Nov. 17, 2007

Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. -- Senior center Tim Clifford (Walpole, Mass.) totaled 22 points and six rebounds, to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to a 60-52 victory over Hampton at the Hampton Convocation Center. Clifford hit eight of 13 shots from the floor, in addition to making all six of his free throw attempts. The Crusaders improve to 3-0 on the year with the victory, while the Pirates fall to 1-3.

Hampton held a 6-5 lead at the 14:45-mark of the first half, before Holy Cross went on a 6-0 run to go in front by five. The Pirates were able to stay close for the remainder of the half, before the Crusaders eventually took a 24-19 lead into the locker room.

Holy Cross increased its lead to seven points early in the second half, but a few minutes later Hampton used a 5-0 run to tie up the score at 30-30. The score was tied at 32-32 with 9:28 left to play, when the Crusaders went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good, with junior forward Colin Cunningham (Memphis, Tenn.) scoring five points during that spurt. The Pirates would get no closer than five points the rest of the way, and Holy Cross led by as many as 11 before finally posting an eight-point win.

The Crusaders played outstanding defense throughout the game, holding Hampton to just 30.6 percent shooting from the floor. Holy Cross also held a 36-29 rebounding advantage, while forcing the Pirates to commit 17 turnovers.

Cunningham finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists, while junior forward Alex Vander Baan (Uxbridge, Mass.) added eight points and seven boards. Hampton was led by Matthew Pilgrim and Adrian Woodard with 12 points each.

Holy Cross returns to action on Tuesday, November 20, when it plays host to Harvard in an 8:00 p.m. game at the Hart Center.