March 15, 2005

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2005 NCAA Tournament - First Round
Fairleigh Dickinson (20-12) vs. No. 1 Illinois (32-1)
Thursday, March 17, 2005 - RCA Dome - Indianapolis, IN
Tip Off: Approx 9:40 p.m. (Follow Texas vs. Nevada at 7:10 p.m.)
Live Audio | Gametracker
Video | Press Conference Audio
Television - CBS

Knights Draw Top-Ranked Illinois for NCAA Tournament First Round - The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team will make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998 this post-season and fourth in the program's history. The Knights will take on the nation's top-ranked team, Illinois (32-1), on Thursday, March 17 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, IN.

The Series - Thursday's contest will mark the first meeting ever between Fairleigh Dickinson and Illinois. The last Big Ten team that the Knights faced was Minnesota on Dec. 13, 2002. FDU fell 104-66.

Scouting the Illini - No. 1 Illinois enters the NCAA Tournament at 32-1 overall. The Illini captured the Big Ten title on Sunday with a 54-43 win over No. 23 Wisconsin. They started off 29-0 before falling to Ohio State, 65-64, on March 6. All five starters average double-digits for Illinois. Luther Head leads his squad at 15.8 ppg. Dee Brown averages 13.4 ppg.

How They Got Here - After finishing second in the NEC during the regular season, the Knights ousted seventh-seeded St. Francis NY in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals, 78-60, on March 3, rallied in the second half of their semifinal game to down fourth-seeded Long Island, 70-62, on March 6, and captured the league crown by outlasting sixth-seeded Wagner 58-52 on March 9.

Their Style - Head Coach Tom Green employs an up tempo aggressive style of play at both ends of the court as his squad ranks second in the Northeast Conference in scoring offense (74.3), first in blocks (4.44) and second in turnovers forced (15.6). The Knights have featured primarily a man-to-man defense along with a tough full-court press.

Next Up - The winner of this contest will advance to the NCAA Tournament second round on Saturday, March 19 against the winner of the Texas (8)/Nevada (9) first round game.

16-seed History - No 16-seed has ever won an NCAA Tournament game as they are 0-84 vs. No. 1 seeds. No. 16 seeds have come within four points on five occassions, including the Knights' 59-55 defeat at the hands of Michigan in 1985. No. 1 seeds from the Big Ten have been involved in three of the five closest games. In 1996, Purdue edged Western Carolina, 73-71. In 1989, Oklahoma beat East Tennessee State by a single point, 72-71. In 1988, Georgetown trailed throughout before nipping Princeton, 50-49. And, in the closest No. 16-vs.-No. 1 matchup, Michigan State needed overtime to beat Popeye Jones's Murray State squad, 75-71, in 1990.

Knights in the NCAA Tournament - In their three previous trips to the NCAA Tournament (1985, 1988, 1998), all under current Head Coach Tom Green, the Knights have given each of their first round opponents a scare, but fell short.
NCAA Tournament History
1998 #2 UConn 93, #15 FDU 85
1988 #1 Purdue 94, #16 FDU 79
1985 #1 Michigan 59, #16 FDU 55

Did You Know? - Junior forward Gordon Klaiber's brother Antric played for UConn in the late 1990s. He saw four minutes of action for the Huskies when they knocked off FDU in the Knights' last NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998. Current Knights' assistant coach Damari Riddick played on FDU's first two NCAA Tournament teams in 1985 and 1988. In 1985 he scored six points on 3-of-5 from the field against Michigan and in 1988 the future pro led the Knights with 25 points on 11-of-23 from the floor versus Purdue.

Last Time Out - NEC Championship Game
FDU 58, Wagner 52 (March 9, 2005)

Sophomore center Andrea Crosariol scored 18 points to lead the Knights past the Wagner College Seahawks, 58-52, to capture the 2005 Northeast Conference Championship at The Rothman Center in Hackensack, NJ, and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Crosariol led all scorers, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and was 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Senior guard Mensah Peterson contributed 13 points, 3-of-7 from the floor, including hitting 3-of-6 from behind the arc, while junior guard Chad Timberlake had 11 to round out the Knights in double-figures. Durell Vinson led the Seahawks (13-17) with 14 points and eight rebounds and Mark Porter had 10 points.

Peterson hit a three-pointer with 23 seconds left and Crosariol made both free throws after getting fouled on the ensuing defensive end to give the Knights a 58-50 lead. DeEarnest McLemore hit a layup with 10 seconds left, but it was not enough as the Knights ran out the clock for the victory.

Vinson started the second half strong for the Seahawks, dunking in the first minute to put Wagner within two, 28-26. Fairleigh Dickinson built an 8-2 run, sparked by five points from Crosariol.

The Knights staged another run, taking an 11-point lead on a Gordon Klaiber three-pointer, making it 47-36 with 10:36 remaining in regulation, before being held scoreless for almost four minutes as Wagner responded with a 7-1 run. Vinson capped the spurt with a layup from McLemore, cutting the deficit to four (48-44) with four minutes left to play.

With just over a minute remaining, the Seahawks cut the lead to two, 51-49, on Porter's made free throws.

After Wagner reeled off seven straight points to take an 11-7 lead, Fairleigh Dickinson responded with a 10-0 run, fueled by five points from Crosariol and a three from Timberlake.

Timberlake grabbed a steal and put it in on the other end to give the Knights their biggest lead of the half, 21-13. Tamien Trent hit a layup with three minutes left in the half to give the Knights another eight-point lead, 27-19.

Matt Vitale hit a three pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the frame to cut the Knights lead down to four entering the break, 28-24.

Crosariol led all scorers entering the half with nine points. The Knights shot 39 percent from the field in the first half while only committing six turnovers in the game. Wagner shot 28 percent from the floor in the first half and the Knights were out-rebounded 38-34 in the game.

Klaiber contributed nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Vinson was 7-for-11 from the floor.

Trent Named NEC Tourney MVP - Senior guard Tamien Trent was selected as the 2005 NEC Tournament MVP as he averaged 14.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 4.3 apg. Trent hit 4-of-10 beyond the arc and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. He recorded his third double-double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Knights defeated St. Francis NY 78-60 in the quarterfinals. He followed up with 18 points, 16 in the second half, as FDU rallied from a 14-point deficit to knock off Long Island in the semifinals. Trent was held to only four points in the championship win over Wagner, but he dished out a game-high eight assists and grabbed four boards.

Klaiber and Crosariol Garner NEC All-Tournament Honors - Joining Trent on the NEC All-Tournament Team were junior forward Gordon Klaiber and sophomore center Andrea Crosariol. Klaiber averaged 13.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 3.3 bpg. After scoring 15 points, pulling in six boards and blocking five shots in the quarterfinals, he netted 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and swatted five shots in the semifinals. Klaiber was held to nine points in the championship game, but tied for the game-high with eight rebounds and added three more blocks. Crosariol scored just two points in the first two rounds combined, but saved a big performance for the championship game, scoring a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free throw line. He added four caroms and two blocked shots.

Tale of Two Halves - The Knights put together two completely different halves in their semifinal win over LIU (3/6). FDU scored only 19 points, shot just 25 percent (8-32) from the field, 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) beyond the arc, got out-rebounded 27-20 and turned the ball over 11 times in the first half. The second period saw the Knights light it up for 51 points on 52 percent (13-25) from the field, 6-9 (66.7 percent) from long distance, out-rebounding the Blackbirds 25-13 and giving the ball up six times.

Knights for 20 - The NEC Tournament Championship game victory over Wagner (3/9) gave the Knights their 20th win of the year. Fairleigh Dickinson has now reached the 20-win mark seven times, six times under current Head Coach Tom Green. The last time the Knights had won 20 was in 1997-98 when they finished 23-7 and made their last NCAA Tournament appearance.

Bounce Back Ability - The Knights went 9-3 this year after losing a game. They have not lost two straight games since December 18 (St. Peters, 94-91) and December 22 (Rutgers, 88-57).

Klaiber and Trent Named All-NEC - Fairleigh Dickinson University junior forward Gordon Klaiber was named to the All-NEC First Team and senior guard Tamien Trent was selected to the All-NEC Second Team in a vote conducted by the league head coaches.

The duo combined to average 32 points per game for the highest scoring offense in the NEC during the regular season. Klaiber, a First Team All-NEC pick as a sophomore, currently ranks seventh in the conference at 15.75 ppg and also ranks second in rebounding (7.9), second in blocks (1.34) and eighth in steals (1.41). Klaiber has recorded seven double-doubles this year, scoring in double-digits 22 times, including a career-high 34 points at St. Francis NY on February 21. Trent ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring (15.81), third in assists (5.5), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78) and 11th in free-throw shooting (75.0 percent) as he earned a pair of Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week honors and was selected by CollegeInsider.com as the NEC Most Valuable Player. He has scored in double-digits 23 times, including 13 consecutive games before being held to four in the NEC championship game, and has put together 10 outings of 20 points or more.

A Potent 1-2-3 Combination - Along with Klaiber and Trent, junior guard Chad Timberlake gives FDU one of the best scoring trios in the league as all three rank in the NEC's top 12 in scoring, combining for 45.0 ppg. Timberlake is scoring 13.4 ppg (12th). The trio combined for 79 of 103 points at St. Francis NY (2/21) and 58 of 77 points vs. Quinnipiac (2/25).

Blue Devil Sweep - The Knights swept the regular season series with Central Connecticut State for the first time since the 1998-99 season. FDU won 82-71 in New Britain, CT, on January 10, and completed the sweep with a 63-58 triumph at home on February 23.

Rejections - The Knights posted a season-high 10 blocked shots against Central Connecticut (2/23), surpassing their previous season-best of nine against Sacred Heart (1/24). They also knocked down eight against St. Francis NY (2/5). FDU has blocked five or more 15 times this year, including six in the NEC Championship game against Wagner (3/9). The Knights have swatted four or more in 21 of 32 contests. Andrea Crosariol has 52 blocks on the year, which stands as the fifth-highest single season total in program history.

By the Numbers - FDU is 16-0 when leading or tied at the half and 16-1 when tied or taking a lead into the final five minutes of play. When allowing less than 80 points, the Knights are now 20-4. They are 14-2 when giving up fewer than 70 and a perfect 8-0 when holding opponents to less than 60.

Seeing Double - FDU had four players score in double-digits against St. Francis NY (3/3). It marked the 11th time this year FDU had four players reach double-digits in the same game. 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.

Who's Hot - Tamien Trent has played well all season. Over the last five games he is averaging 16.2 ppg. Over the last 10 outings Trent is averaging 18.5 ppg, shooting 45 percent from the field and 41 percent beyond the arc. During the same span, Gordon Klaiber has put up 17.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 2.3 bpg.

In NEC Play - The Knights finished the regular season averaging 75.6 ppg against NEC opponents, while allowing 69.3 ppg. They used their up tempo style of play on both ends of the court, shooting 45.5 percent from the field against league foes, while forcing 15.5 turnovers per game and giving it up 13.3 times per contest. Senior guard Tamien Trent averaged 17.8 ppg against league competition during the regular season, while junior forward Gordon Klaiber scored 16.5 ppg. Junior guard Chad Timberlake posted 13.7 ppg against the NEC.

NEC Leaders - FDU ranks second in the league in scoring offense (74.3 ppg), first in scoring margin (+4.2), second in field goal percentage (45.4 percent), first in blocks (4.44 bpg), second in rebounding offense (36.2), second in assists (15.22 apg), second in turnover margin (+1.53) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08).

Iron Men - Four of the Knights' five regular starters are averaging 30 minutes or more per game. Tamien Trent leads the squad at 34.8 minutes per contest, playing 40 minutes or more seven times. Chad Timberlake is second at 34.0 minutes per contest, playing 40 minutes or more nine times. Gordon Klaiber and Mensah Peterson have each hit 40 minutes four times.

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.

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.

Snapped - The victory at Monmouth (2/18) 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 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.

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. He has hit 12 straight since, including four down the stretch in FDU's semifinal win over LIU (3/6) and four more to seal the NEC Championship (3/9). The Knights have recorded at least one blocked shot in 94 straight games and have hit at least one-three pointer in 55 straight outings.

Weekly Honors - Senior guard Tamien Trent earned his second Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week award on February 28, giving the Knights four for the year. Here's a breakdown of the Knights' four NEC weekly award winners:
• Tamien Trent (2/28) - 25.3 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.0 rpg, 51% FG, 44% 3FG, 80% FT
• Tamien Trent (2/7) - 17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 7.5 apg, 2.0 spg, 61.9% FG
• Gordon Klaiber (12/20) - 32 pts vs. St. Peter's
• Chad Timberlake (12/13) - 22.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.0 spg, 62.8% FG

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%).

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 358-279. 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.

Dean of the NEC - Tom Green is the longest-tenured coach in the NEC. Green is now 230-150 (.605) all-time in NEC regular season outings. His teams have also gone 24-17 (.585) in NEC postseason play for an overall mark of 254-167 (.603). All of his 358 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 230 league victories, was featured on MSG Network's College Hoops Weekly, hosted by Mike Crispino and Bill Raftery earlier this year. The piece focused on his longevity at FDU, where he has coached 22 years, amassed a school-record 358 wins and guided the Knights to 17 winning seasons, 15 NEC Tournament semifinal appearances, eight NEC Championship game appearances and four league crowns. 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.

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. Timberlake also had a 360-dunk against Sacred Heart appear on ESPN's "College Gamenight" Gym Gems.

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 tied for 11th in the conference at the charity stripe, hitting 75.0 percent. Mensah Peterson has missed only four free throws all year, going 54-for-58 (93.1 percent), but does not have enough made to qualify for the league leaders.

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 7.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.5 apg. He is third on the squad with 35 three-pointers.

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 7.8 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Crosariol ranks third in the NEC in field goal percentage at 59.0 percent and ranks first in blocks at 1.62.

Taking Care of the Ball - The Knights are averaging 14.0 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. FDU turned the ball over just six times in the NEC Championship game (3/9). 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 (15.2), and they rank second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08).

Ups and Downs - The Knights' 56 points vs. Monmouth (1/29) 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). FDU shot a season-low 29.4 percent from the field against Wagner (2/28). 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.

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 1118. He is the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone and now stands tied for 13th all-time with Chris Ekwe (`01). Chad Timberlake is next in line for 1000 with 930.

Double Threat - Gordon Klaiber recorded his 500th career rebound in the quarterfinals vs. St. Francis NY (3/3), making him only the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. He now has 516 boards in his career.

Climbing the Ladder - Gordon Klaiber now has 103 blocks during his career, good for seventh place all-time at FDU. Next up in sixth place is Wendell Brereton (`92) who recorded 114. He is only the fourth player in program history to reach 1000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks. Sophomore Andrea Crosariol has already cracked the top 10 all time with 76 blocks.

Klaiber for Three - With 108 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 the NCAA Tournament with 109 career steals, moving him into ninth place all-time at FDU. Next up to pass is Larry Hampton (`85) with 111.

Dishing it Out - Tamien Trent has handed out 176 assists this year, which is the third-highest single season total ever at FDU.

Streaks vs. NEC Teams - The loss to Wagner (2/28) in their regular season finale snapped a six game win streak against the Seahawks. FDU has defeated Long Island seven 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 (36.2), eighth in rebounding defense (35.3) and third in rebounding margin (+0.8). 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). The Knights dominated the glass in their semifinal win over St. Francis NY (3/3), 45-29 and put together a strong second half in the NEC semis vs. LIU (3/6) to finish with a 45-40 margin.

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 15.0 ppg with Andre Harris leading the reserves in 18 games.

Home Sweet Home - The Knights went 12-3 on their home court this year, including an 10-2 mark against league opponents (includes 3-0 in NEC tourney play). Since the start of the 2002-03 season they are 33-8 (.805) at the Rothman Center. FDU is 449-175 all-time at home for a .720 winning percentage. Since the Rothman Center opened in 1987, the Knights are 161-62 (.722). They are now 9-3 when they host a NEC Tournament game and 2-0 in home NEC Championship games (`88 & `05).

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 had tabbed Fairleigh Dickinson for second this year, Basketball News/CBSsportsline.com had 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).