March 8, 2006

Box Score

HACKENSACK, NJ - Trailing by one, Monmouth University's Chris Kenny (Spring Lake, NJ) received an outlet pass and dribbled down court, hitting a lay-up with 2.1 seconds on the clock, as the No. 3-seeded Hawks upset top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University, 49-48, in the Northeast Conference Championship game on Wednesday, March 8 at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, NJ in front of a crowd of 1,850. The tilt was televised live on ESPN2.

Junior center Andrea Crosariol (Abano T., Italy) led the Knights with a double-double, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds, while senior forward Gordon Klaiber tallied 11 points and 11 boards.

Klaiber ripped down an offensive rebound following the Knights' first field goal attempt and popped a three-pointer at 19:17 to open up a 3-0 lead to start the game.

Hawks forward Corey Hallett (Shelburne, Nova Scotia) hit the offensive glass and converted an old-fashioned three-point play at 16:17 to shift Monmouth ahead, 6-5.

The Knights responded with an 18-6 surge, registering field goals in five-consecutive possessions. Crosariol dropped in a layup and junior forward Michael Peeples (Detroit, MI) hit a baseline jumper, then knocked down a trey. Klaiber notched a hoop plus the foul down low, followed by a Crosariol bucket on the block. Peeples capped off the run with two free throws, as FDU held a 23-11 advantage at the 9:38 mark.

Senior guard Chad Timberlake (Brooklyn, NY) banged a three-ball at the 7:27 mark. Monmouth's Kenny answered with a shot from downtown, capping off a 10-3 run, that included seven-straight points, to draw the Hawks within five at 26-21, with 7:13 remaining.

With 4.3 seconds remaining in the first-half, Timberlake took the inbounds pass from halfcourt and penetrated to the top of the key before kicking out a pass behind the arc to sophomore point guard Bernell Murray (Stillwater, OK) who knocked the triple as time expired.

Fairleigh Dickinson led 33-24 at the break on the strength of nine second-chance points and 12 in the paint. The Hawks connected on 5-of-7 shots from long-range to keep the contest at single-digits, despite shooting 29 percent from the floor.

Monmouth opened the second-half on a 15-3 run, on the strength of a backdoor lay-in by Tyler Azzarelli (Tampa, FL) and a one-handed slam by Marques Alston (Neptune, NJ), who paced the Hawks with 14 points and 10 boards. A John Bunch (Randallstown, MD) dunk at 13:06 highlighted the burst that ended in a 39-36 Monmouth advantage.

Klaiber sparked a 6-0 run, hitting two free throws at the 10:53 mark to bring FDU within one at 39-38. Freshman point guard Cameron Tyler (Jamaica, NY) swished a pull-up jumper, as the Knights regained the lead with 10:15 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Crosariol hauled down an offensive board and went to the glass for the put-back, giving Fairleigh Dickinson a 42-39 lead.

The two squads exchanged buckets before Crosariol pushed the Knights ahead 46-43, with just over four minutes left with a strong take to the hoop. Monmouth answered on the following possession, as Alston drove the lane with 3:26 remaining for a deuce, to create a 46-45 game.

Peeples ripped through the paint and crossed up Hallett, before converting a lay-up to the right of the hoop with 18 seconds left, propelling FDU to a 48-45 lead.

Monmouth went to the line, hitting two free throws. After FDU missed an opportunity at the charity stripe, Kenny received an outlet pass and hit a lay-up with 2.1 seconds on the clock, grabbing a 49-48 lead and the victory.

"When it comes down to a last second shot, anything can happen," said Head Coach Tom Green. "After the free throw, our assignments fell through and weren't executing properly."

"In the locker room I told the team, there are no losers in this room," said Green. "We were the regular season champions and winning 20 games at this level is still an incredible feat. We didn't give them the game, they earned it."

The Knights, who were out-scored 25-15 in the final 20 minutes, earned the NEC regular season title, which makes them eligible for the NIT. The Knights will find out who they face on Sunday.

"I'm just happy to still be playing," said Green. "We earned the right to be in the NIT from the 18 games we won in the regular season."