EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette never trailed in the 74-55 Patriot League victory over Holy Cross on a blizzardy Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.

Junior Andrew Phillips paced three Leopards in double figures with 19 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor.

Christian Humphrey-Rembert had a fruitful outing on the glass, grabbing a team season-high and personal career-high 14 rebounds. For his second double-double of the season, freshman Shareef Jackson added 15 points and 10 rebounds to the scoresheet.

The first half brought a defensive stalemate until 18:14 with Lafayette's Shareef Jackson taking the opening basket. The Leopards would never trail from that point. Phillips knocked down seven points by the 13-minute mark to give the Leopards an initial 9-3 lead.

At 6:59, the Maroon and White earned a 16-5 run to further the advantage, 25-8. The squad hit 6-of-11 from the floor and added a pair beyond the arc from KaiMani Murdock.

The Leopards' hot shooting continued, holding Holy Cross back by 19, 35-16, at the three-minute mark.

The Crusaders found their footing thereafter, making an 11-2 run in the remaining clock time. Tyler Boston had five points to lead three scorers in the spurt.

At the break, Lafayette led 37-27 thanks to a 14-point half by Phillips.

In the second period, Holy Cross got as close as 50-41 at 12:10. Joe Nugent, Aiden Disu and Boston combined for 14 points in the stretch.

The Leopards returned for a 14-3 run, paced by Caleb Williams' back-to-back 3-pointers and four foul shots, to lead 64-44 heading into the final seven minutes.

Nugent kept working for the opponents as the Crusaders sank all six attempts from the line thereafter, going 14-for-20 at the line overall.

Lafayette brought fresh substitutes to the court while up 70-52 with three minutes on the clock. Folabomi Fayemi's layup (0:26) concluded the 74-54 conference win.

Holy Cross had two players in double figures, Boston (18) and Nugent (16), and were held to 35 percent from the floor as a team. The Crusaders were bested by Lafayette on the glass, 45-31, including a 15-6 offensive margin.

Next up, Lafayette travels to Boston U. on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tip-off.


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