Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Anthony Johnson scored a career-high 20 points while Jonathan Han added a double double with 18 points and 11 assists to lead the Fairfield University men's basketball team (4-3 overall) to its third straight win, a 78-66 decision over Holy Cross.

            Greg Nero gave the Stags a quick start by hitting his first two shots of the game which put the visitors in front, 5-0. Anthony Johnson took over offensively over the next minute, netting three baskets consecutively to increased Fairfield's advantage to nine points at 13-4. Fairfield's lead reached double digits after Jonathan Han made a three-point field goal which padded the lead to 13 points at 25-12 with 9:59 remaining.

            Holy Cross fought its way into the game, closing the gap to as little as three points after Devin Brown converted a three-point play to make the score 31-28. Fairfield scored the next six points off Anthony Johnson's driving layup, Han's three-point shot, and a free throw by Greg Nero. After Brown scored his second basket of the game for Holy Cross, Yorel Hawkins secured one final point by converting one of two free throws with four seconds on the clock.

            Johnson led all Fairfield scorers in the first half, tallying 11 points, while Brown was the top Crusader with 10 points in the first 20 minutes.

            Like the first half, Fairfield used a quick run to get the momentum in its favor, scoring the first seven points of the second half to double up their halftime lead from seven to 14 points, 47-33. Han hit his second three-point shot in the first three minutes to slightly improve the lead to 50-35 with 17:48 on the clock.

            The 15-point advantage remained intact at the 14:58 mark as Johnson made the second of back-to-back slam dunks for a 54-39 advantage. From that point, Holy Cross made one last-ditch effort to try and take control of the game. The Crusaders cut the Stags' lead to six points with a 12-3 run, as Brown tallied eight of those Holy Cross points.

However, Johnson picked up another slam that pushed the lead back to eight and regained the momentum for Fairfield. Holy Cross never came closer than six points the rest of the way.

Johnson finished the game with a team-high 20 points, hitting nine of 13 shots, while Han and Nero added 18 and 13 points respectively. Yorel Hawkins came off the bench to register 10 points by making four of five field goal attempts.

Fairfield returns to action on Friday, December 5 when it hosts Saint Peter's College at the Arena at Harbor Yard. The game will mark the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener for both teams. Game time is slated for 7:30 pm.