Huge Rally Leads Women's Hoops to 69-66 Win Over Holy Cross

AMHERST, Mass. - After trailing by as many as 23 points in the first half, the UMass women's basketball team used a huge second half rally to get past Holy Cross 69-66 on Sunday afternoon at the Mullins Center. The rally was sparked by a 22-to-4 run in the third quarter with the Minutewomen finally able to hold the lead for the final two minutes of play.

UMass improves to 6-6 overall heading into a break for exams and the holidays, while the Crusaders fall to 2-8 on the season. The Minutewomen will next be in action at the FIU Holiday Classic on Dec. 27-28 taking on host Florida International and Drexel.

Hailey Leidel led UMass in the scoring column with 21 points thanks to four three pointers and added five rebounds. Leah McDerment had a career-best 15 points while picking up three steals. Alyx Stiff rounded out the scoring leaders with 10 points, while Maggie Mulligan had 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Holy Cross was led by Infiniti Thomas-Waheed who had 19 points, followed by 15 from Katie Doherty. Madison Springfield scored 11 points, while Lauren Manis added 10 to round out the top scorers.

The Crusaders used a sharp-shooting first half to build out their 23-point lead before the intermission. In the first quarter, Holy Cross hit 5-of-7 from beyond the arc to take a 21-14 lead.

The accuracy from three-point range continued in the second as Holy Cross hit another five three-pointers and used a 16-to-0 run in the period to lead 43-25 at halftime. The Crusaders had their largest lead of the game at the 5:09 mark when a Doherty three pointer put Holy Cross up 37-14.

The Minutewomen started the third quarter on a 22-to-4 to run to tie the score, 47-47, with 1:33 remaining. Mulligan keyed UMass in the stretch with eight of her nine points for the game. Both sides traded baskets on the next possession, but a three-point play by Manis put the Crusaders up 52-49 entering the fourth quarter.

Holy Cross managed to push their lead back to eight points in the final stanza, but the Minutewomen chipped away before tying the game at 62 with a 6-to-0 run capped by a Leidel three-pointer.

The Crusaders briefly re-took the lead, but Stiff answered with a three-pointer from the far corner to put UMass up 65-64 – its first lead since 10 seconds into the game.

A pair of Alyssa Lawrence free throws put UMass up by three before Mulligan blocked a Crusader three-point attempt which led to another two free throws by Stiff giving the Minutewomen a 69-64 lead with 16 seconds to go.

For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.

(12/18/2016) WBB vs. Holy Cross

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Alyx Stiff

Maggie Mulligan

Players Mentioned

Alyssa Lawrence

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Players Mentioned

Alyssa Lawrence

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics