In a game that saw both teams matching shot for shot the entire contest with 16 lead changes, it was fitting that the outcome would come down to the final play. But for the nearly 4,000 fans packed into Bender Arena on Phil Bender, it was the Eagles that came up just short to the Holy Cross Crusaders, losing on an Andrew Beinert jump shot with 19 seconds remaining to give Holy Cross a 66-64 victory.
The atmosphere had the feel of a NCAA tournament game rather than a regular season contest between two rivals.
Holy Cross, who came into the game without a win in four tries in Patriot League play, jumped out to the early lead, taking an 11-3 advantage through the first six minutes of the first half.
AU soon rallied and took the lead for the first time at 14-13 on a Brian Gilmore jumper at the 8:13 mark of the half, giving AU fans something to cheer about for the first time.
Both teams would be evenly matched during the rest of the first half, with the lead changing multiple times. AU's largest margin was four points at the 7:25 mark, but Holy Cross consistently came back, trailing by only one point at the break, 30-29.
As the second half commenced, it would be a contest between the top shooters on each team to see which one could lead his team to victory.
AU's Garrison Carr, the fifth-ranked three-point shooter in the country, continued his hot play in the period. Carr, who had 17 points to lead the Eagles in the contest, connected on two of five from behind the arc, including one at the 8:06 mark to give the Eagles a five-point lead. Carr now has 80 three-pointers on the season, only seven away from setting a new school record and 20 away from the all-time Patriot League mark in a single season.
However, the story of the game was Crusader center Tim Clifford, who came up with clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch. Clifford, who finished with a game-high 24 points on nine of 11 shooting on the day, had four game-tying or lead-changing baskets in the half. He scored 12 points in the final period, which was nearly half of his team's total second-half output.
With the game coming down to the final whistle, it seemed as if the team with the final shot would be the one celebrating victory.
A pair of free-throws by AU's Jordan Nichols with only 39 seconds remaining sent the home crowd into a frenzy, but this would be short-lived, as Holy Cross' Beinert grabbed his own rebound and put back the jumper with 19 seconds on the clock to give the Crusaders the lead for good and the eventual win.
The loss marks the eighth straight defeat for the Eagles at the hands of their rivals. It also drops AU's record to 10-8 on the season, 2-2 in the Patriot League.
Next up for the Eagles is a home game against Navy on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.
