Late Arrivals Leave Mids Far Behind

It took Holy Cross two days to get to Annapolis for yesterday's rescheduled game against Navy. It took the Crusaders all of three minutes to seize control and beat the Midshipmen for the 17th consecutive time.

Showing no ill effects from a trip that included two canceled flights, an overnight stay near the Providence, R.I., airport and a 5 1/2 -hour train ride to Baltimore, the Crusaders scored the first nine points and led by 22 in the first half en route to a 68-40 victory over Navy before an announced crowd of 1,414 at Alumni Hall.

"I didn't know what to expect after this trip," Crusaders Coach Ralph Willard said. "We had a heck of a time getting here. I'm proud of the way the guys came out and played and proud of the energy we had because I'm a little beat myself."

The Crusaders waited three hours at the airport Tuesday before their flight was canceled because of inclement weather. They headed back to the airport at 6 a.m. to catch a flight in time for Wednesday night's scheduled tip-off, but when that departure was canceled, they went to the Providence train station to squeeze onto an overcrowded Acela.

With the Crusaders (20-7, 11-1 Patriot League) unable to reach Annapolis in time, the game was moved to yesterday afternoon.

Did the one-day delay affect the Midshipmen, who shot 25 percent, tying the fourth-worst performance in program history, made a record-tying 12 field goals and committed 24 turnovers?

"It didn't affect" Holy Cross, Navy Coach Billy Lange said. "If we had played at night, would it have made a difference? I have no idea. If we had LeBron James, would it have made a difference? I've got no idea. All I know is that that basketball team that was on that court for 40 minutes is not the same basketball team that we've coached and played with."

Tim Clifford, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center, scored 21 of his career-high 33 points in the first half against the Midshipmen (13-13, 3-8), who had won their previous two games, both on the road.

Yesterday, though, all they could muster were six three-pointers, 10 free throws, five layups and a 15-footer for the sixth-fewest points in a game since the academy began keeping records in 1953. No one made more than two field goals, and the leading scorer was T.J. Topercer with eight points.

"It was obvious from the start we weren't going to shoot the ball well," said Lange, whose team will play host to Army tomorrow. "We could see that as the game wore on. I felt we could just hang in and see what could happen, and it just never materialized."