Saints Fall to St. Xavier

First Half:

The Holy Cross College men's basketball team found themselves in an 8-point hole at halftime against St. Xavier, trailing 36-44 after a competitive opening 20 minutes of play. The Saints started off strong, with Joey Garwood (Elkhart, IN / Penn HS) leading the offense, tallying 11 first-half points while knocking down a three-pointer and converting all 4 of his free throw attempts. Phil Robles ii (South Bend, IN / Purdue Fort Wayne) provided an efficient scoring boost off the bench, going 2-for-3 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, to finish the half with 10 points. On the glass, Nash Hostetler (Dublin, OH / Dublin Coffman HS) anchored the Saints with 7 rebounds, helping Holy Cross outrebound St. Xavier 25-18 in the half. The Saints also took advantage of their trips to the free-throw line, converting 11-of-14 attempts. Despite their efforts, turnovers proved costly, as Holy Cross committed 10 in the first half, allowing St. Xavier to capitalize and maintain their lead heading into the break.

Second Half:

The Holy Cross College men's basketball team was unable to keep pace with St. Xavier in the second half, falling 110-73 on the road Saturday night. After trailing 44-36 at halftime, the Saints struggled to slow down St. Xavier's offensive attack as the Cougars pulled away in the final 20 minutes. Despite a strong effort from the free-throw line, where the Saints converted 14-of-20 attempts in the second half, turnovers and defensive lapses allowed the Cougars to extend their lead. Justin O'Neal (Dayton, OH / Dunbar HS) led Holy Cross at the free-throw line, going 6-for-8 in the second half to finish with 8 points. Nash Hostetler added 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting, while Joey Garwood contributed 6 points. Joe Kelly (Fort Wayne, Indiana / Bishop Dwenger HS) provided a spark off the bench, scoring 4 points on an efficient 2-for-3 shooting. As a team, the Saints shot 42% from the field in the second half but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 1-7 three-point attempts. St. Xavier capitalized on Holy Cross' 11 second-half turnovers, converting them into transition opportunities that put the game out of reach.

• Score: Holy Cross 73, St. Xavier 83
• Records: Holy Cross (9-16) | St. Xavier (17-9)
• Location: Chicago, IL

• Joey Garwood: 17 points (5-17 FG, 4-9 3PM), 4 rebounds 
• Justin O'Neal: 15 points (4-8 FG), 5 rebounds
• Nash Hostetler: 13 points (5-12 FG), 8 rebounds

• Holy Cross shot 37.3% from the field, 20% from three-point range and 73.5% from the free-throw line
• St. Xavier shot 50.6% from the field, 40.9% from three-point range and 70.6% from the free-throw line
• Rebounds: St. Xavier 44, Holy Cross 39
• Turnovers: Holy Cross 21, St. Xavier 12