Box Score The College of Staten Island men's basketball squad achieved a first tonight, winning their very own Tournament of Heroes in the 12th installment of the event this afternoon at the Sports & Recreation Center.  The Dolphins did it in come-from-behind fashion, scoring a 59-58, thriller over visiting Randolph College in front of a lively crowd.  The win was CSI's fifth straight, improving the squad to 7-2 overall while Randolph fell to a 6-4 mark.

Despite the final score, it was the Wildcats who were up for most of the way in this tilt.  Despite losing starter Zach Desgain in the opening minute to an apparent ankle injury, the visitors would post a healthy 12-4 lead over the game's first 6:47, spearheaded by back-to-back three-pointers from Mike Ehilegbu and Seth Wimbish.  The Dolphins opened the game shooting just 2-for-7, committing three turnovers over that same stretch.  

CSI would cut the lead to a single possession on a Will Fonseca lay-up to make the score 14-12, but every time CSI threatened to take control, the Wildcats had an answer.  A pair of Ehilegbu freebies nursed the visitors lead to as many as seven again in the first half, 19-12, before CSI would knock the game down to two pints again on two occasions.  The most important run of the first stanza came in the final 2:40.  There, after a Jonathan Chadwick-Myers three put the Dolphins to within 25-23, the Wildcats went on an 8-1 run to end the half.  The dagger came at the buzzer, when Jason Eddie nailed a baseline three-pointer after tracking down a long rebound.  At intermission, Randolph had its biggest lead of the game, 33-24.

In search of a lift to open the second frame, the Dolphins answered the call.  Baskets by Frankie Schettino and Kevin King opened the scoring for CSI, but again, in a recurring theme of the night, the Wildcats responded, this time via another Ehilegbu three to put Randolph back up, 36-28.  A Tyler Crockett lay-in later gave the visitors a seven-point lead, 40-33, before CSI went on the offensive to the tune of a 12-3 run over the next 5:22 to give CSI their first lead, 45-43, with 11:20 to go.  Two lay-ups by Dylan Bulger and a Chadwick-Myers three did most of the damage.  CSI's lead, however, lasted just 14 seconds, as another Eddie trey but Randolph back up, and the visitors would keep the lead until inside of three minutes to play.

Down 54-47 CSI asked for time-out, and the home squad responded by ripping off an 8-0 run, capped by two Bloochy Magloire three-pointers to give CSI a 55-54 lead with 3:45 to go.  Again, Eddie swished a three for Randolph to give Wildcats the edge with 3:10 to go, before a Javon Cox lay-up for CSI knotted the score at 57-57, with 2:34 to play.

On their next trip down the floor, CSI thought they had a clear blocked shot, but a foul was whistled on Bulger, sending RC's Dylan Shiflett to the line, and the senior hit one of two freebies to give Randolph the 58-57 edge with 2:15 to go.  The teams went cold from there, as both teams missed a pair of rushed jumpers.  With possession of the ball and 47 seconds remaining, the Wildcats then made a crucial mistake when Evan Horn dribbled the ball off of his leg and out of bounds, giving CSI back the ball with just 27 seconds remaining.

CSI capitalized.  With the ball in his hands, CSI freshman Schettino wasted no time, driving to the hoop and scoring on a running floater in the lane to give CSI the 59-58 lead with just 19.9 remaining.  Randolph had more than enough time to run a play, and the visitors were able to find a wide-open Wimbish on the baseline, but the Wildcat player's shot bounced off the side of the rim, and CSI's Dylan Bulger was there to gobble up the rebound as time expired, sending the CSI squad into a frenzy.

For the Dolphins, it was their first ever win in Tournament of Heroes play in what was their sixth trip to the final.

"It's really nice to win it," said CSI head coach Tony Petosa with a laugh, noting the irony of hosting a tournament for the last 12 years that the team has never won.  "I think more than anything, we beat a very good team today and when you break it down it's just a regular season game and to get a win against a team of this caliber is gratifying.  Still, it's nice to know we finally got one.  It makes you appreciate how competitive this tournament has been."

For his 31-point, 16-rebound weekend, CSI's Javon Cox was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.  CSI's Bloochy Magloire, who finished with 14 points, was also awarded All-Tourney honors, with Randolph's Ehilegbu, who finished the game with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.  Chadwick-Myers finished with 12 points for the Dolphins, while Schettino poured in 10 points and five assists.  Eddie finished with 11 points for Randolph as well.  Both teams shot the ball at 42% from the field, connecting on 16-of-47 shots from downtown.

In the opening game of the tournament today, NJCU scored a 64-49 win over Rivier University in the Consolation match-up.  NJCU improved to 6-4, breaking up their four game skid while the Raiders fell to 4-6.  NJCU's Jourdan Roberson and Rivier's Tom Poitras were both named to the All-Tournament team as well.

CSI will now be idle until Saturday, January 4, when they travel to Baruch College in CUNYAC play for a 4pm start.