Hackensack, NJ -- Mensah Peterson scored 13 points, including a clutch three-pointer late, as Fairleigh Dickinson earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a tough 58-52 win over Wagner in the Northeast Conference Tournament final at the Rotham Center.

Andrea Crosariol paced FDU with a game-high 18 points, while Chad Timberlake added 11 for the second-seeded Knights (20-12), who captured their fourth NEC Tournament title and first since 1998.

Durell Vinson led upstart Wagner with 14 points and eight rebounds. Mark Porter added 10 for the Seahawks (13-17), who were trying to earn a place in history as the only NEC program to win three straight road games to capture the league title.

After dropping 11 of its first 12 games of the season, Wagner went 10-4 and then pulled off two shockers in the tournament to get to this point.

Sean Munson, who is the club's leading scorer and rebounder, battled with back problems in the game and ended with just eight points on 2-of-12 shooting for sixth-seeded Wagner, which knocked off third-seed Robert Morris and then pulled off a monumental upset this past Sunday, upending top-seeded Monmouth, 63-60.

Clinging to a slim 53-50 lead, Peterson erased any thought of a Wagner upset with a three-pointer from just right of the top of the key, pushing the margin to 56-50 with 23.8 seconds to go. That field goal ended a 10 minute drought from the floor by FDU, but Wagner was unable to take advantage.

Porter missed a three at the other end and Crosariol would grabbed the rebound and get immediately fouled. He converted both free throws to make it an eight- point game, effectively sealing the contest with 15 seconds remaining.

Trailing 11-7 early on, FDU used a 16-2 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 10-point cushion and in essence take control of the game. Timberlake's layup capped the burst as FDU owned a 23-13 lead with 8:21 remaining in the first half.

Wagner, though, would take advantage of a 3 1/2 minute scoreless drought by FDU to trim the deficit to four, 28-24, as both teams headed into the locker room.

Neither team shot particular well during the first half as Wagner ended 9- of-32 from the floor, while FDU finished 12-of-31 at the break.

Following a dunk by Wagner's Vinson to open the second half, FDU used a 12-6 run to start to pull away. The Knights started to establish the tone in the paint as Crosariol's dunk ended the spurt, staking the FDU to a 40-32 lead with 14:20 remaining in the contest.

The margin would then grow to 47-36 on Gordon Klaiber's three with under 11 minutes to go.

Wagner, though, made one last push with around five minutes left in the game, pulling within a 48-44 score on Vincent's jumper in the lane. The Seahawks, who started the season 1-12, would not go quietly and methodically got within 53-50 on Porter's free throw with 56.2 seconds to go.

However, Peterson's big shot dashed any hopes of Wagner's place in NEC history.

Game Notes:

The game marked the seventh time these two schools have met in the NEC Tournament, with FDU holding a 6-1 advantage. FDU has won three straight against Wagner in NEC Tournament play...Wagner's Mike Deane attempted to become just the fifth coach in NCAA history to lead four different teams (Siena, Marquette, Lamar) to the NCAA Tournament. He would have joined coaching legends Lefty Driesell, Jim Harrick, Rick Pittino and Eddie Sutton as the only men to accomplish the feat...Wagner captured the championship in 2003.