(Originally posted Wed. at 10:39 p.m., notes and links added at 7:39 a.m.)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- It didn't take Holy Cross long to put last week's loss at Lehigh in its rear view mirror.

Coming off that tough, last-second setback Saturday, the Crusaders came out fast against Navy, jumping to a quick 13-2 lead, and never looked back, cruising to an 81-67 win in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score might look.

"This was a real good bounce back game from that difficult loss we had on the road at Lehigh," said Crusaders coach Ralph Willard, whose team improved to 12-10 overall, 5-2 in the Patriot League.

It was sloppy at times to be sure. The Crusaders turned the ball over 22 times. But it was a dominating performance nonetheless. Especially in the first half, when Navy (8-12, 1-6) managed only five field goals while scoring 15 points, their worst half of the season.

"We just wanted to minimize the amount of open looks they got, especially from three-point range," said Holy Cross captain Kevin Hamilton, who finished with 26 points to lead all scorers.

"We came off a disappointing effort on defense against Lehigh. Coach really got into us the last couple of days," Hamilton said.

Obviously whatever Willard did in practice had its desired effect. With 6-10 Tim Clifford clogging the middle and Holy Cross' ballhawking guards pressuring on the perimeter, the Midshipmen were 5 of 23 (21.7 percent) from the floor in the first half, with more than twice as many turnovers (13) as buckets.

"The kids responded really well. They had great focus in the first half," Willard said.

By halftime the Crusaders lead had stretched to 35-15. The mrgin never dropped below 18 the rest of the way until Navy closed the game with a 10-2 run in the final minute against the far end of the Holy Cross bench.

Aside from the turnovers, Holy Cross played well in every facet of the game. They shot the ball well, hitting 28 of 51 (54.9 percent) and had tremendous offensive balance. The Crusaders scored 28 points in the paint and 21 from the arc, where they hit 7 of 14 three-pointers. They had 20 assists on their 20 field goals and all five starters scored in double figures. HC dominated the boards, out rebounding Navy 38-24.

About the closet thing to a complaint Willard could muster after the game was a mention of how his ballclub took its foot off the gas a little after building the lead to 27 with 11:45 to play.

"That is one of the things we tend to do. We relax with the lead," Willard said.

Of course with the kind of minutes the HC starters have been playing, that is understandable. Torey Thomas actually did get to sit down in the final minute, after coming within two rebounds of a triple double (13 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds). Hamilton and freshman four-man Alex Vander Baan (10 points) each played 38 minutes and Keith Simmons showed no signs of cramping up in this one, playing 34 minutes, finishing with 14 points. Clifford, who had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, was the only starter to play less than 30 minutes, mainly because he got into a little foul trouble in the second half.

"This team, especially a guy like Kevin (Hamilton), picks his spots because he realizes he has to do a lot on the other end of the floor.When we get a big lead, he tends to pick his spots defensively. He tends to relax a little bit, but he is still very good. The other guys do to," Willard said.

Even picking his spots, Hamilton still managed to finish with 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots to go along with his 27 points.

Greg Sprink and Kaleo Kina shared the Navy scoring lead with 19 points each. Sprink scored 15 of his in the second half. Kina had 16 after the break, including 8 in the final minute. Navy captain Matt Fannin, who suffered a knee injury (torn ACL) that would have ended most players' seasons back in early January, played with a bulky brace to hold his left knee in place, added 10 for the Mids.

Holy Cross will wrap up a three-game road swing Saturday at Lafayette, then returns home for three straight games at the Hart Center, including a crucial matchup with league-leading Bucknell on Feb. 11.

NOTES: The win was Holy Cross' 13th in a row over Navy, including 6 straight in Annapolis . . . The Crusaders average margin of victory in those 13 wins is over 15 points per game . . . Clifford reached double figures for the fourth time in HC's 5 games since he took a collar at Bucknell . . . in the Crusaders first three conference games he averaged 2.3 ppg, in the past five conference games Clifford has averaged 14.2 ppg ...Hamilton's 26 points were his third-highest total of the season . . . Hamilton had 38 against Tennessee-Chattanooga in December in Pureto Rico and 27 against Mississippi State on that same trip . . .It was also the most points against Navy by a Patriot League opponent this season . . . Hamilton's 18 shots from the field were also the most against Navy by a league foe . . . Hamilton's 7 turnovers also tied the team's season high . . . it was the second game in a row that an HC player had 7 turnovers (Thomas had 7 turnovers at Lehigh) . . . Thomas' 10 assists equalled his, and the team's, season high . . . the 10 assists were the most by a Patriot League players against Navy this season . . . Kina's 19 points move him into 14th on Navy's all-time freshman scoring list with 212 . . . with his next point, Kina will tie none other than David Robinson for 13th on that list . . . Sprink's 19 moved him past the 500 career points mark . . . the Navy sophomore now has 508 career points . . . Fannin is now 4 points away from 700 for his career . . . Navy's 24 rebounds were a season low for the Mids . . . Navy's 20-point halftime deficit was its largest of the season.

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