Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. – Ryan Olander tallied his second double-double of the year with a career-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Fairfield University men's basketball team to its sixth straight win with a 71-60 decision over the College of the Holy Cross. Olander scored 12 points in the second half, while Yorel Hawkins tallied 13 of his 15 points over the final 20 minutes of the game.

Fairfield picked up the first points of the game when Maurice Barrow laid the ball in the basket on the team's first possession. Holy Cross' Andrew Keister made three of four free throws over the next two possessions for a 3-2 edge. Barrow answered with another lay up to push the Stags in front at 4-3. The home team used a 7-2 spurt to take the biggest lead at that point, 10-6 with 15 minutes left in the half.

After falling behind by six at 12-6, Derek Needham's three pointer cut that lead in half while Jamel Fields made two of his four free throws over two possessions to pull the Stags within a point at 12-11. The lead remained at one point with 10 minutes remaining, 14-13, but Holy Cross would put together a 12-3 run over three minutes to take a double-digit lead at 26-16 with 5:48 on the clock.

Fairfield answered with 11 straight points over the next three minutes and took the lead when Keith Matthews scored his first basket of the game, giving the Stags a 28-27 advantage. Warren Edney made one of two free throws which allowed the visitors to match their largest lead of the half at 29-27. Holy Cross tied the game at the buzzer when Dave Dudzinski tipped in a missed jumper, the seventh and eighth second-chance points of the half for the Crusaders.

The Crusaders opened the second half with five quick points from RJ Evans and a three-point shot from Andrew Beinert. Fairfield erased that lead with seven consecutive points behind a three pointer from Hawkins and four markers off jumpers from Edney. Evans tied the game at 36-36 off a driving layup, but the tie was short lived following a three-point shot off the hands of Needham. Evans made one of two free throws to close the gap to two points at 39-37. Ryan Olander added five points on two possessions, including a three-point play at the 13:40 mark for a 44-37 Fairfield lead.

Beinert took a three-point shot that was taken off the rim by a Fairfield defender for goaltending, knocking the Stags lead to four points at 44-40. After the two teams traded a free throw to keep the four-point margin, Olander continued his dominance down low with a hook shot that pushed the lead to six points, 47-41, at the 11:14 mark.

Fairfield built the lead to double figures after Olander made one of two free throws which gave the Stags a 56-46 advantage with 6:28 remaining. After Dudzinski cut the lead to eight with a layup on the next possession, Olander scored with a layup and Hawkins' steal and layup gave the Stags a 12-point lead at 60-48, a lead which eventually reach 13 points with three minutes remaining.

Needham also reached double figures for the Stags with 11 points. Beinert led all scorers with 19 points, which included five three-point baskets.