: Holy Cross 73, St. Francis 88
• Records: Holy Cross (8-14) | St. Francis(12-9)
• Location: McKenna Arena, Notre Dame, IN

• Joey Garwood: 18 points (6-12 FG, 3-4 3PM), 2 rebounds 
• Nash Hostetler: 15 points (6-12 FG), 5 rebounds
• Phil Robles ii: 6 points (2-9 FG), 1 assist

• Holy Cross shot 32.3% from the field, 20% from three-point range and 66.7% from the free-throw line
• St. Francis shot 61.7% from the field, 53.3% from three-point range and 58.8% from the free-throw line
• Rebounds: St. Francis 35, Holy Cross 35
• Turnovers: Holy Cross 9, St. Francis 16