The College of Staten Island men's basketball squad picked up a huge win this afternoon at the CSI Sports & Recreation Center, 81-80, over top of the table Brooklyn College Bulldogs. With the win the Dolphins improve to 15-5 overall and 8-3 in the CUNYAC while the Bulldogs fall to 16-4 overall and 9-3 in the CUNYAC.

The Dolphins jumped out to an early 7-3 lead over Brooklyn, as they refused to let the Bulldogs back into this game early and kept them at bay with 54% shooting from the floor. Frank Schettino came into this afternoon's game needing just 17 points to join the 1,000 point club. Schettino started the game hot and scored 15 of the 17 needed points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting.

The visitors were able to shrink the lead to just three with 11:56 to go when Jamel Gist converted a contested layup. The Dolphins really started to heat up mid-way through the first half which translated into an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 31-19 over the Bulldogs. The men would squander their double digit lead when Dillion Williams sank a three-point shot.

CSI would quickly regain their double digit lead when Khari Rollock used his quick hands to to get a steal which led to a fast break layup for Will Fonseca to give the Dolphins a 39-29 point lead. Schettino would give the Dolphins their largest lead of the half (13) when he maneuvered his way to the basket to convert a layup.

The Dolphins would head into the half with a 48-36 lead and Schettino would lead all scorers with 15 points. Lorenzo Williams was able to keep up with Schettino's pace and finished the first half with 14 points of his own. CSI held a 24-16 edge in points in the paint over the Bulldogs while Brooklyn's bench narrowly edged out Staten Islands' bench 11-10.

The men came out in the second half looking good and were able keep their big lead intact for the early part of the second half. Around the 12 minute mark the Dolphins found themselves missing shots while the Bulldogs simply could not miss. Brooklyn was able to nullify a 13 point lead down to just one by going on a 21-7 run to trail the Dolphins 74-73.

Schettino was cold for the first part of the second half, but he was able to join the 1,000 point club when he drained a three with 10:00 minutes left in the second half.

A game which saw the Dolphins with a big lead turned into a highly competitive possession contest. CSI lost their lead with with 3:27 left in the game when Egzon Gjonbalaj hit a jumper to give them the lead back for the first time since the first minute of the game. Vincent Dacunto, who was quiet for a majority of the game (1-2 FG), drained a clutch three-point shot to give the Dolphins a two point lead with 3:14 to go.

The Bulldogs would answer right back with a three-pointer of their own by Pajtim Gjonbalaj to give Brooklyn a one point lead. Fonseca would drive to the rim where he would be fouled and head to the line. Fonseca would convert both from the charity stripe to give the Dolphins a one point lead.

The men would see their lead increase to three with 1:28 left in the game and it would turn out that that would be the last time the Dolphins would put up a point for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs would not go quietly as E. Gjonbalaj would drive down the heart of the lane and slam down a dunk to make it a one point game.

The men would have their chances from the free throw line to extend their lead but flashbacks of Hunter College came around after the Dolphins went 0-for-5 down the stretch.  Edin Bracic and Khaleeq Baum kept the ball out of Brooklyn's hands as they were able to grab two clutch rebounds which caused the Bulldogs to foul the Dolphins.  

The Bulldogs were finally able to get their hands on the ball and rush down the court where they threw an errant pass to the right corner where Dacunto was able to make a great play on the ball and slap it out of bounds with .7 seconds remaining on the clock.  Coach Tony Petosa would call his final timeout to put his defense in the best possible position to win the game and he did just that. Brooklyn College drew up an alley-op to E. Gjonbalaj, who was guarded by Delahanty, and were unable to convert to give the Dolphins a much needed win over CUNYAC's top seed, Brooklyn College.

The Dolphins will return to action on Tuesday, February 2 at 7:00 PM where they will seek for revenge against a CCNY team that beat them at home earlier this year.