Staten Island, NY | On a day when the Dolphins welcomed back their alumni for Matt White Men's Basketball Alumni Day, they were treated to a good one, as the College of Staten Island was able to outlast Medgar Evers College in a 96-95 nailbiter at The Tank.  The win snapped a three-game skid for the Dolphins, improving them to 7-13 overall, while the Cougars fell to 5-15.

Today's game featured five lead changes and seven ties, many of them in closing moments as CSI was able to get just enough at the end to squeak out the win.  The Dolphins took a 50-46 lead into the locker room after a strong-shooting first half, but fell behind by a bunch after a tough stretch of minutes in the second half.  A feverish comeback was the difference, however, as CSI was able to avenge an early-season loss at the hands of the Cougars.

Both teams came out on fire, perhaps inspired by the CSI Alumni that took the floor before the game, combining for almost 200 points.  After just five minutes of play, CSI held a 14-12 lead, as they were steadied by three Joseph Zieris baskets during that stretch and a three from Austin Mick.  The Dolphins later extended the lead to 20-14 on another inside drive for Zieris.  Later after a pair of Adeola Latunji free-throws, CSI matched the lead at 26-20, but the Coygars came roaring back thanks to two Devin Berrios three's that knotted the score.  

Needing a lift to stay ahead, CSI red-hot shooting continued, and they posted a 16-2 run over the next 4:55 to take a commanding 42-28 lead, the biggest for either team in the game.  Latunji poured in four baskets in the run, the last a dunk that energized the crowd.  The Cougars, however, would not go quietly, and with just 2:45 to go in the half, they erupted on an 11-2 run of their own, spearheaded by two-straight Dimitri Weeks three's and then another three by Keison McIntosh at the buzzer to cut CSI's halftime lead to just 50-46.  In the offensive showcase, CSI shot 69.7% in the opening stanza (23-33), while MEC shot 57.6% (19-33, and were 8-17 from beyond the arc.

The Dolphins have been guilty of a few second half scoring slumps this season, and they were bitten again in this one, and MEC took advantage in the second frame.  Up 54-51 with 18 minutes to play, CSI would hit a wall, misfiring on their next six shots from the floor with three turnovers, as MEC pieced together a 20-4 run over the next 6:02 to take a commanding, 71-58, lead with 11:58 to go.

CSI knew they had plenty of time to stage a comeback and with a heady resolve, started to chip away.  After a steal by Rigaud Destime, Andrew Kartalis popped in a lay-up, and then following a steal by Chris Velasquez, Krystian Kopec laid in a basket to make it a 71-66 game with 9:26 to go.  With 6:42 to play, MEC went back up by eight, 81-73 on a three-point play by McIntosh, but CSi responded with a 6-0 bender to make it 81-79, finalized with a Latunji lay-in.  Later, with 5:06 left, Mick connected on an open-look three to give CSI back an 84-83 advantage.

CSI led by as many as four inside the final five minutes, but another McIntosh three and then a couple of free-throws kept them involved, and following a CSI turnover and a miss, MEC took a 92-91 lead with 1:07 to go on a Nagay Herrera, Jr. lay-up.  Zieris then sank a shot jumper in the paint on the next possession to grab the lead back, and after forcing a turnover, CSI made the Cougars pay with a fast-break lay-up from Kartalis to make it 95-92 with 40 seconds to play.  MEC would miss on their next trip and forced to foul, CSI made it a four-point game with 17 seconds left.  

CSI looked like the had the game in hand, but McIntosh sank a well-contested three pointer with just under eight seconds left to make it 96-95.  MEC would then put Destime on the line with just under five seconds left.  Destime missed both ends of his throws, but a long rebound on the second miss hit the floor and he picked up the loose ball and CSI was able to play keep-away until the clock ran out, sneaking away with the one-point victory.

CSI was led by Latunji's 29 points, adding a team-high seven rebounds as well with five assists.  Zieris chimed in with 19 points, while Kartalis posted 18 points and six rebounds,  Velasquez led all Dolphins with seven assists and five steals.  The Dolphins finished the game shooting 60.3%, but did struggle from the free-throw line, connecting on just 18-of 31 (58%).  For MEC, they were led by the outstanding shooting of McIntosh (10-14) who finished with 30 points  and four assists, while Weeks went 12-14 from the floor with 26 points.  Herrera, Jr. finished with 11 points and a game-high 9 rebounds.

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Prior to tip-off of the game, the CSI Alumni took center stage, seperated into teams of Blue and Gray.  The Blue team led most of the way, powering to a 102-93 win.  Bloochy Valbrun, CSI's all-time leading scorer powered for 20 points, while Ryan Hennessey and Michael Pan led the way as way for the Blues with 17 points with Pan adding 9 rebounds.  Dale Taranto led on the glass with 11 rebounds while Vincent Dacumto powered for 10 assists.  For the Gray unit, they were led by Hall of Famer John Cali, who put up 23 points, while Edin Bracic added 16 points and fellow Hall of Famer Michael Stewart added 14 points.  Ken Thomassen lad the Gray team with eight rebounds and Cali led the way with a trio of assists.

For a Full Boxscore and Play-by-Play of the 10th Annual Matty White Alumni Game, click here.

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GAME VIDEO

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ALUMNI GAME VIDEO

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PHOTO GALLERY

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