Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island Men's Basketball Team fell to the University of the District of Columbia today, 82-73. CSI put together a spirited comeback in the final minutes, but the Firebirds were able to hang on. This is now a four-game losing streak for the Dolphins as they lose the season series 2-0. CSI falls to 7-17 on the season (6-10 ECC), while on the other side, the Firebirds improve to 8-18 overall (7-9 ECC).

KEY MOMENTS
UDC jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead. CSI responded strong and cut the lead to two, 17-15. Both teams would trade blows in what was a true back-and-forth affair. The score was knotted up at 22 with 9:15 left in the first half. UDC went on an 8-0 scoring run and took a 32-25 lead. After a quiet three-minute stretch from both teams, the Firebirds would own a five-point advantage at the half, 39-34. UDC knocked down back-to-back triples to start the second half, giving them an 11-point lead, 45-34. CSI found themselves on the wrong side of an 11-0 run as they trailed by 16 quickly out of the locker room, 50-34. The Dolphins' struggles continued as they were outscored 18-4 in the first eight minutes of the half. Messiah Mallory went on an individual 7-0 run to cut the Firebirds lead to 14, 59-45. Out of a timeout, UDC scratched on back-to-back possessions. After being down by as much as 21, the Dolphins gained some momentum as they cut it the lead to just 13 behind a Mallory triple and an Austin Mick layup. The Dolphins would then rip-off a 12-0 run to get within six points, 77-71. Unfortunately for CSI, it was too little too late. The Firebirds would hold on and win 82-73

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Dolphins had a solid floor game today. They scored 73 points, grabbed down 27 rebounds, and dished out 18 assists. In the contest they shot 43% from the field, 35% from three and 57% from the line. UDC outrebounded CSI by 12 (39-27). The Dolphins were able to take advantage of the Firebirds' giveaways as they scored 26 points off turnovers. CSI outscored UDC by eight in fastbreak points, 21-13. For the game, the Firebirds shot 57% from the field, 36% from three, and 73% from the line.

DOLPHIN OF THE GAME
Today's Dolphin of the Game goes to Messiah Mallory. He poured in his second-highest scoring outing of the season with a monster 30 points. He also tallied 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. He had a rare hot hand from beyond the arch on his way to knocking down 3-5 triples (60%). Mallory was 12-19 from the field in his team-high 35 minutes of play.