Saints Battle IUSB but Fall 90–78

The Holy Cross College men's basketball team battled throughout but ultimately fell 90–78 to Indiana University South Bend on Friday night at the Student Activities Center. The Saints stayed within striking distance for much of the contest before IUSB pulled away late behind a strong second-half shooting performance

Holy Cross trailed by just one at halftime, 39–38, after an efficient opening 20 minutes that featured balanced scoring and strong play at the free-throw line. Joey Garwood led the Saints offensively, finishing with a team-high 19 points while knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Jayden Sanders added 16 points and went 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, helping keep Holy Cross steady offensively throughout the night

Indiana South Bend found its rhythm in the second half, shooting over 64 percent from the field after the break and outscoring the Saints 51–40 in the final period. Despite the surge, Holy Cross continued to compete, getting solid contributions from Donovan Waleskowski, who put up 9 points and 7 rebounds, and Davide Brembilla with 9 points. The Saints also received a boost from their bench, which accounted for 21 points, highlighted by Karl Birgisson's 18-point performance in reserve minutes

Holy Cross finished the game shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line, while forcing 11 turnovers and recording 12 assists as a team. The Saints were edged in the paint and couldn't slow IUSB's interior scoring late, which proved to be the difference down the stretch

The Saints will look to build on their competitive first-half performance as they continue games and prepare for their next matchup this Saturday December 20th, at home. Tipoff is set for 3pm