ALBANY, NY – Holy Cross connected for 15 threes to defeat Siena Basketball 78-70 at MVP Arena.
 
Joe Nugent scored a game-high 20 points powered by a 6-9 shooting performance from distance for Holy Cross (7-5) which completed a perfect 3-0 non-conference season against MAAC schools. Max Green added 15 points and dished out six of the 18 total assists recorded by the Crusaders.
 
Marcus Jackson scored all of his career-high tying 17 points in the second half for Siena (5-7, 1-1) which lost despite scoring 47 points in the final stanza on 59% shooting. Justice Shoats also tallied 17 points for the Saints who were outscored by 33 points from behind the three-point line.
 
Siena responded to a 6-2 Holy Cross start with a 12-2 run of their own before things evened out in the first half. The Crusaders shot 7-15 from distance to just 1-8 for the Saints in the opening half to claim a 27-23 lead at the break.
 
Siena connected on nine of its first 10 shot attempts to open the second half, and briefly reclaimed the lead twice early. But while the Saints filled it up inside, Holy Cross continued its three-point prowess to incrementally build back its lead.
 
After Siena rallied within 47-45 with 13:27 to go, the Crusaders responded with a 13-3 run over 3:39 to push its lead to double digits. Holy Cross ultimately built their advantage to as many as 15 at 67-52 with 5:57 to go before the Saints dug in to make one final push.
 
Siena rattled off a 16-6 spurt over 3:45 to pull back within just two possessions at 73-68 with 1:18 remaining, but couldn't get any closer as the Crusaders prevailed for the first time ever in 10 trips to Albany.  
 
Caleb Kenney added 13 points for Holy Cross which shot 15-29 from three overall as opposed to just 4-15 for the Saints.
 
Major Freeman scored in double figures for the 11^th time in his first 12 games, totaling 13 points while adding seven rebounds for Siena which doubled up the Crusaders 36-18 in the paint.
 
The Saints will now have a season-long 10-day stretch between games for the holiday break. Siena returns to the court for their only road contest during a five-game span when they conclude both 2024 and the non-conference portion of their schedule when they travel to Cornell for a Monday matinee on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. in Ithaca, New York.

This postgame recap is proudly presented by The Brothers that just do Gutters, a proud partner of Siena Athletics. Trust the team that always comes through – on the court and for your home.