PLEASANTVILLE, NY – The College of Staten Island men's basketball team hit the road Tuesday evening for another tough matchup, taking on RV Pace University in Pleasantville, NY. In a tightly contested game that featured constant swings in momentum, the outcome came down to the final seconds. CSI had possession with a chance to win, but their last attempt was stopped, resulting in a narrow 55–54 defeat.

The Dolphins and Setters traded the lead throughout the night, producing eight ties and 10 lead changes. CSI held the advantage at halftime, 31–28, behind an 11-point first half from Joey Poulin. Poulin opened the scoring with a pair of three-pointers to give the Dolphins an 8–4 lead, later tying the game at 10–10 with a jumper that sparked a run for Andrew Benedict and Mitchell Wiggan to push the Dolphins ahead, 14–10.

Later in the first half, the Setters responded with a 9–2 run to take a 26–21 lead, but CSI answered quickly, as Brandon Torres and Aaron Goldstein closed the gap to 26–25. After a bucket in the paint from Elijah Darby that gave CSI a 29–28 edge, the Dolphins closed the half up 31–28 thanks to a freethrow by Asa Kone.

CSI built its largest lead of the night at eight points early in the second half, but Pace continued to have an answer each time. The Setters eventually pulled within one at 43–42. Wiggan and Goldstein helped CSI maintain its advantage, but a costly turnover shifted the momentum, allowing Pace to move in front, 51–49, and hold the lead down the stretch.

Wiggan cut the deficit to one from the charity stripe, 53–52, and later, with under a minute to play, Eric Tynes did the same to make it 55–54. However, CSI could not convert on its final possession, dropping the Dolphins to 3–3 on the season.

Poulin led the Dolphins with 11 points. Goldstein added eight points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Benedict and Tynes chipped in seven points each, while Kone anchored the interior with nine rebounds and three blocks.

The Dolphins return to action on Saturday, Nov. 29, when they travel to Lakewood, NJ, to take on Georgian Court University at 12:00 p.m.

GAME REPLAY