The Blue Devils (14-13) rallied from a 47-35 deficit with 14:36 left in regulation and sent the contest to overtime thanks to a 33-21 run. They improved to 4-0 all-time in the NEC semifinals spanning six years.

The 2000 and 2002 NEC champions will face the winner of tonight’s second semifinal between top-seeded Monmouth and No. 4 seed Robert Morris. The final will take place Wednesday at 7:00 pm on ESPN2 at the site of the highest remaining seed.

FDU (17-12) looked like it was in the driver’s seat when, leading 66-65, Brandon Edwards (Southfield, MI/Southfield-Lathrup) stripped NEC Player of the Year Ron Robinson (Bronx, NY/Winchendon School (MA)) as he was driving to the basket. Edwards was fouled and nailed two free throws with 2.9 seconds left for a three-point lead.

But the Blue Devils found a way to keep their season alive. Robinson caught the inbounds pass from Rich Pittman (Boston, MA/Thayer Academy) just beyond midcourt and fed Chiera, who drilled a shot from the right wing at the buzzer.

"I was surprised when I caught (the entry pass) because they had a guy in front of me and behind me," Robinson said. "I saw Justin come up the side and I knew I had enough time to pass it to a good 3-point shooter. He took one dribble and shot and it was slow motion from there."

"It was a well-designed and executed play," Chiera said. "My previous shots did not have a lot of leg. That was my main goal was to get my legs under me and follow through with the shot."

The crestfallen Knights grabbed their only lead of the extra session, 70-69, with 3:43 left on a short jumper from Tamien Trent (Moriches, NY/Center Moriches). But Chiera once again was on the spot, hitting a jumper from the right baseline with 2:28 to play for a 71-70 contest.

Obie Nwadike (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony’s), an NEC All-Rookie member for the Blue Devils, and Trent each traded a free throw to maintain the one-point margin. DeMario Anderson (Fort Washington, MD/Oxen Hill) gave CCSU a 74-71 lead with 1:13 left when he nailed a jumper.

Gadi Buch (Tel-Aviv, Israel) missed a layup for FDU and Edwards could not follow up on the tap. Pittman made them pay, hitting a layup off a great pass down low from Chiera with 30 seconds remaining to give CCSU a 76-71 lead.

The Knights moved to 76-73 on Trent’s long jumper with five seconds left and still had a chance after Anderson missed two free throws. But Trent missed a desperation 30-footer at the buzzer as CCSU notched its ninth victory in the last 12 outings.

Robinson scored 20 points to pace four players in double figures, one day after all five starters tallied in double figures during the quarterfinal upset of No. 2 seed St. Francis (NY). Pittman finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, Chiera scored 11 points with three 3-pointers and Javier Mojica (Auburn, MA/Auburn) added 10 points.

"Today’s game by the Blue Devils was one of the gutsiest performances in my 20 or so odd years of coaching," CCSU coach Howie Dickenman said. "I don’t think we ever gave up and were determined not to lose that basketball game."

The Blue Devils hit 23-of-34 from the line vs. only 10-of-13 for the Knights. Robinson connected on 8-of-12 and Pittman hit 6-of-7.

All-NEC member Gordon Klaiber (Greenbelt, MD/National Christian Academy) scored 18 points for the Knights on 7-of-13 shooting before fouling out with 3:56 left in regulation. Trent poured in a team-high 22 points with five rebounds for FDU, which shot 45 percent (27-of-60) but just 2-of-7 in overtime.

"This is a game I will lose some sleep over for not just a couple of days, but for a while and I’m sure the kids will as well," FDU coach Tom Green said. "It was a tough, tough way to lose."

"I was on the other side of the floor when I turned my head and saw the shot and said ‘Oh my God. It dropped,’ said the Knights’ Marcus Whitaker (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central), who finished with eight assists and seven rebounds. "It was a devastating shot."

The Knights hurt themselves from 3-point range after intermission, hitting only 3-of-11 in the second half and missing both attempts in overtime.

FDU grabbed its largest first-half lead, 27-19, with 3:52 left thanks to a 12-3 run in which Klaiber and Trent scored five points apiece. The Knights led, 34-29, at the break by shooting 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor and 6-of-9 from 3-point range.