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Staten Island, NY (AP) -- Darian Anderson scored 28 points and Earl Potts Jr. had 27 to lead Fairleigh Dickinson to an 87-79 victory over Wagner on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Northeast Conference Tournament and the Knights' fifth NCAA Tournament bid.

Anderson had 18 points in the second half and Potts had 16 when the Knights took control on the way to their first NCAA bid since 2005, and the first under third-year coach Greg Herenda.

Potts scored FDU's first nine points of the second half as it took the lead for good on his 3-pointer that gave the second-seeded Knights (18-14) the lead at 51-47.

They were ahead by as many as 10 points, the first time on a 3 by Marques Townes with 4:15 to play.

Anderson was 8 of 16 from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, while Potts was 11 of 19, including 4 of 8 from long range. The Knights were 9 of 19 from 3-point range.

Corey Henson led the top-seeded Seahawks (23-9) with 24 points, while Michael Carey had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Wagner finished 4 of 24 from 3-point range and 21 of 33 from the free throw line.

The win was the fifth straight for the Knights and it ended Wagner's seven-game winning streak. The teams split the season series with Potts hitting a 3 at the buzzer to give the Knights an overtime win at Wagner.

The game was played before a packed, sellout crowd of about 2,100 at Wagner's Spiro Sports Center and the FDU fans in attendance rushed the court at the final buzzer.

The first half started and ended about as different as possible.

The Seahawks opened the game on a 13-2 run, getting the ball inside the Knights' 2-3 zone for shots down low. FDU got as close as four points before the Seahawks again scored inside often to take a 31-20 lead with 3:35 left in the half.

The Knights, taking advantage of Wagner turnovers, closed the half on a 13-4 run to cut Wagner's lead to 35-33. Potts closed it with a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.
 

TIP-INS:
FDU: The Knights are the third-youngest roster in Division I with two redshirt juniors and all sophomores and freshmen. ... FDU last played in the NEC title game in 2006. ... FDU's NCAA appearances were 1985, 1988, 1998 and 2005. ... The Knights reached the title game with wins over St. Francis, Pa. and Mount St. Mary's. ... FDU's Director of Basketball Operations is Pete Lappas, the son of former Villanova and Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas.

Wagner: This was the first time Wagner hosted the championship game since 2003. ... The Seahawks reached the title game with wins over Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn.

UP NEXT:

FDU: NCAA Tournament.

Wagner: Postseason NIT.

Story by Jim O'Connell (Associated Press)

2016 NEC All-Tournament Team
Earl Potts Jr., FDU (MVP)
Darian Anderson, FDU
Michael Carey, Wagner
Corey Henson, Wagner
Joel Hernandez, LIU Brooklyn


POST-GAME QUOTES
Wagner vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
NEC Championship Round
March 8, 2016

Fairleigh Dickinson Head Coach Greg Herenda
Opening Statement
"I just want to give credit to Wagner. They've had a tremendous, tremendous year. Twenty-two wins. They're going to go to the NIT. Bashir Mason was the coach of the year and they're just tough They’re tough and they’re rugged, and they're good, and we had to play really, really well to beat them here. So, I just can't say enough about Wagner's basketball team which makes our championship that much sweeter. My team lost 15 games in a row last year. So for all of the young boys and girls, men and women, who are coaching and struggling, you just have to stick with it, play hard and have tremendous belief in yourselves. The two men that I have next to me were right in the wars last year, and tonight they reaped the rewards of all their hard work. This team believed in itself all year. Even when we played Villanova, Temple, Rutgers, Fordham. We were 9-8 on the road overall and we were 8-2 in our conference on the road, which shows just how much character these players have. I can't be happier for Fairleigh Dickinson University, the institution, the administration, our staff. But most of all, our players who deserve everything they got tonight. I'm a very lucky coach."
 
Question for Earl Potts, Jr.
Earl, when you hit that that three at the end of the half to cut it to two, did you feel like that was a big momentum change for you?
 
"It was a little bit of momentum but I felt like we got even more momentum when we went down to the locker room. We didn't play good defense in the first half, so, we got it right in the second half."
 
Question for Darian Anderson
Darrin can you speak to what led to you deciding to play for this university at a time when you weren't as successful as you are right now and how you've been able to achieve what you have.
 
"The main thing that coach always says is, 'Don't wait to be great. And that really hit home with me. And I knew for me that there would be an opportunity to play right away."
 
Question for Earl Potts, Jr.
Earl, the final horn goes off and you're out there on the court, the fans storm the court, and the FDU chants. What did that feel like for you?
 
"We worked all year for it. The first day we got here over the summer, coach said 'we're training to be champions and nothing less. So, that feeling is really unexplainable. To know that all of your hard work paid off. It's unexplainable like I said."
 
Wagner Head Coach Bashir Mason
Opening Statement
“Tough way for this thing to end - FDU played a great game. They’re a dangerous team that can really score the ball. They made a lot shots that I though deflated us both defensively and offensively. I’m super proud of my guys, my group. I told these guys if I knew the ending, and we had to go through it all over again, then I would do it with this group. It’s a special young group and I’m proud to coach them.”
 
What was the difference in the second half of this game?
Michael Carey
“I can’t tell you, I think it was more so effort. They just turned up their effort and we just didn’t.”
 
Corey Henson
“They controlled the tempo, I think we did that more in the first half. They hit shots early and got a lot of confidence and then from there it was downhill.”
 
Can you talk about specifics of their zone in the second half?
Michael Carey
“I don’t think it had anything to with their zone, we just didn’t make open shots and I like I said, their effort just kicked up a notch and ours didn’t. I don’t think it had anything to with their zone.”
 
Corey Henson
“I believe they were a little more active in their zone and we lost confidence in ourselves. We weren’t making the same plays we were in the first half.”
 
When you fell behind, you seemed to remain optimistic what do you tell your team in those situations?
Coach Bashir Mason
“We knew it was going to be a game of runs. We made one early then they made one back and the game was going back and forth for a while - just stick with game plan, we got to execute, we have to defend. I told them we can’t get down if they make shots. I thought when they made a couple more shots, it affected our offense  and then our defense began to get loose too.”
 
Wagner was plus 11 on the boards, which was keeping you alive for most of the game. Was it them just getting open looks at threes and capitalizing that turned the tide?
Coach Bashir Mason
“They made nine three’s, I thought they made a couple tough ones, a couple bombs that were just deflating. For the most part, I thought we bottled them up. Once the game got into a little bit of a scramble late in the game, they got some easy ones.”
 
Late in the second half when they extended their lead .did you feel out if it?
Coach Bashir Mason
“I felt like there were maybe three or four plays where we got a stop and there was a loose ball and they picked it up and scored. Those bang-bang plays, you can’t game plan for them, you just have to be a player out there.”
 
How proud are you of your guys that they continued to fight to the very end?
Coach Bashir Mason
“Yeah, this is a fighting group. I told these guys in the locker room, we can’t judge our season based off of this last game here. This whole thing for us started a year ago at Robert Morris in March after we only won 10 games. The mission was to get in the gym every day and work really, really hard to have the season again that we didn’t have last year.  The turnaround has been incredible and the mission will be now to get in the gym and work really hard so that when we are in this game next year, it won’t be the same result.”
 
Characterize the kind of game Earl Potts, Jr. had if you can?
Coach Bashir Mason
“I knew he would shoot a lot of three’s. When he made a couple and they were bombs too, I thought it kind of deflated us a little bit. You have to give him credit. He stepped up and made them. I thought it was good defense on him. He didn’t get many open looks. He made the tough ones.”
 
Is there something to be said for a team that young on the road, maybe they don’t know there supposed to be rattled?
Coach Bashir Mason
“I didn’t think that this would affect those guys at all. Greg does a great job to get those guys to play erratic and high tempo. It’s almost for them, no shot matters, which makes them dangerous because they can shoot the ball an time they want and any type of shot that they want. So, I didn’t think this atmosphere or moment would be too big for them because they’ve played this way the entire year.”
 
The atmosphere was everything you could ask for?
“Absolutely, absolutely - this is why you play college basketball, to be a part of this.”
 
Question for Bashir Mason
Did you change anything significant at halftime?
“We just talked about ramping up the intensity and really defending. We got called for four fouls to start the half and I really didn’t care. We were going to win or lose our way. Once the game loosened up a bit, I thought our aggressiveness defensively started to bother them.”
 
You had to be concerned with all the guys in foul trouble?
“No concerns at all. I told our guys we had 20 minutes left in our season, there’s no practice tomorrow, there’s no shoot around. All we had is this next 20 minutes and I meant that and they played that way.”
 
Question for Junior Guard Michael Carey
 
How did you come from the Bahamas to Staten Island?
“I came up when I was like 12 for school in Texas. I was in a JUCO tournament and Coach Bash saw me, I actually told him on the phone (that I was coming to Wagner). I said ‘Coach once I feel like this is home, I trust you and I will run through a wall for you.’ I feel like he’s family. He’s more so like an uncle or a father , though he’s still young. I got a connection with him and he’s done a lot for me. He’s a motivator and there’s a reason he is the coach of the year.”
 
How were you able to score and still defend one of the best players (Jerome Frink) in the conference?
“I don’t think it was anything special, I think it was just my will to not let the season die. I knew he was one of the best players in the league, I just did everything possible to help my team win.”
 
Question for sophomore guard Romone Saunders
 
What was the difference between the first and second half for you?
“In the first half I felt like I wasn’t being aggressive, I was just trying to get my teammates involved. I knew from the previous games they had done a great job scouting on me. Coming into the second half, I knew after this there was nothing, so these could be my last 20 minutes if we lose. So, I came out aggressive and it worked out.”
 
Coach Mason on advancing to the championship game.
“It’s great. We worked hard all year to play in this one game. I’m excited. We all are. The next couple of days are going to be a lot of hard work. For me, once the clock hit all zeroes and the moment set in for me that, hey we won a semifinal game, something for me I haven’t done.”