STATEN ISLAND, NY – The College of Staten Island men's basketball team closed out its regular season on Saturday afternoon with a matchup against Molloy University at the Tank. Prior to tip-off, the Dolphins honored four seniors, three players and a team manager, in their Senior Day ceremony.

The celebration concluded with a standout performance from senior JJ Chestnut, who recorded a 30-point triple-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The performance marked Chestnut's first 30-point game and first triple-double of his collegiate career.

The Dolphins led for the majority of the afternoon, taking a 41-32 advantage into halftime before pulling away for a 99-82 victory.

CSI opened the game on a 12-0 run, fueled by early scoring from Eric Tynes, Asa Kone, and Chestnut. The Lions responded with a strong stretch to cut the deficit to three, 16-13, with 11 minutes remaining in the first half, and eventually took a brief 19-18 lead after capitalizing on two Dolphin turnovers.

Mitchell Wiggan tied the game at the free-throw line and gave CSI the lead on his second attempt. After two additional ties and another lead change, Joey Poulin connected on a three-pointer to put the Dolphins back in front for good. Although Molloy later tied the score at 32, consecutive three-pointers from Chestnut and Poulin sparked a 6-0 run that helped CSI carry a nine-point lead into halftime.

The Dolphins opened the second half with a Tynes layup to extend the lead to 43-32. Molloy continued to battle but was unable to trim the deficit below eight points. Aaron Goldstein and Chestnut powered the CSI offense throughout the half, each finishing the frame with 22 points to combine for 44 of the Dolphins' 58 second-half points.

When the Lions cut the deficit to 10 with under 10 minutes remaining, Goldstein drilled a three-pointer to push the lead back to 13, shifting momentum firmly in CSI's favor for the remainder of the contest.

In the closing seconds, Chestnut stepped to the free-throw line to secure his 30th point and seal the 17-point victory.

Chestnut finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for the triple-double, while Goldstein added 25 points with four three-pointers. Kone recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while also leading the team with three blocks, and Wiggan contributed 11 points.

With the win, the Dolphins concluded the regular season at 20-8 overall and 11-5 in the East Coast Conference. CSI also clinched its first-ever ECC postseason home game at the Tank as the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 seed Roberts Wesleyan University on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

GAME REPLAY