Staten Island, NY | After narrowing a big deficit to a single point in the closing minutes, the College of Staten Island women's basketball side ultimately fell short, falling to visiting William Paterson University by a 62-54 count at The Tank.  The Dolphins fell to 0-2 with the loss while the Pioneers will start the 2019-20 campaign on a 1-0 start.

Employing pressure in the backcourt from start to finish, the Pioneers were able to keep the Dolphins at bay for a majority of the game, forcing a heavy number of turnovers while both teams were rather chilly from the floor.  CSI, however, would whittle a 14-point deficit down to a tie score and then down to a single point with just over 90 seconds to play before WPU finished the game on a 7-0 run to close things out.

After a 3-3 tie to start the game's first four minutes, the Pioneers seized control and never relented, going on a 7-0 run over the next three minutes.  Two Madison Dulude three's expanded the lead to 13-5, and the Pioneers led by as many as 10, 17-7, before a Kayla Schmitter three gave WPU a smaller, 17-10, lead after the initial stanza.  After shooting just 3-14 in the opening frame (21.4%), CSI continued to struggle in the second half, going just 4-17 from the floor (23.5%).  Still, a Megan McEwan jumper got CSI back to within three, 19-16, but the Pioneers awakened from there, going on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 30-16 lead, their biggest of the game.  Consecutive lay-ups by Jenna Abreu and Dulude highlighted the run.

After matching their biggest lead with 2:15 to go in the half, CSI's Jada Rogers was able to score the half's final three points to close the deficit to 32-21 at the break.

After 13 first half turnovers, CSI needed to turn things around, and they were certainly up to the task defensively coming out of the break, as they held WPU to just two points in the opening six minutes of the third quarter.  A basket and then a three by McEwan cut into the lead, and later, a Rogers lay-in cut the lead to 36-30.  WPU finally started to catch fire in the late stages in the third, and Alisa Giordano connected on a pair of three's including one right at the end to make it 46-37 at the end of the third frame.

A sluggish start to the fourth saw CSI fall back behind by as many as 11 on an Abreu layup, before CSI started to turn the game around.  After suffering from foul trouble most of the game, CSI senior Diana Todaro began to take over the game, grabbing numerous rebounds and forcing a pair of turnovers that led to transition baskets by McEwan, Rogers, and then a three by Tori Moylan to cut the lead to 51-47 with just 5:04 to play.  

While WPU suffered from the field, a layup by McEwan and then a Todaro layup tied the score at 51-51 before Jykayla Elting answered with a layup as well to put the Pioneers immediately back up by two.  CSI would have its chances, however, as on the ensuing possession, Rogers was put to the line, but the freshman hit just one of two free throws.  After both teams traded baskets, McEwan was put to the line with 1:33 to go and a chance to take the lead, but McEwan would miss her two freebies, and Allison McBride made it hurt with a transition lay-up the other way to put WPU up by three, 57-54, with 1:09 to go.  With a chance to potentially tie, a bad entry pass by the Dolphins gave the ball away, and forced to foul from there, WPU made five of six free-throws down the stretch, while CSI missed on a pair of long-range attempts and turned the ball over again in the final seconds to distance the score ultimately to a 62-54 final.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with CSI finishing at 17-59 (28.8%) and WPU finalizing at 20-69 (29.0%).  The Dolphins converted on just 16-28 free-throws (57.1%) while the Pioneers connected on 84.2% (16-19).  The other major difference were the turnovers, as the normal positive category for the Dolphins worked against them tonight as they committed 30 turnovers to WPU's 22.  CSI did lead the final rebounding count, 54-45.

WPU was led by Giordano's 15 points, as she added seven assists and four steals in the game, Yakira Rosa and Dulude each finished with 10 markers with Rosa leading the team with five steals.  CSI was led by McEwan's 20 points on 6-16 shooting.  Rogers finished with 14 points while Todaro, in an abridged 20 minutes popped in four points with a game-high 14 rebounds.

CSI will now be idle until the weekend, when they travel to Southern New Hampshire on Sunday for a 1:00 pm tip-off.

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