Feb. 23, 2005

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Fairleigh Dickinson (15-11, 11-4 NEC)
vs. Central Connecticut State (11-13, 7-8 NEC)
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005 - 7:00 p.m.
Rothman Center - Hackensack, NJ
LIVE AUDIO | Gametracker

Knights Try to Bounce Back at Home vs. Central Connecticut - The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team will try to bounce back from a wild 110-103 defeat at St. Francis NY when it hosts Central Connecticut State on Wednesday, February 23.

The Series - Fairleigh Dickinson holds a 12-7 lead in the all-time series with Central Connecticut State. The Knights won the first meeting this year, taking an 82-71 decision back on January 10, in New Britain, CT. Tamien Trent scored 25 points in the win and Mensah Peterson added 19.

Scouting the Blue Devils - Central Connecticut enters Wednesday's contest at 11-13 overall and remains in the playoff hunt at 7-8 in NEC play. The Blue Devils have won three of their last four outings, inlcuding a 75-70 triumph over Quinnipiac on Monday night. DeMario Anderson leads Central Connecticut in scoring, averaging 14.1 ppg.

Next Up - The Knights will host Quinnipiac on Friday, February 25 and Wagner on Monday, February 28, to close out the regular season.

Last Time Out - SFNY 110, FDU 103
Senior guard Tamien Trent scored a career-high 36 points and junior forward Gordon Klaiber netted a career-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough as St. Francis NY outlasted Fairleigh Dickinson 110-103 on Monday night. It was the highest scoring NEC regulation men's basketball game since 2002.

Three Knights (15-11, 11-4 NEC) registered double-doubles as Klaiber grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and Trent tied a career-high with 10 assists, while sophomore center Andrea Crosariol scored 13 points and pulled in 11 boards. FDU shot 53 percent from the field for the game.

Tory Cavalieri led six Terriers in double-digits with 30 points and handed out 10 assists for a double-double. Christian Brown added 22 points for St. Francis NY, which shot 59 percent from the field, including 64 percent in the second half.

Fairleigh Dickinson came out firing on all cylinders, racing out to a 13-2 lead as Klaiber ran off 10 straight points after a conventional three-point play by Crosariol. The Knights extended the lead to 20-6 and Klaiber had 14 points by the 14:51 mark.

Fairleigh Dickinson continued to break the Terriers' full court pressure and stretched the margin to as many as 17 at 36-19 on a Trent jumper. St. Francis then went on an 8-0 run to cut the margin to 36-27 and the Knights watched their lead dwindle to four after Ruandy Melo hit a pair of free throws to bring the tally to 39-35 with 7:05 left in the first half.

Trent nailed a three-pointer to stop the Terrier run and a basket by Andre Harris, followed by a Crosariol dunk in transition gave FDU another double digit lead at 46-35 with 4:37 to go in the period.

St. Francis heated up again though, and closed out the first frame with a 15-2 run, getting three straight three-pointers from Christian Brown and taking its first lead of the game at 50-48 on a Cavalieri basket with 23 seconds left.

After trading baskets to open the second half, Brown and James St. Robert each scored five points as the Terriers went on a 12-2 run to lead 69-59 with just over 15 minutes left to play. Then a Cavalieri three opened up St. Francis' biggest lead of the half, 12 points, 78-66, with 11:33 on the clock.

The Knights went on a 6-1 run, capped off by a Trent three, to close in on the Terrier lead 79-74. St. Francis opened their lead to ten again after a Melo free throw, 84-74, but two baskets from Klaiber cut the Saint Francis lead back to five, 85-80, with 5:23 to go in the game.

Two more free throws from Melo gave St. Francis an 87-80 lead, but two more quick Klaiber baskets closed FDU to within just three points of the Terriers, 89-86, at the 3:24 mark. Over the next minute, St. Francis went on a 9-3 run and in the final two minutes of the game, the Terriers were able to hold off the Knights with a 12-of-14 effort from the foul line.

Klaiber went 13-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-6 beyond the arc. Six of his rebounds came on the offensive glass and he added three blocks. Trent hit 14-of-22 from the floor, 4-of-8 from long range.

Playoff Picture - The NEC Tournament seedings are still up in the air heading into the final week of the regular season. FDU is back in second place behind Monmouth. The Knights are tied with Monmouth in the loss column, but have one less win.

Snapped - The victory at Monmouth snapped the Hawks' homecourt win streak vs. NEC foes at 18 and was the Knights' first in W. Long Branch since January 4, 2001. The win at Robert Morris (2/10) was the Knights' first in Moon Township since February 7, 1998, snapping a four-game road losing streak to the Colonials.

Sharp Shooters - After hitting 53.3 percent from the field at St. Francis NY (2/21), FDU has now hit 50 percent or better 13 times this year. The Knights' season-high is a 60.3 percent effort in their 85-65 win at Long Island (1/31).

Road Warriors - The Knights are now 7-7 on the road this year, the only team in the NEC with a .500 record. They finished 6-3 in NEC games away from home. The Knights will close out the regular season with three straight at The Rothman Center.

Streaks - Mensah Peterson missed his only free throw attempt at St. Francis NY (2/21) snapping his consecutive free throws made streak at 32 straight. It was his first miss since January 7, against St. Francis PA. The Knights have recorded at least one blocked shot in 88 straight games and have hit at least one-three pointer in 49 straight outings.

By the Numbers - FDU is 13-0 when leading at the half and 11-1 when tied or taking a lead into the final five minutes of play. When allowing less than 80 points, the Knights are now 15-3 and 10-1 when giving up fewer than 70.

Milestone Victory - The Knights win vs. Long Island (1/31) was Head Coach Tom Green's 350th of his career. Green is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Knights, now with a career record of 353-278. He is the program's and Northeast Conference's all-time wins leader, and is a two-time NEC and New Jersey Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

Dominating Performance - The Knights put together what Head Coach Tom Green called, "Our best effort defensively all year," when they defeated St. Francis (PA) 79-52 on Jan. 7. The 27-point margin of victory was their largest ever (64 meetings) versus the Red Flash and their largest against an NEC opponent since downing Wagner 78-49 in the 1998 NEC Tournament semifinals. FDU held dominating advantages against the Red Flash in rebounding (49-26), points in the paint (50-14) and field goal percentage (53%-32%).

Two for 30 - Tamien Trent and Gordon Klaiber each registered career-highs with 36 and 34 points, respectively at St. Francis NY (2/21). It marked the first time this year the Knights have had two players score 30 or more in the same game and the sixth time this season they have had two players score 20 or more in the same game.

Seeing Double - FDU had four players score in double-digits against Monmouth (2/18). It marked the ninth time this year FDU had four players reach double-digits. The Knights had three triple-doubles at St. Francis NY (2/21), marking the fourth time this year that FDU has had at least two double-doubles in the same game.

A Potent 1-2-3 Combination - The Knights have arguably one of the best scoring trios in the league in junior forward Gordon Klaiber, junior guard Chad Timberlake and senior guard Tamien Trent as all three rank in the NEC's top 10, combining for 46.1 ppg. Klaiber averages a team-best 16.0 ppg (t-5th), Trent averages 15.8 ppg (8th) and Timberlake is scoring 14.3 ppg (10th). The trio combined for 79 points at St. Francis NY (2/21).

Who's Hot - Tamien Trent has been on fire as of late, averaging 21.0 ppg over the last six contests, shooting 56 percent from the field and 45 percent from long distance. Andrea Crosariol is putting up 10.2 ppg and 7.3 rpg over the same span with a pair of double-doubles. Over his last five games, Gordon Klaiber is posting 18.4 ppg and 8.4 rpg.

In NEC Play - The Knights enter Wednesday's contest averaging 77.4 ppg against NEC opponents, while allowing 70.2 ppg. They've used their up tempo style of play on both ends of the court, shooting 47.3 percent from the field against league foes, while forcing 15.3 turnovers per game and giving it up 14.0 times per contest. Senior guard Tamien Trent averages 17.9 ppg against league competition, while junior forward Gordon Klaiber scores 16.5 ppg. Junior guard Chad Timberlake posts 14.3 ppg against the NEC.

NEC Leaders - FDU ranks first in the league in scoring offense (75.8 ppg), first in scoring margin (+3.8), second in field goal percentage (46.9 percent), first in blocks (4.31 bpg), second in assists (15.7 apg), third in turnover margin (+1.08) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07).

Iron Men - Four of the Knights' five regular starters are averaging 30 minutes or more per game. Chad Timberlake leads the squad at 35.0 minutes per contest, playing 40 minutes or more (includes OT) eight times. Tamien Trent has hit 40 minutes six times, while Gordon Klaiber has played 40 or more four times. Mensah Peterson has hit the 40 mark three times.

Dean of the NEC - Tom Green is the longest-tenured coach in the NEC. Green is now 228-149 (.605) all-time in NEC regular season outings. His teams have also gone 21-17 (.553) in NEC postseason play for an overall mark of 249-166 (.600). All of his 353 career wins have come at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Metropolitan Campus.

Green Featured on MSG - Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tom Green, the winningest coach in NEC history with 228 victories, was recently featured on MSG Network's College Hoops Weekly, hosted by Mike Crispino and Bill Raftery. The piece focused on his longevity at FDU, where he has coached 22 years, amassed a school-record 353 wins and guided the Knights to 16 winning seasons, 14 NEC Tournament semifinal appearances and seven NEC Championship games. Green, who entered the 2004-05 season ranked 39th in wins among active Division I coaches, currently ranks ninth among longest tenured coaches at their current school.

Klaiber for 30 - Junior forward Gordon Klaiber's 34-point performance at St. Francis NY (2/21) was his third 30-point outing this year and fourth of his career. He eclipsed his previous career-high of 32 back on December 18 against St. Peter's.

Working OT - The Knights played their second overtime game of the season at Mount St. Mary's (1/15), coming out on top 73-67. It marked the third straight year the two teams played in extra sessions in Emmitsburg, with FDU winning the last two. At 1-1 in games that go into OT this year, the Knights are now 45-32 all-time and 26-19 under current Head Coach Tom Green.

Career Knight - Sophomore center Andrea Crosariol enjoyed two of his best performances in a Knight uniform in January. Against Sacred Heart (1/24) he registered a career-high 20 points on 9-of-10 from the field, tied a career-high with five blocks and pulled in six rebounds. Crosariol recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and a then career-high 10 boards, while adding four blocks at Quinnipiac (1/12).

ESPN TOP 10 - Junior guard Chad Timberlake scored nine points at Central Connecticut State (1/10), but two of them came on an acrobatic dunk that was worthy of ESPN's Top 10 plays of the night, coming in at No. 10.

At the Charity Stripe - After getting off to a slow start at the free throw line, the Knights have improved over the second half of the season and put on their best performance of the year at Robert Morris (2/10), hitting 16-of-17 (94.1%). Tamien Trent is 11th in the conference at the charity stripe, hitting 72.9 percent.

Comeback Kid - After sitting out last season with an injury, guard Mensah Peterson is making the most of his final year of eligibility. Peterson has returned to average 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.6 apg. His 6.8 percent shooting from three-point range is tied for 12th in the NEC.

Big Improvement - Sophomore center Andrea Crosariol has made great strides since his freshman campaign. The 7-footer who averaged just 3.0 ppg and 2.4 rpg, has upped those marks to 8.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Crosariol ranks second in the NEC in field goal percentage at 62.6 percent and ranks second in blocks at 1.62.

Taking Care of the Ball - The Knights are averaging 14.7 turnovers per game. After giving it up a then season-low six times against Mount St. Mary's (1/22), they topped that performance with five against Sacred Heart (1/24), including only once in the second frame. Last year they ranked in the top 25 nationally with only 12.1 turnovers per contest. The Knights have the NEC's second-ranked assist average (15.7), and they rank second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07).

Ups and Downs - The Knights' 56 points vs. Monmouth marked a season-low. It was their lowest output since an 83-46 defeat at Florida State on December 6, 2003. Their season-high was 103 at St. Francis NY (2/21), surpassing their previous high of 91 points against Saint Peter's (12/18). The Knights' 103 points against the Terriers marked their highest single game total since Feb. 23, 2002 when they fell in OT to LIU 122-115. It was their highest output in a regulation game since a 109-86 win at LIU on Feb. 6 of 2002. They have scored 80 points or more nine times this season.

Rejections - The Knights posted a season-high nine blocked shots against Sacred Heart (1/24) and knocked down eight against St. Francis NY (2/5). They have blocked five or more 12 times this year. The Knights have swatted four or more in 17 of 26 contests.

In the Tight Ones - With the 76-75 defeat at St. Francis PA (2/12), the Knights have played six games decided by three points or less, going 2-4 in those contests. They won their first in that situation at Rider (12/9) 76-74 and held off Mount St. Mary's (1/22) 64-61.

Milestones - Gordon Klaiber scored his 1000th career point at St. Francis PA and now has 1045. He is the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone and now stands 20th all-time. Next up to pass are Reggie Foster `68 and Marty Gozdenovich `62, who each netted 1054. Chad Timberlake is next in line for 1000 with 872.

Double Threat - With 480 career rebounds, Gordon Klaiber could reach 500 for his career this season. He would be only the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career.

Climbing the Ladder - Gordon Klaiber now has 88 blocks during his career, good for eighth place all-time at FDU. Next up in seventh place is Desi Wilson (`91) who recorded 89.

Klaiber for Three - With 105 career three-pointers, Gordon Klaiber has cracked the top 10 all-time at FDU in that category, leaping to number eight all-time. Next up is Marcus Whitaker (`04) in seventh place with 124.

Pick-Pocket - Chad Timberlake enters Wednesday's contest with 103 career steals, good for 10th all-time at FDU. Next up to pass is Antwan Dasher `95 who picked up 107.

Dishing it Out - Tamien Trent has handed out 149 assists through 26 games, which is already the seventh-highest single season total ever at FDU. He's currently on pace for over 160 by season's end, which would be among the top three single-season totals ever at FDU.

Streaks vs. NEC Teams - The Knights have now defeated Wagner and Long Island six straight times and Mount St. Mary's four. Their win over St. Francis NY (2/5) snapped a four game losing streak to the Terriers.

Clearing the Glass - For the previous two years, FDU was at the bottom of the NEC in rebounding, but has drastically improved in 2004-05. The Knights currently rank second in rebounding offense (35.9), fifth in rebounding defense (34.6) and second in rebounding margin (+1.3). FDU has had several dominating performances on the boards this year, including a 49-26 margin vs. St. Francis PA (1/7), a 44-27 advantage at LIU (1/31), a 47-35 advantage at Buffalo (11/23), 41-26 at Robert Morris (2/10), and a 40-28 margin vs. Army (12/30).

Looking for Depth - Last year, Head Coach Tom Green was able to go to his bench for a spark, getting 23.2 ppg from their reserves, almost one third of their offensive production. This year, bench contributions are at 15.6 ppg with Andre Harris leading the reserves in 15 games.

Home Sweet Home - The Knights are 7-2 on their home court this year, including a 5-1 mark against league opponents. Since the start of the 2002-03 season they are 28-7 (.800) at the Rothman Center. FDU is 444-174 all-time at home for a .718 winning percentage. Since the Rothman Center opened in 1987, the Knights are 156-61 (.719).

Welcome Back - Brad Green, son of Head Coach Tom Green, received eligibility clearance prior to the Knights' game at Mount St. Mary's (1/15) and made his first appearance of the year in their win over LIU (1/19), coming off the bench for three minutes and picking up one foul. He hit his first career field goal, a three-pointer, vs. St. Francis NY (2/5). Green played for the Knights during his freshman campaign of 2000-01, appearing in 15 games and logging 28 minutes. Following that season he transferred to the University of Delaware, where he completed his undergraduate degree. He is currently taking graduate classes at Fairleigh Dickinson during his final season of eligibility.

Big Margins - The Knights' 33-point margin of victory over Dominican (11/28) was their largest since December 7, 1992, when they downed Montclair State 79-38. FDU's largest margin of victory all-time was a 107-46 (61 pts) triumph over Rutgers-Newark on February 3, 1961.

Preseason Poll - The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving three first place votes. The preseason rankings were announced November 3, on a media teleconference call. Coaches did not place their own teams on the preseason ballots. Monmouth was tabbed to repeat as NEC champions, garnering eight of 11 first place votes.

Basketball News Picks Knights for First - While the NEC coaches have Fairleigh Dickinson tabbed for second this year, Basketball News/CBSsportsline.com has the Knights slotted to win the league crown according to their preseason preview. Monmouth was picked to finish second.

He's Honored - Sophomore forward Gordon Klaiber was named Preseason NEC Player of the Year by Sporting News in its annual preseason preview. He was also named preseason All-NEC by the NEC coaches, Sporting News, Basketball News/CBSsportsline.com, Athlon Sports and Street & Smith. Klaiber, a First Team All-NEC and Second Team All-Metropolitan pick last year, was the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in scoring (16.5 ppg), rebounding (6.4 rpg) and blocks (1.4 bpg).