Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

College of Staten Island Athletics

COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND ATHLETICS
Men's Basketball vs Goldey-Beacom
Marquis Pickering
76
Winner Staten Island CSI 1-3,0-0 ECC
74
Saint Michael's SMC 4-1,2-0 NE10
Winner
Staten Island CSI
1-3,0-0 ECC
76
Final
74
Saint Michael's SMC
4-1,2-0 NE10
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Staten Island CSI 36 40 76
Saint Michael's SMC 42 32 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

DOLPHINS ERASE DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICIT IN CLOSING MINUTES TO KNOCK OFF UNBEATEN ST. MICHAEL'S, 76-74

Colchester, VT - The College of Staten Island Men's Basketball Team picked up their first win of the season this afternoon as they knocked off the unbeaten Purple Knights of St. Michael's College by a final score of 76-74. The Dolphins, now 1-3 on the year, trailed by as many as 10 points in the final six minutes of the game, but they were able to battle all the way back and take the lead for the first time with 1:20 remaining. The Purple Knights, now 4-1, would tie the score moments later, but the Dolphins would go ahead for good on a Chris Velasquez jumper with 32 seconds left. Following three timeouts called between the two teams, a frantic sequence of shot attempts by the Purple Knights, two offensive rebounds, and one final timeout called by St. Michael's, there were 3.2 seconds remaining on the clock in a two-point game. On the ensuing final possession, the Purple Knights did not get a shot off and the Dolphins took the victory by two.

The Dolphins quickly fell behind 5-0, but it was another red-hot start for Luis Armas who scored the first eight points of the game for CSI.  Armas would eventually tie the game at 14 on a three-pointer with just under thirteen minutes to go in the first half, but from there, the Purple Knights slowly increased their lead up to ten.  Behind a strong first-half defensive effort from Messiah Mallory, who had three blocks, and the scoring of Armas and Michael Oyekanmi, the Dolphins would trail by just six, 42-36, heading into halftime.

The Dolphins quickly pulled to within one point coming out of the intermission, but St. Michael's responded with a 14-4 run to extend their lead to a game-high eleven points. From there, the Dolphins' offense came alive, and their defense came up with a series of big stops.  Mallory, who scored just six in the first half, had 14 in the second half to lead the Dolphins' comeback effort. Oyekanmi added 8 more points in the second half as well and Bryce Waterman connected on four three-pointers, the biggest of which was a game-tying basket from well beyond the arc with just 2:19 remaining. However, no shot was bigger than what turned out to be the game-winner. After the Dolphins had come all the way back from down 10 with 6:09 on the clock, Velasquez put the Dolphins ahead one final time with a go-ahead pull-up jumper at the 32-second mark. 

The St. Michael's possession that followed was proceeded by three timeouts and began with a missed three-pointer by Kasai Brown. Following an offensive rebound, Jacob Duniver attempted another three, missed, and the Purple Knights grabbed a second offensive board. This rebound was followed by a timeout with just 3.2 seconds remaining, and once again the Dolphins' defense came up with a huge stop. Following the inbound pass, St. Michael's was stifled by the CSI defense one last time and could not get a shot off before time expired.

The Dolphins had four double-digit scoring efforts in the game coming from Armas, Mallory, Waterman, and Oyekanmi. Mallory also contributed 4 blocks at the other end of the floor and grabbed another 8 rebounds. Armas and Waterman combined to shoot 9-22 from three-point range and scored 16 and 17 points respectively. The four CSI double-figure scoring efforts were in part made possible by the playmaking of freshman JJ Chestnut. The Dolphins rookie did not leave the floor at any point in the game and dished out 14 assists in the CSI victory. He turned the ball over just once and added four rebounds in another impressive performance.

For St. Michael's, Joel Kabimba led the team in scoring with 17 points, but he was the only Purple Knight who shot above 50% from the floor. Alan Brzezinski finished just one rebound shy of a double-double and Jacob Duniver added another 14 boards as well. Though St. Michael's shot 44% from the field, matching the shooting of the Dolphins, they shot just 6-19 from downtown compared to the Dolphins 10-26. This disparity, combined with suffocating CSI defense in the closing minutes, was too much to overcome.

The win for the Dolphins makes it consecutive years where the team has picked up their first victory by defeating an unbeaten opponent with at least four wins.  Last season, the Dolphins defeated unbeaten Pace University for the team's first victory.  Now 1-3, the Dolphins next opponent will be the same Pace University team that saw their unbeaten streak end at the hands of CSI last year.  That game will be played on the road at 1 PM on Sunday.

GAME VIDEO:
Print Friendly Version