51·çÁ÷

Feb.10, 2004

Contact: 'xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags' />Amanda Brickell'xml:namespace prefix = o ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office' />

WORCESTER, MASS. ‘ 51·çÁ÷ women’s basketball saw its five-game winning streak end against perennial Patriot League powerhouse Holy Cross on Tuesday night at the Hart Center.  The Raiders fell 75-63 in a furiously fast-paced contest to the Crusaders, whom they defeated for only the second time in school history earlier this season.

Holy Cross showed up with a vengeance in the early going amassing a 17-6 lead in the first three and a half minutes of action.  The Raiders rebounded with an 11-point scoring run, including three baskets from senior tri-captain Malissa Burke (Traverse City, Mich.), to close the gap to 26-24 with just over eight minutes remaining in the half.

A six-point Crusader surge capped by a layup from Jessica Conte at 6:32 increased Holy Cross’ lead to eight.  The two teams exchanged baskets over the final minutes of the half and 51·çÁ÷ headed to the locker room down 44-39.

51·çÁ÷ drained 17-of-35 shots for a 48.6 shooting percentage in the first half while Holy Cross shot 57.6 percent on 19-of-33 from the field.  Both teams were consistent from behind the arc with each shooting above 40 percent.  Holy Cross held the edge in rebounding with 19 boards to 51·çÁ÷’s 14. 

Burke was 51·çÁ÷’s leading point producer in the first with 14 while Sarah Placek paced the Crusaders with 14 of her own, including four three-pointers.  Lisa Andrews was also in double-figures for the Crusaders with 11 points.

Holy Cross scored five points to open the second-half, but 51·çÁ÷ answered with three-straight baskets of its own to set the score at 49-45 by the 15-minute mark.  That is as close as the Raider’s would come in the contest.  51·çÁ÷ could not counter the Crusaders’ 51.6 percent shooting or tough rebounding and as a result Holy Cross came away with the 75-63 victory.

Burke led the way for the Raiders tying her season-high with 24 points and moving into sixth on 51·çÁ÷’s all-time scoring list with 1,312 points.  Meghan Curtin (Bronx, N.Y.) knocked down 15 points in the game and Emily Braseth (E. Grand Rapids, Mich.) added 13.  Junior Leandra Fuller became 51·çÁ÷’s all-time leader with 105 career blocks after turning away a shot by Andrews early in the second half.

Andrews paced the Crusaders with 23 points while Maggie Fontana added 12 points and eight rebounds.  Placek knocked down five three-pointers to finish the game with 17 points.  Jessica Conte also scored in double-figures tallying ten points and five boards.

51·çÁ÷ falls to 14-8 overall and 6-3 in the Patriot League with the loss, while Holy Cross improves to 11-11 on the season and 6-3 in the Patriot League.  The Raiders will look to avenge its 79-76 loss earlier this season to league opponent Army in a rematch on the Raiders’ home turf on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.