Holy Cross Snaps Losing Skid, Beats Bucknell 65-62 in OT

Sunday, January 11, 2015

GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

Malcolm Miller

The Holy Cross Crusaders (6-8, 1-3 PL) defeated the (7-10, 2-2 PL) Bucknell Bison 65-62 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center. The win snaps the Crusaders five game losing streak and gets them thier first Patriot League win of the season.

See the five takeaways slideshow below.

Crusaders forward Malachi Alexander knocked down two free throws with 40 seconds left to tie the game at 54 and force overtime. The overtime session turned out to be a free throw shooting contest and Malcolm Miller converted on seven of his eight free throws in the extra session to get the Crusaders a much needed victory.

Malcolm Miller led Holy Cross with 14 points on two of eight shooting from the field. Miller hit nine of his ten free throw attempts and also grabbed four rebounds.

Justin Burrell followed up with 13 points while Malachi Alexander added 12 points and nine rebounds

Nana Foulland led Bucknell with 12 points in the game.

The Crusaders return to action on Wednesday, January 14 when they host Army. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

Click here for tickets.

For a further look at the Crusaders win, see the five takeaways slideshow below.

Related Slideshow: Five Takeaways From the Crusaders 65-62 OT Win Over Bucknell

The Holy Cross Crusaders (6-8, 1-3 PL) defeated the (7-10, 2-2 PL) Bucknell Bison 65-62 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

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Mitchell Hahn

Mitchell Hahn played 17 minutes in the game which is the most that he has played in about a month and was productive.

Hahn netted nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field including 1-of-3 from three-point land. Hahn also pulled down two rebounds in the game, both coming on the defensive end.

It will be interesting to see Hahn's minutes and production going forward, hopefully this will give him some confidence as the Crusaders will look to turn their season around.

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Malcolm Miller

Malcolm Miller did not shoot well in the game, getting his 14 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field.

However, Miller came up big in the OT period, knocking down seven of his eight free throws in the extra session to help Holy Cross get the win.

Miller's 14 points led all scorers in the game and he also pulled down four rebounds.

Though he didn't shoot well, it is a big positive that he was able to get to the free throw line, getting there 10 times and making nine of his shots.

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Points in the paint

Head coach Milan Brown has to be happy with the win, but he can not be happy with the points in the paint numbers.

Holy Cross got killed in the pain, losing the battle 38-12.

Going forward, the Crusaders have to do a better job of getting the ball inside and being effective when they do. Getting the ball in the paint will open up outside shots for others.

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42.6%

For the first time in eight games, translating to a little over a month, the Holy Cross Crusaders shot at least 40% from the field, shooting 42.6% against Bucknell.

The Crusaders shot 56% in the first half and 32% in the second half but only shooting 39% from three-point land.

Bucknell shot 52% from the field but only 22% from three-point land.

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Malachi Alexander

Sophomore forward Malachi Alexander had a big afternoon for the Crusaders, netting 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field. Alexander also just missed a double-double as he pulled down nine rebounds.

Alexander went 5-of-6 from the free throw line including knocking down two big ones that would tie the game and send it to overtime.

Big showing for Malachi Alexander on Saturday afternoon.