13 November, 2006
by Ryan Minihane
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1st |
2nd |
OT |
Final |
| Fairfield (0-2) |
19 |
37 |
9 |
65 |
| Holy Cross (1-0) |
25 |
31 |
11 |
67 |
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Holy Cross kicked off their season with an overtime victory, beating Fairfield 67-65. With just 0.6 seconds left in regulation, Danny Olgesby hit a free throw to tie the game but missed a potential game-winner. In overtime, Torey Thomas hit two free throws with 2 seconds left to provide the margin for victory.
The first half was mostly controlled by the Crusaders, who shot 40.0 percent compared to 29.2 percent for the Stags. Fairfield climbed back into the game by holding Holy Cross to only 5 points during the final 9:10 of the half. Freshman Greg Nero, who was recruited by Holy Cross but chose Fairfield, led the way for the Stags by scoring 8 points and grabbing 2 offensive rebounds during this run.
Basketball U. Preseason Player of the Year Keith Simmons was held to 5 points in the first half while playing 14 minutes. During his absence Thomas stepped up his game and led the Crusaders with 9 points. He finished with 20.
The second half was more of a back-and-forth battle. Both teams began to convert more fast break baskets, and both teams began to get to the line more often. In overtime, Thomas led the Crusaders with 5 points and a key steal that led to a Simmons three-pointer.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Holy Cross took a 20-6 lead with 9:10 left in the first half on a Kyle Cruze lay-up. From then until halftime, the Crusaders added just 5 points on 2-for-9 shooting and 5 turnovers. Holy Cross had all the momentum going their way, but by halftime their lead had evaporated to 25-19. This run set the stage for Fairfield to shoot their way back into the game in the second half.
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| Key sign it was over |
Holy Cross hit 68.2 percent of its free throws prior to the final minute of overtime. However, Thomas hit 2 attempts with 48 seconds left to give the Crusaders the lead, and after a Nero basket tied the game, Thomas hit 2 more to win it.
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| Key performance |
Simmons bounced back from a weak first half to score 13 points and grab 4 steals in the second half and overtime. He also hit a key three-pointer to tie the game at 63-all in overtime.
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| Key statistic |
The vaunted Crusader defense overpowered Fairfield, grabbing 16 steals and blocking 6 shots.
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| Notes |
| – |
Nero led the Stags with 23 points and 6 boards.
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| – |
Both teams shot well from the floor. Holy Cross shot 41.2 percent, Fairfield 40.4 percent.
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| – |
Fairfield has now lost in overtime twice to Patriot League schools. Two days earlier, they fell to American at home, 59-54 in double overtime.
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Freshman Eric Meister played 25 minutes in his first career game, putting up a line of 4 points, 4 rebounds and 4 personal fouls.
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| – |
Pat Doherty started in the backcourt alongside Thomas. Doherty had an off night, scoring 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting, including 0-for-5 from three-point range.
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| – |
Holy Cross won the battle of the boards, 33-31.
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