Northeast Conference Tournament: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Gordon Klaiber saved the Knights’ season with a late basket to give the team a 66-65 win against No. 8 Quinnipiac. Playing at home, Fairleigh Dickinson needed Klaiber’s basket with 10 seconds remaining after letting the Bobcats rally in the second half to take a 65-64 lead with a minute remaining. The Knights move on to host No. 5 Robert Morris Sunday.
The Colonials advance to the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals after winning a thriller at No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s. Freshman guard Jeremy Chappell drained a three-pointer with about 10 seconds remaining to give the Colonials a 67-66 win. The freshman played huge in his first post-season game, leading all scorers with 25 points.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Central Connecticut State buried No. 7 Sacred Heart 86-68 behind 21 points from senior guard Lenny Jefferson. The Blue Devils drained six of their first eight three-pointers and held Sacred Heart scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half to build a lead and then hold it. They play No. 3 Monmouth in New Britain, Conn., Sunday.
Monmouth advanced to the semifinals after beating No. 6 Long Island 74-63. Junior forward Marques Alston had 17 points to lead the Hawks, who play at Central Connecticut State Sunday. The Hawks swept the regular-season series with the Blue Devils. [3/02/06]
