Box Score It took the College of Staten Island women's basketball team a little time to get rolling, but the Dolphins delivered a win in their home opener, moving past NYU-Polytechnic by an 81-60 count at the newly renovated Sports & Recreation Center.  The Dolphins improved to 2-1 with the win, while the Fighting Blue Jays dropped to a season-opening 0-1 start.

Mired in poor shooting to start the game, CSI connected on just two of their first 15 shots, but was able to keep the pressure going thanks to second chances via offensive rebounds.  After the game's first five minutes, the Dolphins nursed a modest, 6-5, lead.  After a 0-9 stint from the floor, the Dolphins finally got rolling with consecutive baskets from Jaclyn Tocco and Katelyn Hepworth, giving CSI a 10-5 edge at 13:49.  After the Jays cut the lead to one, CSI responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes, powered by three straight Hepworth lay-ins.  From there, the Dolphins were able to keep Poly at bay until yet another Hepworth basket gave the Dolphins their biggest lead, 39-26, right before the buzzer.

At intermission it was clear the Dolphins' persistent attack was paying off.  The Dolphins amassed a 40-25 edge on the glass, spreading out 14 assists in the process.  The Dolphins held a 12-4 edge in points off of turnovers, and CSI's bench held a 19-9 edge over the Jays, thanks largely to Hepworth's 14 points.

The Dolphins kept that intensity up for the second stanza, racing out to a 10-2 run to open the frame in the first three minutes, building a 21-point lead, 49-28.  The unselfish Dolphins continued to spread the ball around, sometimes stringing together 10-12 passes before finding the open looks, resulting in what finished as 30 assists for the team, the most since the team tallied 33 against New York City College of Technology in 2002.

CSI extended to as many as 24 in the stanza, 75-51, on a Victoria Gallinaro drive with 5:03 to go.  NYU-Poly's Alyssa D'Apice was on point, accounting for the Blue Jays' last 11 points, part of a game-high 29 markers on the night, together with 10 rebounds.

For the game, CSI owned a 60-46 edge in rebounding, forcing 20 turnovers.  The Dolphins were led by Hepworth's 20 points, adding 13 rebounds.  Melanie Johnson scored another double-double, recording 16 points and 14 boards, while Megan Myhre collected 14 points.  It wasn't all pretty, however, as CSI shot an icy 12-26 from the charity stripe (46.2%) and 5-28 from beyond the arc (17.9%).  The team was aided by Poly's 14-32 clip from the stripe (43.8%).

CSI improved to 2-0 all-time against the Blue Jays.  Prior to tonight's meeting, the teams last met in 2007.

CSI returns to action this weekend, traveling to Boston, Massachusetts, for a date with Emerson College at 1pm on Saturday.