WORCESTER, Mass. - Josh Rivera and Justin Vander Baan led Lafayette men's basketball to a 72-58 victory at Holy Cross on Monday evening in the Hart Center, completing the 2023 season sweep of the Crusaders.

Lafayette shot 52 percent from the floor overall as the first-year Leopards combined for 39 points.

Rivera was the Leopards' leading scorer with 25 points and five rebounds in the nationally-televised game. The New Brunswick, N.J. native shot 11-for-18 from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc. Vander Baan totaled a career-high 14 points in his home state, topping his previous best of 12 points against Navy on Feb. 1. The Northbridge, Mass. native also completed his first collegiate double-double with 10 rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Devin Hines matched his career-high nine points and added four assists in a stellar defensive performance.

The Crusaders opened the game with a trio of 3-pointers, with two by Will Batchelder, to take a 9-0 lead by 16:34. Batchelder knocked down eight 3-pointers in the game, setting a new Holy Cross single-game record. Rivera netted nine points in a 9-0 run for the Leopards, tying the game 9-9 at 11:37.

An even 11-11 stretch ensued for another tie, 20-20, with Vander Baan sinking nine points by 7:29. Vander Baan added another four points down to the five-minute mark for a 24-23 Leopard lead.

Lafayette used an 11-6 stretch over the final minutes of the half, as Leo O'Boyle (6), Kyle Jenkins (3) and Rivera (2) teamed up to hold a 35-29 advantage at halftime.

A period of competitive back-and-forth play kick-started the second half with three Leopards combining to take a 6-5 edge at 17:19, continuing the lead to 41-34. Both teams went scoreless until Holy Cross' Bo Montgomery hit a 3-pointer at 13:35, still trailing the Leopards 41-37.

Jenkins knocked down a pair of layups to kick off an 11-0 Lafayette run to 9:51, the Leopards' largest lead at 52-37.

The Maroon and White peppered the Crusader rim 19-10 down to 4:38 to extend the advantage to 64-47. Despite a 10-6 run in the remaining minutes, Holy Cross could not claw its way out of the final 72-58 deficit.

The Crusaders shot 33 percent from the floor overall and were led by Batchelder with 28 points. The Leopards held the Patriot League's leading scorer this season, Holy Cross's Gerrale Gates, scoreless from the floor, shooting 0-for-7, while finishing with just three free throws. The Maroon and White put on a dominant performance inside the paint, outscoring the Crusaders 34-12.

The Leopards take on Boston U. on Saturday at 1 p.m. as the program celebrates its lone senior, O'Boyle.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.