WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) Abijah Franklin’s 15 points helped Furman Paladins defeat Holy Cross Crusaders 80-67 on Wednesday.

Franklin had five rebounds for the Paladins (4-0). Marcus Kell scored 14 points, shooting 5 for 12, including 2 for 6 from beyond the arc. Charles Johnston shot 4 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points.

Tristen Wilson finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Crusaders (0-3). Holy Cross also got 17 points and two steals from Arius Alijosius, and Jaelon Germany finished with 12 points.

Furman took the lead with 17:20 remaining in the first half and did not trail again. Luka Toews led the Paladins in scoring with nine points in the first half to help put them up 42-28 at the break. Furman pulled away with a 12-2 run in the second half to extend a four-point lead to 14 points.

They were outscored by Holy Cross in the second half by a one-point margin, but still wound up on top, as Johnston led the way with a team-high 10 second-half points.

Furman: visits Belmont on Saturday.

Holy Cross: hosts UAlbany on Sunday.

---

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.