WASHINGTON -- Despite holding leads as large as 16 points in the second half, American had to hold on to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson, 55-48, here on Saturday afternoon. Glenn Stokes led the Eagles with 13 points, while Keith Gray added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

American (2-1) jumped out to an early 12-5 lead at the 13:21 mark of the first half. Leading 20-10 with 6:21 to play in the opening period, the Eagles went on a 9-3 run to grab a 29-13 advantage. American held a 31-17 lead heading into the lockerroom.

A layup by Stokes and a three-pointer by Steven Miles, who finished with nine points, gave the Eagles a 36-20 lead with 15:59 remaining in the contest. From that point, Fairleigh Dickinson (0-4) slowly whittled away at the lead, using a 15-3 spurt over the next seven minutes to get within three (38-35) with 8:22 to play. Marcus Whitaker had 10 of his game-high 16 points to key the Knights' run.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and Fairleigh Dickinson would get no closer than three points the rest of the way. It was the second straight game that American had built a sizeable advantage, only to hold on down the stretch. The Eagles once again used clutch free-throw shooting, going 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) for the game, and 13-of-13 in the final five minutes.

Miles added eight rebounds to go along with his nine points, while Nick Boyd scored eight points for the Eagles. Forward Matej Cresnik, coming off a right knee injury, made his first appearance of the season, grabbing a rebound in three minutes of action.

Brandon Edwards added 11 points and six rebounds for the Knights, while Iman Mattox had four steals to go along with five points.

American, in the midst of a three-game homestand, returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 28, when it hosts the College of Charleston at 8:00 p.m. in Bender Arena. The Eagles then conclude the homestand by facing the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 1:00 p.m. in Bender.