Holy Cross shuts down American 63-55 with 16 steals (Jan 23, 2017)
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) Malachi Alexander had 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five steals, and Holy Cross set a program record with 16 steals in a 63-55 victory over American on Monday night.
It snapped Holy Cross' eight-game losing streak in the series.
Charlie Jones pulled American to 34-31 with 15:54 left but the Eagles didn't score again until the 9:15 mark and trailed 44-31. Alexander and Patrick Benzan each had four points during the 10-0 run.
Karl Charles added 12 points for Holy Cross (11-10, 5-3), which has won five of its last seven games. Benzan finished with 11 points and Robert Champion scored 10 on 8-of-12 free-throw shooting.
The Crusaders, who lead the Patriot League in scoring defense (63.7 points per game) and steals (8.9), forced 23 turnovers and attempted 22 more free throws than American.
Delante Jones had 18 points and Mark Gasperini 11 for American (5-13, 2-5).
