WORCESTER, Mass. (Interstat) — A dominant fourth-quarter surge propelled the Holy Cross women’s basketball team to a 63-48 victory over Army in a Patriot League matchup on Saturday at the Hart Recreation Center.

Trailing 38-37 entering the final period, the Crusaders erupted for 26 points while holding the Black Knights to just 10, flipping a tight contest into a decisive win. The turnaround was fueled by a 15-2 run over a critical five-minute stretch that gave Holy Cross a commanding 53-40 lead with just over four minutes remaining.

Holy Cross guard Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly, a junior from Manasquan, New Jersey, spearheaded the charge. After being held to just two points in the first half, Donnelly scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the second half, including two crucial three-pointers during the fourth-quarter burst. She also contributed eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

The Crusaders improved to 13-8 overall, while Army, which entered the game with a 16-4 record, fell to 16-5. The result avenged a 61-46 loss at Army just over two weeks prior on Jan. 14.

The game’s pivotal sequence began with Holy Cross clinging to a one-point lead. Kaitlyn Flanagan of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, converted a three-point play to push the lead to 40-37. After an Army miss, Donnelly drilled a three-pointer off a Flanagan assist. Following a Black Knights turnover, Flanagan hit a jumper to cap a personal 5-0 run, extending the lead to 47-37 with 7:47 to play.

Army, which struggled offensively all afternoon, could not mount a response. The Black Knights shot just 33.3% from the field for the game and a dismal 28.6% from the free-throw line. Their offensive rating of 76.6 points per 100 possessions underscored a day of inefficiency.

Holy Cross, by contrast, found its rhythm when it mattered most. The Crusaders shot 50% from the field overall and 44.4% from three-point range. Their 26-point fourth quarter came on 9-of-14 shooting.

Flanagan finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists for Holy Cross. Meg Cahalan of Middletown, New Jersey, added 13 points and five rebounds, and Kendall Eddy of Haverhill, Massachusetts, chipped in 10 points.

Army was led by Camryn Tade of Southlake, Texas, with 12 points and six rebounds. Brooke Wilson of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and Reganne Reardon of Chicago each scored 10 points. Reese Ericson of Lake Oswego, Oregon, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go with four assists.

The first half was a defensive struggle, with Holy Cross taking a 29-19 lead into the break. Army roared back in the third quarter, outscoring the Crusaders 19-8 behind eight points from Reardon to seize a one-point advantage heading to the final frame.

That momentum vanished completely in the face of Holy Cross’s fourth-quarter explosion. The Crusaders’ defense tightened, forcing tough shots and capitalizing on the other end to pull away decisively.

Attendance at the Hart Center was 806. Holy Cross next hosts Boston University on Monday. Army returns home to face Colgate on Wednesday.