ROCK HILL, S.C. - The IUPUI basketball team dropped the finale of the Rock Hill Classic to Holy Cross on Sunday (Nov. 19), falling to the Crusaders, 74-61. Bryce Monroe scored a team-high 15 points in the loss while Abdou Samb chipped in nine points and four boards off the Jaguars' bench. 

Junior Jlynn Counter finished with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists and Kidtrell Blocker contributed eight points and seven boards. Joe Octave paced Holy Cross (2-4) with 22 points and Bo Montgomery added 12 points and five assists. 

The three-point line continued to befuddle the Jaguars as Holy Cross hit on 10-of-26 attempts (38.5 percent) while the Jaguars were just 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) with Monroe hitting both after the outcome was well in hand. 

IUPUI (2-4) whittled a Holy Cross 14-point lead back to four with 12:20 to play when Samb dropped in a layup from the right block. After the two teams traded points, IUPUI had the chance to cut into the Holy Cross lead, but two missed shots sandwiched around two missed free throws kept the margin at four. 

Octave retaliated by making a contested three to spark a 14-5 rally that pushed the lead back to 13. The IUPUI offense, which had been efficient to that point in the second half, went just 1-of-8 during the five-minute span to lose contact with the Crusaders. 

IUPUI shot an efficient 46 percent from the floor and outscored Holy Cross 42-26 in the paint, while also winning the glass, 31-30. However, it was the three-point line that proved to be the difference as Octave hit 4-of-7 from deep and Joe Nugent and DeAndre Williams connected on two apiece. 

The IUPUI bench produced 28 points as John Egbuta finished with seven points and Vincent Brady II and DJ Jackson tallied six apiece. 

The Jaguars will now return home to face Cleary University at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25 inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Rick Johnston (pxp) and IUPUI Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) will be on the call on ESPN+ and ticket are available by clicking here.