The American University men's basketball team battled back from a 15-point deficit in the second half but were unable to come up with the victory as they fell at Holy Cross, 59-52, on Saturday.

Charles Hinkle led American with 14 points and eight rebounds in the game. Blake Jolivette and Simon McCormack each tallied a team-high four assists.

American (16-9, 7-3) went on a 13-1 run early to take the 13-5 lead at 12:20. Holy Cross scored seven straight points to chip away at American's lead and tied it at 18 on a three-pointer from Malcolm Miller with 5:57 remaining.

Holy Cross (11-13, 5-5) closed out the half on a 10-0 run and held the Eagles scoreless for the closing five and a half minutes of the game to take a 28-20 lead at the end of the first half.

Hinkle led American with seven points as the team was held to just 25.0 percent shooting from the field in the first half. Justin Burrell led the Crusaders with seven points as the team shot 42.3 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The Eagles faced a 12-point deficit with 14:26 left on the clock before Troy Brewer hit a three on the next possession to cut Holy Cross's lead to 34-29. The Crusaders went on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 46-31 lead with 9:50 left to play, forcing American to call the timeout.

McCormack added four points and Mike Bersch hit the three to cut the Crusaders' lead to 53-49 with 2:23 remaining. Holy Cross was able to convert on 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch after going just 3-of-11 from the line earlier in the day. John Schoof added a three with 4.5 seconds remaining but it wasn't enough as Holy Cross walked away with 59-52 victory.

American was held to a season-low 32.2 percent shooting from the field and shot 36.0 percent from beyond the arc. Devin Brown led the Crusaders with 14 points as R.J. Evans posted a game-high eight rebounds. The Crusaders shot 43.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

The Eagles will return home on Wednesday, February 15 when they host Navy at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling (202) 885-TIXX. The game will also be broadcast live on Patriot League All-Access.