STATEN ISLAND, NY – The College of Staten Island men's basketball team hosted Post University Tuesday evening for its final non-conference matchup of the season at The Tank. In a thrilling second half, the Dolphins held off a late charge to secure a 95–88 victory, extending their home winning streak to nine games.
The night was highlighted by senior guard JJ Chestnut becoming the 36th member of the CSI Men's Basketball 1,000 Point Club; the third player in the Division II era to reach the milestone as a four-year Dolphin.
Post jumped out to an early 12–4 run to open the contest. Chestnut and Asa Kone sparked a response with back-to-back buckets to cut the deficit to 14–8, but the Eagles maintained control. Later in the half, Andrew Benedict scored five straight points on consecutive three-point plays to give CSI a 31–30 lead. Mitchell Wiggan and Eric Tynes then combined to go 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, followed by a Tynes three-pointer, swinging the momentum in favor of the Dolphins, 39–30.
Brandon Torres pushed the lead to 12 with a three of his own, and Tynes stayed hot from deep, drilling two more consecutive threes to extend CSI's advantage to 50–35. Post responded late in the half, trimming the deficit to 12 heading into the break, as the Dolphins led 50–38.
The second half turned into a back-and-forth thriller, with the Eagles scoring 50 points compared to CSI's 45. Post shot 47% from the floor and 44% from beyond the arc, cutting the Dolphins' lead to 66–64 with just over 11 minutes remaining. Moments later, Post tied the game at 66 and, despite CSI briefly regaining the edge on Aaron Goldstein free throws, the Eagles knocked down a three to take their first lead since the opening half.
The teams traded leads throughout the remainder of the contest, combining for 12 lead changes on the night. With the clock winding down, Post surged ahead 85–81, but a thunderous Kone dunk ignited the Dolphins. CSI reclaimed the lead shortly after and held on down the stretch to secure the 95–88 win, improving to 11–4 overall.
Goldstein led all scorers with 22 points, followed by Tynes and Benedict with 17 apiece, both shooting 50% from beyond the arc. Wiggan finished with 12 points while leading the team with seven rebounds and three steals. Kone and Torres added 10 points each, and Chestnut chipped in seven points while pacing the Dolphins with eight assists.
The Dolphins return to East Coast Conference play on Friday evening, traveling to Buffalo, NY to take on D'Youville University at 7:45 PM.
GAME REPLAY
