Vander Baan, Williams lead Lafayette over Holy Cross 69-68 in Patriot League Tournament

Mar 5, 2026, 10:53 am

EASTON, Pa. -- — Justin Vander Baan led Lafayette with 25 points and Caleb Williams made two free throws with four seconds remaining as the Leopards beat Holy Cross 69-68 on Tuesday in the Patriot League Tournament's first round.

The seventh-seeded Leopards will play second-seeded American in a quarterfinal on Thursday.

Vander Baan had 11 rebounds and five assists for the Leopards (13-19). Alex Chaikin scored 18 points, shooting 6 for 11 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line. Williams shot 3 of 11 from the field and 7 for 9 from the line to finish with 13 points.

The 10th-seeded Crusaders (13-19) were led by Max Green, who finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. Joe Nugent added 17 points for Holy Cross. Caleb Kenney finished with 14 points, four assists and two blocks.

------

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.