Jan. 28, 2006

Box Score

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - Junior Andrea Crosariol recorded 20 points and eight rebounds as the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's team used late-game defense to edge host Robert Morris, 84-83. The win, which gives the Knights four straight and a 10-8 overall record, including a 7-2 mark in the NEC, puts them in a tie for first place with Central Connecticut. The Colonials, who entered the contest in first, fall to third at 11-8 overall with a 7-3 mark in league action.

Crosariol shot 10-for-14 and was just one point shy of his career-high (21 points), while blocking a career-high seven shots. Senior Gordon Klaiber notched 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting while senior Chad Timberlake recorded 14 points and dished out seven assists.

Klaiber hit a clutch three-pointer with 1:00 on the clock, drawing the foul and connecting to make the four-point play.

With 26.6 seconds on the board, junior Michael Peeples grabbed a steal and Timberlake was fouled, netting the back end of a pair of free throws. With Robert Morris holding a one-point advantage, 83-82, the Knights forced another turnover and Timberlake drove down the middle for a layup that gave the Knights the 84-83 win.

"You expect the seniors to rise to the top in games likes this and Gordon and Chad did," said Head Coach Tom Green.

The Knights' defense won the game, as the Colonials had the ball at their own sideline with nine seconds on the clock. After a missed jumper, Klaiber blocked a shot in the final second to hold the final score at 84-83.

The Knights jumped out to a 9-5 lead to start the game and took a 14-7 advantage when sophomore Bernell Murray connected on one from beyond the arc. Mike Peeples drained a long three to give the Knights a 19-11 advantage, but the Colonials scored four-straight to climb back to within four, 19-15 with 12:35 remaining in the first half.

FDU widened the gap, taking a 25-18, on back-to-back Andrea Crosariol layups, out-scored the Colonials 4-1 for their first double-digit lead, 29-19.

With a 32-22 Knights' lead, the Colonials staged a 7-1 surge to come within four, capped by Jeremy Chappell's three-pointer, 33-19, with 7:10 left in the half.

Fairleigh Dickinson responded with seven unanswered points to take a 40-29 advantage. The Colonials out-scored the Knights 7-3 to cut the lead down, 45-38, with 2:38 left in the first half, but FDU pushed its' lead back to double-digits on a three-pointer from Murray and entered the half ahead seven, 48-41. Crosariol entered the half leading the Knights with 10 points and five rebounds. The Knights shot 57 percent in the first half, while holding the Colonials to 42 percent.

Coming out of the break, the Knights were able to grab a 14-point lead, 61-47, six minutes into the second half. The Colonials used a 16-3 offensive spurt to create a one-point game, 64-63, with just under 11 minutes left to play.

"Robert Morris' three point shooting just got to us in the second half," said Green. "They just put an incredible display that gave them life tonight. We didn't want to put them on the free throw line, we just wanted to play quality defense."

The next five minutes saw three ties and four lead changes. The Colonials owned the lead for the final five minutes of the game, until Timberlake's layup with 12 seconds left.

Chappell led the Colonials with 27 points. Derek Coleman had 17, A.J. Jackson chipped in 14 and Tony Lee recorded 11 points. Jackson notched a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Coleman had a double-double with 10 assists. The Colonials out-rebounded the Knights, 43-31, and shot 55 percent from beyond the arc, netting 16 treys. Fairleigh Dickinson held a dominating 40-24 edge in points in the paint and points off turnovers (17-8).

FDU was able to get 19 points from its' bench and 14 fast break points.

"You just can't underestimate the size factor," said Green. "Sometimes I feel sorry for people who face our guys underneath.I'm just thankful that we are 7-2 entering the second half of the conference season. We still have some tough games coming up."

The Knights are back in action when they host Long Island on Feb. 2 at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, NJ. The game has a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.