Crimson Wave win third straight with 88-73 victory over Holy Cross

Whiting, IN – The Calumet College of St. Joseph men's basketball team scored 52 points in the first half to help propel them to an 88-73 win against Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon in the Rittenmeyer Center.

The Crimson Wave's balanced offense of 40 points in the paint and 45.8 percent shooting from behind the arc, helped CCSJ (12-9, 7-7 CCAC) earn its seventh Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win of the season. Coming with its seventh conference win, was also its 12^th overall win of the season. With seven regular season games to go, the Wave already have the most wins in a season since the 2018-19 season when they won 19 games. 

"We're playing together and we're doing it at the right time of the year," men's head basketball coach Jason Hawkins said. "This is the time of the year you want to start clicking and peaking. We're playing hard and as long as we keep playing together, good things are coming." 

How it Happened

The Wave got off to a hot strong start making seven of its first 11 shots, taking an early 16-8 lead. CCSJ was moving the ball well, seeing seven different players score in the opening 10 minutes.

The momentum was continuing to build after an Oshawn Lee midrange jump shot gave the Crimson Wave a 17-point advantage with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

CCSJ saw 10 different players score in the first half, while shooting 20-of-40 (50 percent) from the field and 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) from 3-point range. Holy Cross (8-13, 5-9 CCAC) was fighting an uphill battle, committing five first half turnovers and being outrebounded 23 to 11.

To start the second half, both teams were struggling from the field, combining to shoot 8-of-30 from the field in the opening eight minutes. Holy Cross was able to bring the deficit to as low as 11, before Scott Gowan made a nifty move to the basket to end the scoring drought.

The Wave were able to regain the momentum and after a highly contested 3-pointer from Jared Hankins in the corner, CCSJ's lead grew to 20 points. The Saints emptied their bench with two minutes and the Crimson Wave cruised to the victory. 

For the game, CCSJ shot 35-of-79 (44.3 percent) from the field. They've now shot above 44 percent from the field in five of their last six games, which is great showing after a stretch of five straight games around New Years shooting below 41 percent.

CCSJ has now won three straight games for the second time this season. 

Crimson Wave Leaders 

Jared Hankins came off the bench and led the Wave in scoring with 19 points and added five rebounds. Zion Morgan filled the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Scott Gowan had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Hrvoje Majcunic chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds as well. 

Up Next 

The Crimson Wave return to action on Wednesday, February 5 as they travel to South Bend to take on the IU South Bend Titans. IU South Bend is currently the only team in the CCAC riding a longer winning streak than the Wave, with four straight wins. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.