The Dolphins celebrated the introduction day of the 18th Annual Tournament of Heroes with a rousing, 103-98, double-overtime triumph over Curry College last night, and they will return to The Tanks less than 24-hours later to try and capture their fourth Tournament of Heroes Championship when they show down against Wheaton College of Massachusetts at 3:00 pm today. Wheaton was an 88-75 winner over Bridgewater College in their half of play last night, and Bridgewater will face Curry in the Consolation Game at 1pm.
CSI VS. WHEATON COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: College of Staten Island (4-6) vs. Wheaton College (4-4)
Where: The Tank - 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
Live Video: http://www.csidolphins.com/CSISportsNet
Live Stats: https://csidolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Tickets: FREE - CSI Students, Faculty Staff / $5 - General Admission
All-Time Series: First-Ever Meeting
Players to Watch (CSI): CSI leading scorer Adeola Latunji wasn't shy last night in adding to his yearly totals, as he set a new Tournament of Heroes record with 38 points in last night's win over Curry, powered by an 8-11 clip from the floor. He also added 10 rebounds and a career-best six blocked shots playing all 50 minutes. Adding to the assault was Joseph Zieris, who powered in 17 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out after 47 minutes. Andrew Kartalis and Austin Mick powered for 13 points, well over their season averaged and Rigaud Destime came on for 12 points, all coming in the second half and overtime. Look for the Dolphins to once again lead on their starters plus the bench contribution of Chris Velasquez to steady them in today's championship tilt.
Players to Watch (WC): The Lyons put their strong interior game on display last night to introduce the Tournament and undoubtedly they will look to the tandem of Aaron Williams and Robby Lowey to guide them again today. Williams played an abridged 27 minutes but was sensational, going 14-18 from the floor for 27 points, adding five rebounds. Lowey played 34 minutes, notching 15 points and 13 points, leading the team in that category. Alex DuBrow was shut out in the game's first half, but burst out for 13 second-half points, and finished with 10 assists for a double-double as well. Look for the trio to guide Wheaton again today.
News & Notes: Today marks the first meeting ever between the two sides. In the 17-year history of the Tournament of Heroes, CSI has won the title just three times but they are defending the Championship this year, having beaten Bates College and Tufts University in their two games last year during the Tournament. The Lyons are making their first tournament appearance at Staten Island, and have now steadied at 4-4 this season and are the tournament's only .500 team after their win last night. Today marks Wheaton's fourth-straight contest away from their home floor and they are 3-3 on the road this season (including their neutral site win last night). CSI, at 4-6 this year, have The Tank to thank for their record. They are 4-1 at home this season, their only loss to nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College.
Tournament of Heroes Info: This weekend's tournament serves to honor the memories of Terrance Aiken, Scott Davidson, and Tom Hannafin, all formers CSI men's basketball players who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Aiken, 30, worked at Vital Computer Technologies at World Trade Center Tower I on the day of the attacks, while Davidson, 33, and Hannafin, 36, were New York City Firefighters based in Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively, and were responding at the scene at the time of the tragedy. In January of 2002, just months after the attacks, the CSI program retired the numbers of the three individuals and used the ceremony as a springboard to the Tournament of Heroes the following year. In the 17-year history, the tournament has developed into a nationally-recognized tournament that often features some of the nation's finest Division III basketball programs. The Dolphins, having just entered NCAA Division II received an NCAA waiver to conduct the Tournament this year as it falls on what is a quiet period for all NCAA Division II institutions nationwide. In future years, the Tournament will be moved to a Tip-Off Classic.
Bridgewater vs. Curry: At 1PM, to introduce Day 2 of the Tournament of Heroes, Bridgewater College, making its second appearance in the Tournament of Heroes will be taking on Curry College which made their Tournament debut last night. The Eagles of are 4-7 after last night's loss and are 0-3 at CSI all-time as they dropped two legs of the tournament during the 2016-17 season. Davrion Grier lad the Eagles with 25 points and 14 rebounds last night, while Liam Caswell used a strong second half to finish with 21 points. Curry, meanwhile, are looking to snap a six-game losing streak today, and are 3-6 overall. Jared Thorpe-Johnson was sensational last night, dropping 34 points and adding five rebounds, while Kieran Carroll, who fouled out just south of 40 minutes played, posted 19 points and finished tying a Tournament record with 19 rebounds.
What's Next?: CSI will usher in 2020 with their first game of the New Year on Saturday, January 4, at John Jay College in Manhattan. Tip-off time is 3pm.
