WASHINGTON -- For American, just playing this game was a cause for celebration. It was familiar territory for Holy Cross -- and that made the difference in the final minute.

Silencing a sea of red, white and blue in the biggest game ever on American's campus, the Crusaders beat the Eagles 58-54 Friday to win their second consecutive Patriot League title and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Holy Cross' Tim Szatko scores 16 points Friday and is named tourney MVP.(AP)

"We felt it last year in the tournament -- we felt a little extra pressure," Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard said. "Having gone through that experience helped us this time around -- and probably affected American a little bit."

In the last 20 seconds, no two players exemplified that more than American's Steven Miles and Holy Cross' Brian Wilson.

Miles -- an otherwise solid player -- got overexcited and took a wild 3-pointer with his team down by one.

At the other end, Wilson ignored a deafening din to make four straight free throws and clinch the victory.

The Crusaders (18-14) will be making their 10th NCAA appearance and third as a member of the Patriot League. They were NCAA champions in 1947, but they haven't won a game in the big tournament since 1953.

Last year, the Crusaders were a No. 15 seed and lost 72-68 to Kentucky. This year, they are probably destined for No. 16, having done well to rebound from a 9-11 record in mid-January.

But for a school like Holy Cross, winning the conference is all that's needed to call the season a success.

"I'm particularly proud of our kids for what they accomplished -- from where they were at the beginning of the year," Willard said.

Tim Szatko scored 16 points and was selected tournament MVP, and Wilson had 15 for the second-seeded Crusaders, who had a season-low four turnovers. They were 3-0 against American this season.

Conference player of the year Patrick Doctor scored 18 points, and Miles had 14 to lead the top-seeded Eagles (18-12).

The loss made for a somber ending to a festive day at Bender Arena, which holds about 5,000 and was full for the first time since the building opened in 1988. Students postponed the start of their spring break to attend the game, and some early arrivals entertained themselves by chanting, "We want Duke."

It was also the first national television appearance for American, which has never been to the NCAA tournament.

"This hurts a lot," said Jeff Jones, the former Virginia coach who has turned the Eagles around in two seasons at the school.

"Hopefully, this whets our appetite to be in this situation again. Hopefully, we can get something from this game other than heartbreak."

Patrick Whearty put Holy Cross ahead for good with a layup on which Keith Gray was whistled for an obvious goaltending call, making it 52-51 with 1:02 remaining.

American had two possessions in which they could have retaken the lead. With 16 seconds to go and plenty of time to work the ball inside to Doctor, Miles uncorked a 3-pointer from the baseline and wasn't even close.

"I have no idea why I shot the ball in that situation," Miles said. "I was just excited. I was just trying to do whatever I could. It just got the best of me."

Stokes then made his four free throws to seal it.

The game was played at a deliberate half-court pace, although a pair of coast-to-coast moves by Andres Rodriguez gave the Eagles an 18-11 lead early.

Holy Cross then found a way to get its big men the ball through American's zone, and Whearty scored three inside baskets in a 15-2 run that put the Crusaders ahead 26-20.

Miles responded for American, making back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it, and the Eagles held on to lead 28-27 at halftime.

Doctor was limited by double-teams much of the game, but he found room for a layup and a hook shot that turned into a three-point play to put the Eagles ahead 40-34 early in the second half.

But Holy Cross came back and regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Szatko, and the game was tight the rest of the way.

American won the regular-season title in its first season in the Patriot League after switching from the more competitive Colonial Athletic Association. The Eagles never came close to being a force in the CAA and finished 7-20 last year.

Doctor, who scratched his cornea in the Eagles quarterfinal victory, came out wearing the same sunglasses he wore in the semifinals. But he ditched the eyewear in the first minute after one of his first passes sailed out of bounds for a turnover.

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