Saints Fall to Olivet 90-67

The Holy Cross men's basketball team fell on the road Saturday afternoon, dropping a 90-67 game to Olivet Nazarene at McHie Arena.

Jayden Sanders paced the Saints with 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting while adding 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Donovan Mukes provided a strong offensive spark with 17 points, connecting on 3 shots from beyond the arc, and chipped in 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Karl Birgisson rounded out the top scorers with 10 points and 4 boards.

Holy Cross battled early but trailed 45-31 at the halftime break as Olivet Nazarene shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half. The Tigers continued their efficiency after the break, finishing the game at an impressive 52.9 percent shooting to pull away for the win.

Donovan Waleskowski grabbed 6 rebounds to go along with 5 points and 3 assists, while Callaghan Weatherspoon contributed 3 assists and 2 steals. Off the bench, Drew Adzia scored 5 points and AJ Roseman added 7 rebounds to help the Saints hold a 32-46 rebounding margin.

As a team, Holy Cross forced turnovers into 20 points and recorded 8 steals, but struggled to find a consistent rhythm offensively, shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 29.2 percent from three-point range.

The Saints move to 9-15 overall and 4-12 in conference play.

Holy Cross will look to bounce back on Wednesday, February 11, when they host cross-town rival Indiana University South Bend. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.