For the second time in their last three games, the College of Staten Island men's basketball team dropped an overtime contest, this time falling to FDU-Florham on the road, 76-70.  In an ending eerily similar to their opener against Eastern Mennonite, the Dolphins held a lead in the final seconds of regulation, but this time a free-throw near the buzzer tied the game for FDU, and the Devils put the game away in overtime, improving to 1-2 overall while the Dolphins fell to the same record.

To get to the late lead the Dolphins had to mount a huge comeback, as the Devils led by as many as 18 points in the contest.  A rough start from the floor by FDU saw CSI take a 6-0 lead after a little over three minutes gone by, but from there the scoring came at a commodity for the Dolphins.  CSI would score only four points over the next six-plus minutes as FDU came roaring back to take a 14-10 lead with 12:11 to play in the first stanza, aided by five Trevor Sykes points and a three-point play by Will Green.

From there, FDU assumed control, ballooning their lead to 13, by using a 13-1 run spanning over five minutes to take a 27-14 lead with five and a half to go in the stanza.  CSI's Kevin King was able to bury a three right before the half to keep FDU up by only 13, 34-21.

In the second stanza, things turned the Dolphins' way.  After a Kevin Furlong three gave FDU a 12-point lead 16:30, CSI then sparked an 18-2 run over the next seven minutes, taking a 47-43 lead.  A pair of baskets each from King, Matt Van Manen and Dylan Bulger did most of the damage.  CSI kept things going, leading by as many as seven, 51-44 on another Van Manen lay-up before FDU started to swing things the other way.

Will Green's two freebies tied the game with just over four minutes to play, and then the two teams traded leads heading into the final minute.  There, Sykes gave FDU a 61-60 lead on a jumper, but with time winding down, CSI's Javon Cox answered with a lay-in to give CSI the lead 61-60 with just 18 seconds left.  

With time winding down after the ball went out of bounds, FDU was down to a final shot and with three seconds left and the baseline shot by Sykes went well wide of the net but a foul against King was called sending Sykes to the line.  Sykes missed the first but nailed the second, clinching overtime.

FDU rode the momentum wave from there.  Dylan Bulger gave CSI a two point lead at the free-throw line, but then it was just about all FDU.  Another three by Furlong gave FDU a lead it would never relinquish, and shortly after, Sykes made it a two possession game.  CSI heaved desperation three's from there but the Devils iced the game with free-throws to gain the hard-earned victory.

Sykes led all scorers in the game with 28 points adding five rebounds.  Furlong finished with 14 while Green added 13 and 12 rebounds.  Cox led the Dolphins with 23 points and 10 rebounds in 41 minutes.  Van Manen finished with 12 points.  The Dolphins shot just 34.8% from the floor, their lowest mark of the season.

The Dolphins are next in action on Tuesday, November 26, when they open up their conference slate against York College on the road at 8pm.