American U beats Holy Cross 53-49

Jan 3, 2015, 03:24 pm

WASHINGTON -- Jesse Reed scored 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds to lead American University to a 53-49 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday.

With the game tied at 44 with 2:33 remaining, Reed hit 3 of 4 free throws over the next two possessions to give American U (8-6, 1-1 Patriot League) the lead for good. All 10 of the Eagles' points in the final 2-1/2 minutes came from the free-throw line.

Holy Cross (5-7, 0-2) had a final opportunity to take the lead, trailing 47-46 with 33 seconds left, but an Eric Green jumper drew only iron.

John Schoof added 11 points for the Eagles.

Malachi Alexander led the Crusaders with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The win was American's fifth straight against Holy Cross, and its 11th out of the last 14 in the series.