STATEN ISLAND, NY – The College of Staten Island men's basketball team delivered a night to remember Wednesday evening at The Tank, knocking off St. Thomas Aquinas (STAC) 95–85 in a historic East Coast Conference showdown. The victory marked CSI's first win over the Spartans since the 1978–79 season, while Aaron Goldstein etched his name into the record books, becoming the 37th member of the program's 1,000-point club on a pair of three-pointers.
Additionally, head coach T.J. Tibbs earned his first career victory against the Spartans, marking the 100th win of his coaching career at the helm of the program.
The game featured 11 lead changes, all of which came in a tightly contested first half. STAC struck first from the free-throw line before Eric Tynes answered with a midrange jumper. The Spartans briefly pulled ahead 5–2, but Goldstein connected from beyond the arc to pull the Dolphins within one. After another STAC triple, Goldstein drilled his second three of the night, his 1,000th career point, to cut the deficit to 14–11.
Momentum continued to swing as Asa Kone gave CSI a 17–16 edge with a three-point play following a powerful dunk. After two more lead changes, Andrew Benedict knocked down a three to put the Dolphins up 20–18, and Mitchell Wiggan followed with a layup to extend the lead to 22–20. CSI used a 5–0 run midway through the half to regain control, and despite a few final exchanges, Goldstein's late triple sent the Dolphins into halftime with a 47–42 advantage.
The second half told a different story, as CSI never relinquished the lead. Goldstein pushed the margin to double digits with another three, and Wiggan soon extended the lead to 12 at 79–67. STAC managed to trim the deficit to single digits late, but the Dolphins closed strong to secure the 95–85 victory.
Goldstein led all scorers with 36 points, the fourth-highest single-game total in CSI men's basketball Division II history, while also dishing out five assists. Kone and Benedict added 13 points each, with Kone grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Benedict contributed four assists, a block, and a steal, while JJ Chestnut rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points.
The Dolphins improve to 13–5 overall and 4–2 in ECC play and will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17, traveling to Dobbs Ferry, NY to take on Mercy University at 2:00 PM.
GAME REPLAY
