Box Score STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Lisa Mifsud scored 16 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 57 seconds left, as Holy Cross escaped with a 63-62 win over Norfolk State on the first day of the Seawolves Holiday Classic hosted by Stony Brook on Sunday afternoon at the Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
 
The Crusaders (4-8) trailed most of the second half until Mifsud's basket with less than a minute remaining. The Spartans (2-8) had several chances to tie or retake the lead, but a turnover, two missed free throws and a missed field goal thwarted NSU's chances.
 
Rae Corbo, the MEAC's leading scorer, scored a game-high 25 points for the Spartans.
 
After Mifsud scored off the assist by HC leading scorer Raquel Scott, NSU turned the ball over with 40 seconds left. The Spartans forced Scott into a missed shot with 10 seconds left, setting the stage for a frantic finish. Spartan guard Jazamine Gray rebounded Scott's miss and was fouled with eight seconds left. However, Gray went 0-of-2 from the free-throw line. NSU forward Aivah Parham rebounded the second miss, but her jumper with five seconds left was off the mark.
 
Scott rebounded Parham's miss for Holy Cross. Scott missed a free throw with one second left, but NSU was unable to get off another shot before time expired.
 
The Spartans controlled the first half, thanks in part to their solid defense. Scott hit two free throws for Holy Cross 1:15 into the game for the first points of the contest. NSU scored the next eight points, including a pair of field goals by Parham, to gain control. The Crusaders didn't hit their first field goal until Katie Doherty's layup at the 13:29 mark of the first half.
 
Leading 8-6, the Spartans went on an 11-0 run to widen their margin. Corbo hit a 3-pointer to start the spurt. Center Shayla Tanner added a three-point play in the run, which Parham capped with a free throw for a 19-6 Spartan lead with 9:42 left in the first half.
 
NSU led by as many as 15 points in the opening half and maintained a double-digit lead until late in the stanza. But Holy Cross, which had to battle through 12 first-half turnovers and two fouls to Scott, used an 8-0 run to close the half to get within 32-27 heading into the intermission.
 
The Spartans led by as many as six in the second half but could not shake the Crusaders. HC took its first lead since 2-0 when Infiniti Thomas-Waheed hit a 3-pointer for a 53-52 Crusaders' edge with 7:40 left in the game. Corbo answered with layup and Kayla Roberts added a free throw to put NSU back on top by two, 55-53.
 
The game would be tied four times in the closing minutes, at 55, 57, 59 and 61. The Spartans took their last lead of the night at 62-61 when Parham went 1-of-2 from the line with 1:17 remaining, but Mifsud connected on the game-winner 20 seconds later.
 
Corbo finished 8-of-20 from the floor, 2-of-8 from 3-point range and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. She was the only Spartan in double figures, but Gray matched her career high with nine points. Parham and Nia Roberts chipped in with eight each for the Spartans, who shot 33.8 percent from the floor (22-of-65). Parham had a team-high nine rebounds and Kayla Roberts added seven.
 
Mifsud was 6-of-14 from the floor for HC, while Scott added 12 points and nine rebounds. The Crusaders shot 40.7 percent as a team (24-of-59).
 
The Spartans complete their tournament schedule with a 2:30 p.m. game Monday against host Stony Brook.