WORCESTER, Mass.—Catching his breath in front of his own basket, guard Jeremy Lin clapped his hands once, twice, three times. The Harvard co-captain needed no words in urging his teammates to get back on defense while silencing an enemy crowd of over 3000. He let his game do all the talking. Lin had a game-high 24 points—including a dunk that sparked an 18-3 run midway through the second half—to lead the Crimson (1-0) past Holy Cross 87-77 at the Hart Center Friday night.

“It’s always special to have a chance to open up the season with a victory, to win a game on the road...I was really proud of our guys,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said.

The Crusaders (0-1) were powered by junior forward Andrew Keister’s team-leading 22 points and eight rebounds, but their first-year coach Sean Kearney had his debut spoiled.

“We were pretty much toe-to-toe most of the night…all of a sudden we’re down nine or ten after being tied, and we never really recovered from that,” Kearney said.

As was the case in the Crimson’s win over Holy Cross a year ago, Lin—who had all but three of his points in the second half—proved to be the difference.

“As always—I sound like a broken record—Jeremy Lin was sensational,” Amaker said.

With 11 minutes to go and the local rivals knotted at 49, the backcourt star faked a shot and weaved his way into the lane. His two-handed jam in traffic broke the tie and was followed on the other end with a block by senior Pat Magnarelli. The oft-injured forward, playing in his first game in nearly one and a half years, had a solid night on both ends of the floor, leading his team with six rebounds.

The next Harvard offensive possession ended with a three-pointer from freshman Dee Giger in the right corner, and the sharp-shooting rookie would return the next time down the floor to drill another crucial triple, this one from the opposite side.

“It all started going in to [sophomore center Keith Wright] and then passed it back out, and the first one got things rolling,” Giger said.

A Crusader turnover then left Lin all alone with the ball, and he punctuated the break-away with another slam—one-handed, no less—to complete a 10-0 Crimson run. Holy Cross guard Andrew Beinert brought the bleeding to an end with a jumper, but the damage was done, as the visitors would lead the rest of the way. The Harvard advantage would stretch as far as 15 points. The Crusaders were able to cut the deficit into single digits with less than three minutes to go, but Harvard took time off the clock and shot well from the free throw line to seal the final outcome.

The Crimson had come into the contest playing the role of the underdog, as Holy Cross had been picked to finish first in the conference by the preseason voters of the Patriot League. But Amaker took advantage of his depth early, and the reserves responded in a big way.

“When we came in, we were ready to go…every time we subbed in, we took a step forward,” said Giger, who had 13 points, second in team scoring only to Lin.

Fellow freshman Kyle Casey also made a nice showing coming off the bench. The rookie showcased his athleticism, finishing strong inside for 12 points and collecting five rebounds and two blocks.

The two teams were even for much of the first half before the Crusaders went on a 13-2 run to take a 30-25 lead with under four minutes left.

Lin, who also had seven assists, would score his first two points of the game on a tough lay-up a minute later. Freshman point guard Brandyn Curry followed with a gorgeous touch pass to Wright for a wide-open lay in, setting off a nine-point Crimson spurt to take a 34-30 lead into halftime.

Holy Cross managed to grab a slim three-point lead on a Keister layup inside five minutes into the second frame, but a three-pointer by sophomore guard Oliver McNally caromed up off the rim and into the net to tie things up. The Crimson shot 52 percent from the field and took 35 foul shots, most of which came in the second half. McNally contributed 11 points on six-for-six shooting at the line, and 10 of Lin’s points came on free throws.

“I think we put them on the line too much with our fouling, but I think especially Lin puts a lot of pressure on you with his driving,” Kearney said. “That really was a significant part of the outcome.”

—Staff writer Dennis J. Zheng can be reached at zheng12@college.harvard.edu.