NEWARK, N.J. -- Malcolm Miller had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks on Saturday to lead Holy Cross past NJIT 74-55 in the first basketball game ever between the schools.

The teams played closely until Holy Cross (6-5) broke the game open in the final 1:21 of the first half with three consecutive 3-pointers to go ahead 32-23 at the break. The Crusaders continued with the first 12 points of the second half for 21 consecutive points overall and a 44-23 lead.

Eric Green had 15 points, five assists and five steals and Dave Dudzinski added 14 points for Holy Cross, which held NJIT to 30 percent shooting and 2 of 14 from 3-point range.

After falling behind, NJIT (6-7) never got closer than a 58-47 deficit with 5:23 to play. Terrence Smith led the Highlanders with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Winfield Willis had 12 points and Ky Howard had 11.