¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ

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. ‘ ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ 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 ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ headed to the locker room down 44-39.

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ 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 ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s 14. 

Burke was ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’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 ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ 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.  ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ 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 ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’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 ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’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.

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ 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.