Men's Basketball 3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM

Men's Basketball Hosts Monmouth in NEC Championship Game on Wednesday

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The Match-up: The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team continues its quest for the program's second consecutive (and fifth overall) NCAA Tournament bid at 7:33 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, when the Knights host #3 Monmouth University in the Northeast Conference Tournament Championship.

The Knights, who own the regular season title, defeated eighth-seeded Quinnipiac, 66-65, on March 2 and rolled past Robert Morris, 71-55, on March 5 to reach the final game of the NEC Tournament. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, as well as webcast on www.wfdu.fm.

Monmouth defeated #6 Long Island, 74-63, in the quarterfinals and #2 Central Connecticut, 62-48, in the semifinals.

The Knights clinched the regular season NEC title and home court advantage throughout the playoffs when they defeated Monmouth, 79-62, on Monday, Feb. 27. FDU is attempting to become the first NEC team to repeat as conference tournament champions since Rider turned the trick in 1993 and 1994.

Tracking the Knights: Tip-off for the championship game is slated for 7:33 p.m. at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, N.J. Fans can follow all the action live on ESPN2, with Bob Wischusen and Donny Marshall calling the action.

Fans can also listen via the Internet through an audio broadcast at www.wfdu.fm with Paul Dottino and John Schmeelk.

How They Got Here: The Knights posted an 18-10 overall record during the regular season, on the strength of an 11-game winning streak that ranked fourth in the nation, as the Knights bounced back from two back-to-back conference losses in Connecticut and did not drop a game from Jan. 20 to Feb. 18. The Knights finished first in the NEC with a 14-4 mark, earning the programs fourth regular season title.

FDU has been the regular season champ four times, most recently sharing the regular season title with St. Francis PA (1990-91), and the last time they held sole possession was the 1985-86 season. The Knights' 14 conference wins are a team record and the most accumulated since joining the league.

NCAA Hopes: Fairleigh Dickinson has won the NEC Tournament four times, most recently last year, when they posted a 17-12 overall record during the regular season and finished second in the NEC with a 13-5 mark in league play. "We have an appreciation of coming in first place," said Head Coach Tom Green. "This year, every game was a dog fight."

Winning the NEC Tournament would give the Knights their second-straight automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, FDU defeated Wagner in the Championship game to advance to play the nation's top-seeded and top-ranked Illinois in Indianapolis, IN. After being down only one at the half, the Knights fell to the eventual national runner-up Illini, 67-55.

Under new rules, if the Knights drop a game in the Tournament, their regular season title makes them eligible for the NIT.

The only teams to win back-to-back NEC titles are Robert Morris, which did it twice (1982-83 and 1989-90), along with Marist (1986, 1987) and Rider (1993, 1994).

Follow the Leader: Fairleigh Dickinson leads the league in scoring with 75.1 points per game, field goal percentage (.460) and assists (15.97 apg). The Knights lead the league and rank 11th in the country with 6.47 blocks per game.

Conference Honors: Fairleigh Dickinson senior guard Chad Timberlake was unanimously selected the 2005-06 Northeast Conference Player of the Year in a vote conducted by league head coaches. Timberlake was joined by senior forward Gordon Klaiber, who earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.

Timberlake becomes the second player in Fairleigh Dickinson annals to be bestowed with NEC Player of the Year honors, joining Desi Wilson, who won the award in 1989-90. The Brooklyn native was the driving force behind the Knights' run to their first conference regular season championship since 1990-91 and accompanying automatic bid to the postseason NIT. Timberlake, who won three of the final five Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week awards to close out the year, ranks in the NEC top-15 in seven individual categories, including fifth in scoring (15.5 ppg), sixth in assists (4.0 apg) and 13th in rebounding (5.5 rpg). The versatile combo guard was outstanding during FDU's stretch run that featured an 11-game winning streak and win over UW-Green Bay in an eBay BracketBusters pool game. During the streak, Timberlake averaged 18.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 4.2 apg to help stake his unanimous claim to league MVP honors. Timberlake is the league's third leading active scorer with 1,368 points. Timberlake was also named njhoops.com Division I Player of the Month for February and collegeinsider.com's NEC Player of the Year.

A two-time first team selection, Klaiber has been the centerpiece of Fairleigh Dickinson's basketball renaissance over the last four years. With the ability to stick the three, slash to the hoop or post up, the versatile forward out of Greenbelt, MD ranks seventh in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), and with his long arms has been a disruptive force on the defensive side of the ball with 1.5 bpg (second in NEC) and 1.6 spg (sixth in NEC).

By tallying 1,557 points and 683 rebounds over the course of his career, Klaiber is the ninth player in FDU history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and just the 23rd player in NEC annals to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.

A Tale of Two Halves: The Knights went 6-8 in the first 14 games of the season, but turned it around to post a 12-2 second half in 2005-06. One of the main factors in that turnaround was the change in play from senior guard Chad Timberlake:

First Half (6-8)                    Second Half (12-2)
12 	Games played 	14
150 (12.5ppg)	Points	254 (18.1ppg)
59-136 (.434) 	FG-FGA 	98-182 (.538)
11-35 (.314) 	3FG-3FGA 	21-47 (.446)
21-37 (.568) 	FT-FTA 	37-50 (.740)
53 (4.4) 	Rebounds 	87 (6.2)
41 (3.4) 	Assists 	64 (4.6)

In the Big Ones: FDU is 14-6 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games and 9-8 in the semifinals.

Fairleigh Dickinson is the first defending NEC champion to reach the title game the following season since Long Island did it in 1997 and 1998.

The Knights are 4-4 in championship games, defeating Wagner (2004), Long Island (1998), Monmouth (1988) and Loyola (1985). The Knights lost to St. Francis PA (1991), Robert Morris (1989) and Marist twice (1986 and 1987).

Monmouth is 3-4 in NEC Championship games.

Against the Hawks in the Tourney: The Knights are 4-2 against Monmouth in NEC Tournament games. Two of the six games extended into at least one overtime.

Fairleigh Dickinson faced Monmouth in one NEC Championship game, coming away with a 90-75 victory in 1988. That game was the only other title game between the two teams contested on FDU's home court.

2003	FDU 63, MU 61	Quarterfinals
2001	MU 71, FDU 59	First Round
1997	MU 73, FDU 72 (2OT)	Semifinals	1995	FDU 73, MU 71	Quarterfinals
1991	FDU 78, MU 67 (OT)	Semifinals
1988	FDU 90, MU 75	Championship

Track Records: FDU split with Monmouth in a pair of meetings this season. The first meeting went into double-overtime, resulting in a 96-89 loss for FDU. The Knights bounced back a week later and defeated Monmouth at the Rothman Center, 79-62, on Feb. 27.

In the two games against Monmouth, Chad Timberlake averaged 17.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg. Michael Peeples added 15.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg, shooting 56 percent from beyond the arc. Andrea Crosariol missed only two shots in the two games, shooting 10-of-12 (83 percent).

As a team, the Knights averaged 84.0 points per game and held the Hawks to 79.0 ppg. FDU out-shot Monmouth from the field (.500-.445) and behind the arc (.396-.302) and grabbed 39.5 rebounds per game against Monmouth's 31.0. The Knights also swatted 6.0 blocks per game, while MU had 1.5 bpg.

All five-starters averaged double-digits in the two meetings this season, led by Timberlake's 17.0 and Peeples' 15.5. Crosariol and Bernell Murray each averaged 15.0 and Gordon Klaiber contributed 12.0.

The Knights hold an 31-25 advantage in the all-time series with the Hawks.

Knights for 20: The win against Robert Morris gave the Knights their eighth 20-win season and seventh under Head Coach Tom Green. The Knights posted their second-consecutive 20-win season, as the NEC Tournament Championship game victory over Wagner (3/9/05) gave the Knights 20 in 2004-05.

The back-to-back 20-win seasons are the first in the NEC since Long Island won 21 in 1996-97 and 23 in 1997-98.

The last time the Knights had won 20 was in 1997-98 when they finished 23-7 and made their last NCAA Tournament appearance.

Tournament Defense: The Knights have limited their two NEC Tournament opponents to just 35.2 percent shooting from the floor.

Three of a Kind: The Knights' high-powered offense is led by the trio of senior guard Chad Timberlake, senior forward Gordon Klaiber and junior center Andrea Crosariol , who have combined for 41.6 ppg.

Timberlake, honored as the NEC Player of the Week three times this year, leads the Knights with 15.5 points per game, good for fifth in the NEC. Klaiber, also selected as an NEC Player of the Week this season, is averaging 14.8 points per game, which ranks seventh in the league. Crosariol's 3.03 blocks per game lead the team, the league and ranks 13th in the nation. He is also first in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 64.6 percent from the floor.

Double Trouble: The win against Monmouth on Feb. 27 marked the first time this season that two Knights notched double-doubles, as Chad Timberlake registered 17 points and 10 rebounds and Gordon Klaiber had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Knights repeated the feat for the second time in a three-game span when Timberlake notched 20 points and 11 rebounds and Andrea Crosariol logged 16 points and 10 rebounds in the NEC Tournament semifinal win against Robert Morris.

Under Head Coach Tom Green: The Knights have won a league record 27 NEC Tournament games, including 26 under Tom Green, the winningest coach in postseason play in league history.

Green is 244-165 (.613) in regular seasont tilts and 26-17 in the NEC Tournament. His teams have won four league titles (1985, 1988, 1998 and 2004).

Supporting Cast: The Knights have gotten big contributions from their other two regular starters, junior Michael Peeples, who is averaging 9.4 points per game, and sophomore Bernell Murray, who has dished out 107 assists this season and connected on 41 three-pointers.

Prior to the Knights' 11-game winning streak, Peeples averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg. During the win-streak, he gave the Knights 10.5 ppg and 5.9 rpg, while recording two double-doubles.

FDU has also been getting a spark off the bench from junior sixth-man Andre Harris, who is averaging 7.9 ppg, leading the bench in 12 of the last 14 games. Harris has led the reserves in 17 games this season and the team in two games.

Spotless Record: Since the league scrapped a divisional format in 1984, #1 seeds are a now a perfect 23-0 after FDU's win against Quinnipiac, in their opening game of the NEC Tournament. Only three NEC Tournaments - in 1987, 1991 and 1994 - have gone exactly according to seeding.

Monmouth would be the first NEC program in history to win both semifinal and title games on the road.

FDU in the Tourney: The Knights have been one of the most successful programs all-time in the NEC Tournament. Their four NEC tourney titles are second-most all-time, behind only Robert Morris (5). They hold a 25-19 record all-time in NEC Tournament games and are making their 24th appearance in 25 years. They have made 17 semifinal appearances and are making their ninth championship game appearance.

Homecourt Advantage: The Knights are 11-2 at home this season- including a 10-1 mark against league opponents- and 44-10 since the start of the 2002-03 season. The Knights hold an 11-3 record in NEC Tournament games on their own hardwood. FDU is 176-75 all-time (.701) at the Rothman Center since it opened in Sept 1987, including a 45-10 (.818) mark over the past four seasons, giving them their best home stretch since 1987-88 to 90-91, when they went 48-8 (.857) over their first four seasons in the building.

Home teams have posted a 58-23 record (71.6 percent) when hosting NEC Tournament games throughout the league's history (current NEC teams only).

Next Up: The winner of the NEC Championship game earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Clinching the regular season title guarantees Fairleigh Dickinson a spot in the NIT.

Scouting the Opponent: The Hawks enter Wednesday's game 17-14 overall. They hold an even 8-8 record in road games.

Dejan Delic leads the team, averaging 12.3 points per game, while John Bunch leads the squad on the boards, grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game. Whitney Coleman is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor, with Marques Alston (averaging 11.9 ppg) right behind him, shooting 47.2 percent.

By the Numbers: The Knights are 16-2 when leading at the half and 2-8 when trailing at the half. FDU has been able to close out the opponent in late-game situations, going 19-1 when holding a lead with 5:00 left to play.

Add A Shelf to the Trophy Case: Senior guard Chad Timberlake earned his third Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Player of the Week honor in four weeks on Feb. 20.

Timberlake averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 57.1 percent from both the floor (12-21) and three-point range (4-7) as the Knights claimed a pair of road victories. On Feb. 16, Timberlake netted 15 of his 27 points in the second half as FDU rallied from a nine-point deficit to claim an 85-76 victory over Sacred Heart. He converted 8-9 shot opportunities, including 3-4 from long range, and added four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Timberlake was saddled with foul trouble two nights later but still managed nine points, five rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes as FDU came away with a hard-fought 68-64 win over UW-Green Bay in a game resulting from the original eBay BracketBuster pool series.

Timberlake, who leads the Knights with 15.5 pg, is fifth in the league in scoring, sixth in assists (4.07 apg), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.87), seventh in steals (1.39 spg), sixth in 3PFG percentage (.402), 11th in FG percentage (.496) and tied for 12th in rebounding (5.5 rpg).

Top 25: The Knights rode an 11-game winning streak into the CollegeInsider.com top-25 Mid Major Programs Poll.

FDU had its 11-game winning streak, which ranked fourth in the country, snapped in a 96-89 double-overtime loss at intrastate rival Monmouth University on Feb. 20.

In the Nation: At the start of the week, Fairleigh Dickinson's 6.47 blocks per game ranked 11th in the nation among NCAA Division I programs. Junior Andrea Crosariol leads the team and the conference with his 3.03 blocks per game, which ranks 13th in the nation.

The Knights' three-point field goal percentage of 68.4 against Long Island on Feb. 9 is ninth best in the nation.

Away from Home: Before the loss at Monmouth (2/20/06), Fairleigh Dickinson had won six straight road games, the longest such streak since Monmouth claimed six consecutive victories away from Boylan Gymnasium in 2002-03.

In the Last Five: Teams that have qualified for NEC Tournament in the last five years (2001-05)

All 5 Years: CCSU, Monmouth, St. Francis (NY), Wagner
4 Years: Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner
3 Years: Long Island, Robert Morris, SFPA
2 Years: Quinnipiac
1 Year: Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart (ineligible one year)

Pair of Aces: Seniors Gordon Klaiber and Chad Timberlake rank third in scoring duos in the NEC, averaging a combined 30.3 ppg. Timberlake leads the team with 15.5 points per game.

Going Down in the Books: Senior forward Gordon Klaiber, a two-time first team all-NEC performer, has boosted his career totals to 1,557 points (38th all-time in NEC) and 683 rebounds (27th all-time in NEC and first among active NEC players). He is just the ninth player in FDU history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and is just the 23rd player in NEC annals to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.

Senior guard Chad Timberlake is third among active NEC players with 1,368 points.

Streaking Knights: Fairleigh Dickinson's 11-game winning streak was the fourth longest in NCAA Division I and the best for the program since winning 13 in 1953-54 under Head Coach Dick Holub. The school record for consecutive wins is 20, established in 1952-53.

The 11-games also marked the longest win streak by an NEC team since CCSU claimed 19 straight victories en-route to the 2002 league crown.

It was the fourth- longest single-season Division I men's basketball winning streak in the New York-New Jersey area since 1999-2000.

1. Hofstra (2000-01)	18
2. Manhattan (2002-03)	15
3. Manhattan (2001-02)	12
4. FDU (2005-06)		11

In the NEC: The Knights are 293-213 against current Northeast Conference members.

The Knights are ahead in the all-time series against every conference opponent: Sacred Heart (6-5), Central Conn. (13-8), Long Island (46-37), Monmouth (31-25), Mount St. Mary's (23-13), Quinnipiac (14-5), Robert Morris (28-25), St. Francis NY (49-27), St. Francis PA (35-32) and Wagner (46-36).

Last Time Out: Led by junior center Andrea Crosariol and senior guard Chad Timberlake the top-seeded Knights defeated #5 Robert Morris, 71-55, in an NEC semifinal game at the Rothman Center on Sunday afternoon. The victory advances the Knights to the conference championship game versus Monmouth University.

Crosariol and Timberlake each registered double-doubles as Timberlake recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds and Crosariol added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead all scorers. Crosariol shot 6-of-10 from the field and had a game-high six blocks. Senior forward Gordon Klaiber and junior forward Michael Peeples each had 14 points.

The Knights charged out on fire to start the game, holding the lead for the first 27 minutes and 32 seconds of the game and showing off with a 17-3 run as they held the Colonials to one field goal in the first seven minutes. The run was powered by Crosariol (7 points) and Peeples (5 points).

The Knights extended their lead, 24-8, capped by seven-straight points, with Timberlake providing five of the seven. The Colonials cut it down to four, 28-24, on a 16-4 run that finished on a three-pointer from Jeremy Chappell with 4:21 remaining in the half.

The Knights took an eight-point lead to start the second stanza, but an ensuing 12-0 run by the Colonials gave the visitors a 49-45 edge. The Knights responded well, going on a 12-0 run of their own. FDU was sparked by switching into a full court pressure defense to change the pace of the game, as well as solid free throw shooting, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line in the second half. Fairleigh Dickinson out-rebounded the Colonials, 41-33.

The win gives the Knights their 20th of 2005-06 as they improve to 20-10. This is their eighth 20-win season and seventh under Head Coach Tom Green. It also marks the program's second consecutive 20-win season as they finished last year's campaign with a 20-13 record en route to the NCAA Tournament.

February Frenzy: The Knights went 8-2 in their games in the month of February.

Knights for THREE: The Knights connected on eight three-pointers against the Mount (2/11), while allowing only three of the Mount's shots from the perimeter. After shooting 30 percent from the beyond the arc in the first half, the Knights came back to make 5-of-9 in the second frame (55.6 percent).

Against Sacred Heart, the Knights again made eight treys, holding the Pioneers to two from the arc. The Knights held the Phoenix scoreless from three-point range in the first half, as UWGB went 0-for-6. The Knights continued to pressure the perimeter in the final 20 minutes as the Phoenix finished the game a combined 1-for-14 (7.1 percent).

The Knights held the Terriers to 1-of-10 from the three-point line, including blanking them from the perimeter in the second half. The 10% is a was a new team-best for perimeter defense, breaking the Knights' previous low, holding Quinnipiac to 4-of-18 (22%).

Climbing the Ladder: Andrea Crosariol has broken the all-time career blocks record, formerly held by current Assistant Coach Damari Riddick.

Gordon Klaiber now has 143 blocks during his career, for fourth place all-time at FDU. He is only the fourth player in program history to reach 1000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks.

Career Blocks 1. Andrea Crosariol `07 169 2. Damari Riddick `88 149 3. Rahshon Turner `98 144 4. Gordon Klaiber `06 143

Grab the Windex: Andrea Crosariol (Abano T., Italy/Long Island Lutheran)'s 15 rebounds against University of Wisconsin- Green Bay were a career-high and a team season-high. Crosariol has 431 career rebounds.

Klaiber's Rise: Gordon Klaiber was tabbed as the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week on Feb. 13.

Klaiber's finest week of the season coincided with Fairleigh Dickinson's push to distance itself from its competitors as the Knights went 3-0 to extend their win streak to nine and take a 2.5 game lead in the NEC standings at 12-2 in league play.

Klaiber averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks and shot 50.0 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent (8-13) from three-point range. He also made 22-26 from the charity stripe, an 84.6 percent success rate.

The senior forward scored 15 points and added three steals in the Knights' 93-78 victory over Robert Morris in Teaneck on Feb. 6, then erupted for a season-high 30 points on 9-14 from the floor and 4-5 from long distance as FDU rolled past Long Island, 96-74, in Brooklyn on Feb. 9. To cap off the week, he tallied 23 of his 25 points in the second half and added nine boards to break open a close game and lead the Knights to a 69-58 conquest of Mount St. Mary's at the Rothman Center on Feb. 11.

Three of a Kind: FDU went 3-0 with convincing wins over Robert Morris (93-78), Long Island (96-74) and Mount St. Mary's (69-58). The FDU "Big Three" of seniors Gordon Klaiber and Chad Timberlake, along with junior center Andrea Crosariol combined to average 53.3 ppg, 18.4 rpg, 8.0 apg and 6.0 bpg. They also shot a red-hot 56.7 percent (55-97) from the floor, including 65.2 percent (15-23) from three-point range.

Getting it Done: The 79-62 win against Monmouth (2/27) was the first time this season that the Knights have gotten no help from the bench. The 79 points put on the board from Fairleigh Dickinson were all accounted for by the five starters: Chad Timberlake (17), Bernell Murray (5), Andrea Crosariol (24), Gordon Klaiber (16) and Michael Peeples (17).

Regular Appearances: Fairleigh Dickinson's 18 consecutive NEC Tournament apearances are the longest in NEC history (1984-2001).

Since moving to the eight-team tourney format in 1998 (though seven qualified in 2001), Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth and St. Francis (NY) have qualified for the NEC Tournament eight out of nine times, while Robert Morris and Wagner are one behind with seven. Long Island and St. Francis (PA) have made it six of those years, followed by five for Mount St. Mary's, three for Quinnipiac (first eligible in 2001) and two for Sacred Heart (first eligible in 2002).

Starting Off Right: After recording 20 points or more in eight games last season, as well as three games with 30 or more points, Gordon Klaiber was able to score a team-high 20 points against Maryland, a then- top-25 team known for its pressure defense.

Klaiber notched his season-high at Long Island, pouring in 30 points on a season-high nine made field goals. The senior forward also recorded season-highs of eight free throws and four three-pointers.

Block It Out: As a team, the Knights are first in the Northeast Conference and ranked 11th in the nation with 6.47 blocks per game.

Individually, the Knights have the top two shot blockers in the conference in junior center Andrea Crosariol (3.03 bpg; first) and senior forward Gordon Klaiber, who is averaging 1.43 bpg to tie for second in the league. Crosariol is 13th in the nation in blocks per game.

The Knights posted a season-high 11 rejections against Robert Morris (1/28), led by Crosariol's career-high seven blocks.

In the win at Wagner, Crosariol broke his own single-season record for blocks, moving up to 57 (his previous record was 55 in 2004-05). Jonas Sinding had 64 blocks in 1997-98 for first in the single-season record books, but Crosariol has leaped past that with 90 rejections this season. Crosariol's 169 career swats make him the all-time block leader at Fairleigh Dickinson, passing current Knights' Assistant Coach Damari Riddick's 149, the former record.

In the win against Sacred Heart (1/23), Crosariol and Klaiber each posted five blocks (a season-high for Klaiber) to account for all of the Knights' rejections. Crosariol notched a season-high seven blocks against Robert Morris (1/28).

Harris Provides the Spark: Junior forward Andre Harris has led the bench in 12 of the last 14 games. On the season, Harris has led the reserves in 17 games and the team in two games. He has scored in double-digits seven times this season.

Putting On a Show: The Knights' 56.1 percent from the floor (32-57) against Long Island was their highest field goal percentage of the year. The Knights had a season-low seven turnovers and took a season-low nine three-point attempts. Fairleigh Dickinson also had three team season-highs against Robert Morris, dishing out 26 assists, grabbing 14 steals and making 38 field goals.

The Knights' previous best game-high field goal percentage, connecting on 34 of 62 attempts (54.8%), was at Robert Morris. The 11 blocks were also season-highs.

The Knights shattered several records against LIU, netting 34-of-54 attempts from the floor for a 63 percentage. FDU made 13 three-point field goals for a new season-high in 19 attempts for a sesaon-high 68.4 percentage behind the arc.

On the Boards: The Knights out-rebounded the Red Flash by their largest margin of 15 (42-27), helping to stage a 20-5 second-half run to take a dominating lead and break the tie out of halftime.

The Knights broke the largest rebounding margin this season when they out-played Monmouth around the rim- grabbing 43 to the Hawks' 25.

Recording New Highs: Senior guard Chad Timberlake recorded a new career-high of 32 points against Sacred Heart, while shooting a season and team-high of 24 field goal attempts and making a season and team-high 13.

Senior forward Gordon Klaiber had a season-high five blocks.

Senior Standing: The NEC Tournament semifinal game against Robert Morris on March 5 marked the 12th time this season that the Knights' two seniors, guard Chad Timberlake and forward Gordon Klaiber, combined for more than 30 points.

The duo has joined forces for 20 or more points 20 times and are averaging a combined 30.3 ppg.

Double Down: Gordon Klaiber notched his second straight double-double and second of the season against Quinnipiac (1/12) with 18 points and a season-high 11 boards.

Against St. Francis PA on Jan. 5, he recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds. In that game, he also matched his career-high with five assists.

Chad Timberlake led the Knights with his first double-double of the season in the win against St. Francis NY (1/20) with 15 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

Andrea Crosariol has given the Knights a team-high four double-doubles, with his last coming against Robert Morris in the NEC Tournament semifinals (16 points, 10 rebounds).

Michael Peeples has registered two double-doubles, most recently posting 14 points and 10 rebounds.

In The Crowd: FDU has faced some big opponents this season in front of large audiences. The Knights started the season off at the Guardians Classic at WVU Coliseum before playing in front of a crowd 18,833 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY. That is the biggest stage of the season, coming in ahead of a 17,950 attendance at the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland.

The Knights largest home crowd showed for the final regular season game against Monmouth (2/27) with the Rothman Center stands going 3,024 strong.

Big Man on Campus: In the Knights 74-58 victory over Lousiana-Monroe, junior Andrea Crosariol logged his first double-double of the season. Crosariol's 18-point, 11-rebound performance in 34 minutes of action proved to be the difference in the game as the 7-foot, 260 lbs. center out of Albano T., Italy shot 8-14 from the floor, was a perfect 2-2 from the line and grabbed seven of his 11 boards on the offensive end. Last season, Crosariol had two double-doubles all year.

Crosariol broke his then-career-high as he recorded 21 points against 10th-ranked Louisville on Dec. 28 at Freedom Hall. Crosariol was 10-of-14 from the floor, with his 10 made field goals also notching a career-high.

The center put in some quality minutes under the basket, grabbing a then-career-high 12 rebounds in the win over Sacred Heart (1/23). The 12 boards are an individual team-high for the season as well.

Crosariol recorded his second double-double of the season at Long Island, despite playing with four fouls. He netted 10 points and grabbed 12 boards. He has had a team-high four double-doubles this season and has poured in a career-high 24 points twice this season (vs. Robert Morris on Feb. 6 and vs. Monmouth on Feb. 27).

Get By With a Little Help: Fairleigh Dickinson's reserves dominated the opponent against Drexel as the Knights' bench out-scored Drexel, 23-3.

The bench provided 42 points against Dowling -- the team's second-straight game with 40 or more points coming off the bench.

Defensive Efforts: The Knights turned the ball over a then-season-low eight times against Mount St. Mary's (12/10), with only one of those turnovers being charged to a guard. Cameron Tyler dished out five assists in his 26 minutes without relinquishing the ball once.

The Knights then set a new season-low, coughing up the ball only seven times at Wagner.

Harris Takes Control: Junior forward Andre Harris had a career-night on Dec. 10, leading the Knights' to their second conference win against Mount St. Mary's. He notched a double-double with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first 20-point game of his career.

Timberlake Joins the Ranks of the Elite: Senior guard Chad Timberlake notched 11 points in the loss at Seton Hall on Dec. 5 and in doing so recorded his 1,000th point as a Knight.

The NEC tipped off the 2005-06 season with two returning players already ensconced in the 1,000-point club (Landy Thompson, Mt. St. Mary's; Gordon Klaiber, FDU). A total of four NEC players reached the 1,000-point plateau last year to raise membership to 122 since the league began sponsoring basketball in 1981.

D-Fense!: The Knights had more steals than Seton Hall (8-6), fewer turnovers (11-18) and more assists (12-10).

Welcome Back: Of the top-10 NEC scorers in 2005-06, only two - Long Island senior James Williams and FDU senior forward Gordon Klaiber - finished in the top-10 a year ago.

Klaiber On the Move: A two-time first team all-NEC selection, Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Gordon Klaiber entered the season as the NEC's leading active rebounder and second-leading scorer.

He is just the ninth player in FDU history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and has become just the 23rd player in NEC annals to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds and ninth player to hit 1,500 points and 750 rebounds.

Murray Steps Up: Sophomore guard Bernell Murray recorded the second and third blocks of his career against St. Francis NY on Jan. 20. The two blocks in a game were a career-high.

Murray scored eight of his ten points in the second overtime period to lead the Knights to victory against Canisius. He scored eight of the Knights' 11 points in the last five minutes, netting two free throws before sinking back-to-back three-pointers.

Career Production: Junior forward Michael Peeples had an outstanding night at Canisius, notching a career-high 18 points on a career-high seven made field goals. He tied his career-highs of two blocks, four assists and two three-point field goals.

In the Extra Period: The Knights' double-overtime victory against Canisius was their first game with extra periods this season. They are 1-1 in games that go into extra time after falling to Monmouth in double-overtime on Feb. 20.

Running Away With It: The 46-point win against Dowling was the Knights' largest margin of victory since defeating Hunter, 109-49, on February 22, 1964.

Clearing the Glass: Junior forward Andre Harris entered the half against Dowling with 10 rebounds, breaking his previous career-high of nine and finishing the game with a team-high 11 total boards.

Team Effort: All 11 players that dressed for the game against Dowling put points on the board. Nine Knights had scored going into the half and five players notched double-digit points.

He's Honored: Freshman Cameron Tyler was named the Northeast Conference Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week on Nov. 21.

The six-foot freshman guard came off the bench to score 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the floor, to go along with three rebounds and a game-high six assists in 36 minutes of work.

Taking Charity: In his first seven games, freshman guard Cameron Tyler was sent to the charity stripe 44 times, hitting 36 of those for an 81.8 percentage.

FDU Chosen to Participate in ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday: Fairleigh Dickinson was chosen to represent the Northeast Conference in the fourth annual ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday on February 18, 2006. It marks the first time an NEC institution has been tabbed to participate in the event, which pits potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other three weeks prior to Selection Sunday and featured 11 nationally televised games selected from an expanded pool of 100 teams representing 18 conferences.

"We're proud to have Fairleigh Dickinson represent the NEC in this year's Bracket Buster field," said John Iamarino, then- NEC Commissioner. "FDU's strong effort vs. Illinois in the NCAA Tournament is a good example of how the Knights have historically played well against good non-conference competition."

Fairleigh Dickinson, the defending NEC champion, did not learn of its opponent, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, until late January, approximately three weeks prior to the event. As part of the agreement, all 11 of the Bracket Buster Saturday home teams, as well as the remaining 39 home squads competing in non-televised contests, will play a "return" game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.

The Bracket Buster has expanded each of the last three years, with 18 teams participating in the inaugural 2003 event, 46 in 2004 and 64 in 2005.

Collegehoops.net Predicts: The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team was projected to win the 2005-06 Northeast Conference (NEC) championship by Collegehoops.net and is listed at No. 142 in their top 144 teams in 144 days college basketball preview. Collegehoops.net is a leading independent college basketball website.

NEC Preseason Poll: With three returning starters, including two preseason all-NEC picks, defending tournament champion Fairleigh Dickinson was chosen as the 2005-06 NEC men's basketball preseason favorite, according to a vote of the league's head coaches. The preseason rankings, along with the league's preseason all-conference team, were announced during a media teleconference with coaches on Wednesday as a prelude to the NEC's 25th anniversary season.

Looking to become the first league team since Rider in 1993 and 1994 to repeat as NEC champion, Fairleigh Dickinson earned nine of a possible ten first place votes from league head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Monmouth, last year's NEC regular season champion, finished tied for second in the poll with Wagner, which reached the 2005 NEC title game. The Seahawks received one first place vote, as did Long Island, which was picked fourth. Central Connecticut State and St. Francis (NY) finished tied for fifth in the poll, followed by Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary's, St. Francis (PA), Robert Morris and Sacred Heart.

This marks the first time in 12 years and the third time in school history that Fairleigh Dickinson has been selected the NEC's preseason favorite by league head coaches.

Under the tutelage of 23rd year head coach Tom Green, the Fairleigh Dickinson program has captured four NEC championships, and has performed admirably in subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances on each occasion. Last March, the Knights trailed top-seeded Illinois by a single point at halftime before eventually succumbing, 67-55.

The Knights captured the 2005 NEC Tournament championship and earned the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1998. After finishing the regular season in second place, Fairleigh Dickinson defeated St. Francis NY (78-60), Long Island (70-62) and Wagner (58-52), all at home, to win the league crown.

Preseason Predictions: Five leading college basketball publications selected the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team as the favorite to win the 2006 Northeast Conference title and return to the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, all five have tabbed senior forward Gordon Klaiber as the Preseason Player of the Year while two other Knights earned preseason all-conference honors.

The Knights were selected to capture first place in the Northeast Conference in Sporting News College Basketball preview. Sporting News also picked Klaiber to the Preseason All-Conference First Team and Player of the Year.

Fairleigh Dickinson was picked for a first-place finish in Athlon Sports and Street & Smith's College Basketball previews as well. In Street and Smith's forecast, Klaiber was selected to the All-NEC team and was tabbed as the top player in the conference. Athlon picked both Klaiber and senior guard Chad Timberlake to the All-Conference First Team and projected Klaiber to earn Player of the Year honors.

In the conference breakdown done by CBS Sportsline.com, FDU was chosen to finish at the top of the NEC. In the preseason picks, Timberlake and Klaiber were slotted in the first team, while Klaiber was tabbed as the Player of the Year. In Lindy's Basketball preview, Fairleigh Dickinson was predicted to take first place in the conference and both Klaiber and Timberlake were selected to the All-Conference First Teams. Junior center Andrea Crosariol was honored with a second team prediction. Timberlake was given the superlative of "Most Versatile" in the magazine's honor roll and Klaiber was selected as the "Best NBA Prospect".

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
	2005 #1 Illinois 67, #16 FDU55
	1998#2 UConn 93, #15 FDU 85
	1988#1 Purdue 94, #16 FDU 79
	1985#1 Michigan 59, #16 FDU 55

Klaiber for Three: With 155 career three-pointers, Gordon Klaiber has cracked the top five all-time at FDU in that category, leaping into fourth all-time.

	Career Three-Pointers Made
	1. 	Brad McClain `92		187
	2. 	Lionel Bomayako		159
	3. 	Jermaine Slider `98		155
	4.	Gordon Klaiber `06		155

Pick-Pocket: Chad Timberlake now has 149 career steals, moving him into third place all-time at FDU. Next up to pass is Desi Wilson (`91), who has 177.

	Career Steals
	1.	Dan Rosen `66		271
	2.	Desi Wilson `91		177
	3.	Chad Timberlake		149
	4. 	Mel Hawkins `91		141
		Elijah Allen `98		141
	6. 	Gordon Klaiber		138

Helping Hand: Chad Timberlake now ranks seventh all-time at FDU in assists with 336.

Career Assists
	1.	Mel Hawkins `91		508
	2.	Marcus Whitake `04		417
	3.	Glenn Snape `82		414
	4.	Marcus Gaither `84		369
	5.	Elijah Allen `98		366
	6.	Mike Houston `83		340
	7.	Chad Timberlake		336

On the Boards: Gordon Klaiber (Greenbelt, MD/National Christian Academy)'s 683 career rebounds put him eighth all-time in the record books.

Career Rebounds
	1. 	Greg Foster `84		1194
	2.	Reggie Foster `68		1045
	3.	Rahshon Turner `98		927
	4.	Jaime Latney `88		786
	5.	Desi Wilson `91		780
	6.	Damari Riddick `88		737
	7.	Sherman Edwards `77	692
	8. 	Gordon Klaiber		683
	9.	Mike Payne `84		665

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