It was a night to remember at McKenna Arena as the Holy Cross men’s basketball team delivered an impressive 83–69 victory over Saint Xavier, highlighted by Joey Garwood reaching the 1,000-point milestone in his collegiate career.
The game opened as a back-and-forth battle, with Saint Xavier holding a narrow 44–39 edge at halftime. Holy Cross responded in dominant fashion after the break, erupting for 44 second-half points while locking in defensively to pull away from the Cougars.
Garwood led the Saints with 21 points, shooting 7-of-17 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. His milestone basket sparked a strong second-half run that shifted momentum firmly in Holy Cross’s favor. Donovan Waleskowski added 15 points, while Karl Birgisson chipped in 12 points. Callaghan Weatherspoon contributed a well-rounded performance with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Holy Cross shot an efficient 54.2% from the field for the game and outscored Saint Xavier 44–25 in the second half. The Saints also shared the ball well, finishing with 14 assists, and had strong bench production with 21 points from their reserves.
The tightly contested matchup featured 6 ties and 5 lead changes before Holy Cross pulled away in the second half.
With the win, Holy Cross moves to 7–10 overall and 2-7 in conference, building momentum behind a complete team performance and a historic night for one of its leaders. The Saints look to continue this winning streak during a home match up against Viterbo, on Saturday Jan. 17th. Tipoff is set for 3:00PM.