After a strong win against Kuyper, the Holy Cross men’s basketball team traveled to face the Huntington University Foresters and took an 87-63 loss on Saturday.
The first half was strong for the Foresters as they put up the first five points of the night against the Saints. Sophomore guard Joey Garwood put up the first point for the Saints with a free throw, and senior guard Nash Hostetler put up a jump shot to make the score 5-3. The Foresters added four more points for themselves, but a three-point shot and a layup from freshman forward Davide Brembilla closed the score to 9-8, while senior guard Justin O’Neal pulled the Saints ahead to make the score 10-9 after shooting two free throws.
After the Foresters added three more points to pull ahead, Garwood wasted no time to add a three-point shot and sophomore guard Donovan Mukes added three points to make the score 16-12. As the two teams battled back and forth, freshman forward Karl Birgisson helped the Saints with a jump shot to make the score 20-14, but points from the Foresters tied the score at 20. A three-point shot from Garwood kept the Saints ahead while the next few minutes showed the two teams going back and forth along the court looking to score. As the teams stayed within three points of each other throughout the remainder of the half, six points from the Foresters put them ahead making the score 29-24 in their favor. The Foresters remained ahead throughout the rest of the half.
The second half continued to work in the Foresters’ favor as they scored the first points to make the score 42-34. While three points from Garwood closed the score to 42-37, the Foresters responded with six points to pull ahead. Senior guard Phil Robles II made his appearance as he put up two points for the Saints, and O’Neal added two more points to make the score 49-47. As the two teams continued to keep scoring and stay within a point or two of each other, 11 points from the Foresters helped them gain a 14-point lead. The Saints attempted to make a comeback, but the Foresters kept the ball rolling by scoring 15 more points resulting in a final score of 87-63.
Garwood and O’Neal led on the court for the Saints as they both put up a total of 12 points. O’Neal also led on the Holy Cross interior as he finished with a total of five rebounds.
With this result, the Saints head on the road to face off against Aquinas on Tuesday, Nov. 12 starting at 6 p.m.
