Crusaders fail to break out of January swoon.

HAMILTON, N.Y. - Senior center Tim Clifford had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots last night as the Holy Cross men's basketball team lost to Colgate, 58-46, at Cotterell Court.

The Crusaders are now 10-9 and 1-5 for last place in the Patriot League, while the Raiders improved to 10-10 and 2-4 in the conference. Holy Cross, which won its first six games to start the season, went 3-6 in the month of January and is now 5-5 on the road.

Next for Holy Cross is a noon game Saturday at the Hart Center against Lehigh, the beginning of a needed three-game home stretch. The Crusaders, who have lost six of their last seven, host American Wednesday and Lafayette next Saturday before hitting the road for three - at Army (Feb. 13), Bucknell (Feb. 16) and Navy (Feb. 20).

The ESPNU BracketBuster, against a team to be determined, is Feb. 23 at the Hart Center.

Last night, the Crusaders scored the first four points of the game, and jumped to a 10-3 lead after the first eight minutes.

The Raiders responded with an 11-2 spurt of their own over the next four minutes to claim a 14-12 lead. The score stayed close for the rest of the first half, before Colgate took a 23-22 advantage into the locker room.

HC struggled from the field throughout, connecting on only 8 of 21 (38.1 percent) shots in the first half and 18 of 48 (37.5 percent) for the game. The Crusaders were only 5 of 21 on 3-point attempts, with sophomore forward Adam May and freshman point guard Andrew Beinert each knocking down a pair.

The Raiders, on the other hand, shot 50 percent (23 of 46) for the game, 65 percent (13 of 20) in the second half

After the Raiders increased their lead to 26-22 early in the second half, Holy Cross scored nine straight points to go back in front, 31-26. But Colgate came back once again with its own 9-0 run, reclaiming the lead for good.

Holy Cross could get no closer then five points in the final five minutes of play, and the Raiders made six of eight free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

Beinert and junior forward Greg McCarthy both finished with eight points and six rebounds for the Crusaders. Beinert again played 40 minutes, with junior guard Pat Doherty sitting out with an injured Achilles' tendon.

Kyle Roemer led Colgate with 15 points and three rebounds, while Alex Woodhouse and Mike Venezia both scored 10 points.

Lafayette (14-7, 5-1) moved into a tie for first place in the Patriot League with an 83-58 home win over Army last night. Lehigh (11-9, 4-2) pulled even for second place in the league with a 56-54 win at Bucknell (9-11, 4-2).

NAME: COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS