HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team shot 62.5 percent in the second half and sprinted past Holy Cross for a 78-67 victory on Wednesday afternoon at the Rothman Center.
 
The Knights (3-2) blitzed the Crusaders (2-2) with a 10-0 run in the second half, which spanned 1:10 and was highlighted by a vicious dunk from freshman forward Elyjah Williams, which resulted in a 65-63 lead at the five-minute mark. From that point on, the momentum continued as the Knights ran away with the victory.
 
Four Knights scored in double figures led by junior guard Darnell Edge, who netted a career-high 23 points and dished out six assists in his 39 minutes of action. Mike Holloway Jr. recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Darian Anderson scored 17 to go along with six assists in the win.
 
The Knights overcame 19 turnovers by out-rebounding the Crusaders 37-27. Holloway and Williams each nabbed three offensive boards in the win, which contributed to 16 second-chance points for the home team.
 
Freshman guard Caleb Green led the Crusaders with 22 points and junior forward Karl Charles tallied 17 in the loss.

"We are very thankful to come out of here with a win today," said head coach Greg Herenda following his team's win. "Early, we had no answers for Holy Cross' defense but we just hung in there and then the magic happened in the second half."

"We still have to take care of the ball much better -- but when we do -- offensively this team is limitless. Darnell and Darian are a great one-two punch that are really hard to handle. Again, 17 assists and winning the rebound game were crucial."
 
The Knights got off to a sluggish start, missing their first six shots and totaling four turnovers in the first five minutes of play as they trailed 6-0 at the first media timeout.
 
After grabbing an offensive carom, Edge ended the scoreless stretch with a 3-pointer from the wing for the Knights' first basket of the afternoon.
 
A layup by Holloway Jr. with 10:21 to play in the first half gave the Knights their first lead 13-12. The game remained tight throughout the stanza with the lead changing hands five times before the Knights scored the final eight points and entered the break with a one-point edge, 37-36.
 
Freshman guard Jahlil Jenkins capped the half with an exclamation point by sweeping into the passing lane, nabbing a steal and racing down the floor for a layup with seven ticks to go. Jenkins' bucket resulted in his only two points of the half but the Knights guard totaled three steals, three rebounds and one assist. He finished with a game-best four steals in the win.
 
Anderson led FDU at the break with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting as the Knights shot 51.7 percent overall compared to the Crusaders' 43.8 percent effort. The Crusaders' score sheet was topped by Green, who led all scorers with 13 points at the break. The Knights turned the ball over 10 times in the half but still managed to lead thanks to a 22-15 advantage on the glass.
 
A 10-3 spurt out of the break by the Crusaders gave them a six-point lead four minutes into the second half.
 
After a 3-pointer by Charles, the Knights trailed 62-55 – their largest deficit of the contest -- however, their resilience was on full display as they weathered the storm and outscored the Crusaders 17-3 over the next 3:52.
 
An old-fashioned, three-point play by Edge began the turnaround. Just over two minutes later, the junior guard tied the game with a corner 3-pointer, which brought the crowd to its feet.
 
On the ensuing possession, the Knights full-court pressure led to a steal by Anderson. Anderson dribbled in and found Elyjah Williams -- who was barreling down the lane – for the emphatic slam. Williams' dunk gave the Knights a 67-65 lead and sparked the game-changing run. The freshman forward finished with 11 points and six rebounds in the game.
 
The Knights knocked down all five of their field goals over that span and forced three Holy Cross turnovers. A layup by Jenkins with 2:24 to go extended the Knights' lead to double-digits for the first time, 81-70, and they maintained the 11-point cushion until the final whistle.

On his team's big run and the road ahead, Herenda said, "That run was what we do so often in practice and to see it happen when we needed it most was special. Now we play against another great opponent in Princeton -- just like Holy Cross they are really well-coached and extremely skilled."
 
FDU returns to action this Sunday, November 26 when they host the reigning Ivy League Champions, Princeton at 2:00 p.m.