On Saturday, the Holy Cross men’s and women’s basketball teams both matched up against Indiana University Northwest. Despite putting up a fight, both teams ultimately fell to the RedHawks.
In the women’s game, the RedHawks were the first to score, putting up three points in the first few seconds. Freshman forward Elizabeth Edmonds was the first to put up points for the Saints, followed by another jump shot by freshman guard Audrey Tallent. After this, no team would score for over two minutes until a RedHawk made a layup after a rebound, pulling the RedHawks’ slight lead to 5-4. The remainder of the quarter saw both teams go back and forth until the buzzer. The Saints were up 13-11 after the first.
After a roster change, the Saints were the ones to open up the second quarter. Holy Cross was just barely able to hold its lead throughout the entire quarter. They only allowed the RedHawks to tie the score twice, the first time at 7:23 after an IU Northwest three-pointer. Both teams were tied for over two minutes again before junior guard Lauren Morris — a second-quarter sub — made a three-pointer. Despite another RedHawk three-pointer to tie the game, Holy Cross did not let up. Less than a minute later, Morris made another three-point shot, forcing IU Northwest to call a timeout. At the end of the half, the Saints were up 30-25.
The start of the third quarter would be the last time the Saints had a major lead. The RedHawks came out firing in the second half, desperate to surpass their opponents. IU Northwest went on an eight-point run and took control of the board. After two made free throws from freshman forward Carly Spradling, Morris made a layup to again give the Saints a one-point lead. The two teams were evenly matched and by the end of the third quarter, both teams were tied at 43-43.
It was in the fourth quarter that the RedHawks pulled ahead. They scored 39% of their points in the last quarter. While the Saints tried to keep up with the RedHawks, IU Northwest went on a 20 to 6 run, ultimately sealing their victory.
The men’s team fell in a similar vein, with the first half ultimately going back and forth between both teams. IU Northwest started off the match with a layup. While the Saints would tie three times throughout the half, they would never pull ahead. Within the last minute and a half of the first half, there were two turnovers and five missed shots. That secured the RedHawk lead at 32-23.
Despite their efforts, the Saints would never tie or take the lead again. Although the final score was tighter than that of the women’s game, the RedHawks were always in command of the board. IU Northwest scored 41 points to the Saints’ 37, showing that the second half was pretty even between the two teams. However, to win, the Saints needed to score more and ensure that they were getting every loose ball, all while preventing the RedHawks from advancing. Holy Cross shot 38% from the field compared to the RedHawks’ 50%. IU Northwest beat Holy Cross 44-28 in terms of rebounds.
After these tough losses, the women’s team now has a 13-11 record (8-8 in the CCAC) and the men’s team holds an 11-12 record (7-9 in the CCAC). Both teams are in the final stretch of their season. The women only have four games left to the men’s five.
Both teams will face off against Governors State University on the road on Feb. 4. The women’s match will start at 2 p.m. while the men’s will follow at 4 p.m.
Contact Olivia Schatz at oschatz@nd.edu.
