WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Ryan Willen scored 19 points and Lafayette never trailed on the way to a 77-70 victory over Holy Cross in the Patriot League tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night.
The Leopards (12-18), the sixth seed, took advantage of 14 Holy Cross turnovers for 21 points and built their biggest lead, 10 points, midway through the first half. Holy Cross, the third seed, pulled to within 33-28 at halftime.
Lafayette also got double-figure scoring contributions from Jim Mower (13 points), Jared Mintz (12), Levi Giese and Tony Johnson (10 apiece) to maintain the lead in the second half. It helped the Leopards offset Andrew Keister’s 18-point, 15-rebound effort for Holy Cross (8-21), which outscored the Leopards 46-30 in the paint. The Crusaders struggled from outside, making only 2 of 16 from 3-point range.
Lafayette advances to a Sunday semifinal against American University.
