CHICAGO – A strong fourth-quarter surge was too much for Roosevelt in a 69-56 setback to Holy Cross on Tuesday at the Goodman Center in its first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest of the season.

The Lakers (1-5, 0-1 CCAC) hung with the Saints in the first half and never let the visitors pull away despite trailing by as many as 10 in the first half. Roosevelt had just eight players active for the game, and all eight made critical plays in the first 30 energetic minutes.

Lauren Pawlyshyn nailed a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to cap a 7-0 run for the Lakers and give Roosevelt its first lead of the game. The Saints rallied to take a 43-39 lead with 3:28 left in the frame, but Malou Savanna scored the final eight points of the quarter for the Lakers to give Roosevelt a four-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Roosevelt limited Holy Cross to just 37.5 percent shooting in the first three quarters, including 4 of 19 in the third quarter. The Lakers also shot 46.7 percent from the field in the third quarter to help them surge into the lead after trailing by five points at intermission. However, Holy Cross scored 13 of the first 14 points in the fourth quarter to eventually pull away from the Lakers.

Brilan McCory led Roosevelt with 14 points, 10 of which came in the first quarter when the Lakers' offense was struggling to find its rhythm. She also added a team-high five assists and came up with four steals and two blocks in an all-around effort. Savanna added 13 points and six rebounds while Jayla Turchin registered her first double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lakers will return to action after Thanksgiving with a home game against NCAA Division II foe Hillsdale at 1 p.m. Saturday back at the Goodman Center.