The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team improved their win streak to three games, earning a hard-fought, 53-49, non-conference win over FDU-Florham on the road at the Ferguson Recreation Center in Madison, New Jersey.  CSI overcame a small deficit in the second half after being up by as many as 13 points to bury the Devils.  The Dolphins improved to 10-4 overall with the victory, while FDU fell to 6-7.

Points were at a premium in the opening stanza, as the teams combined to shoot just 16-of-50 (32%) from the field and 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.  Still, the Dolphins were able to capitalize, scoring the game’s first eight points in the opening 2:25, aided by a Bloochy Magloire three-pointer and a Jordan Young lay-up.  From there, however, CSI went cold, as FDU raced out to a 13-2 run over the next five minutes spearheaded by Derek Hall’s six consecutive points.

The Devils lead did not last long, as the hosts missed their final eight shots of the half, as CSI pulled back ahead with a 15-4 run to close the half.  A pair of buckets by both Young and Lameik Black did the damage, as CSI took a 25-18 lead into the lockers.

The Dolphins wasted little time building their lead in the second half, extending to as many as 13 points on another Magloire jumper at 18:14, but once again, the Devils had an answer.    Four straight baskets and a steal by Hall served as the catalyst for the hosts, who whittled the lead down to 35-33, forcing CSI to ask for timeout at 12:01.  Moments later, the Devils took the lead on an Adam Katz three-ball at 7:09, 40-37.  After a pair of ties, the Devils took their final lead on another Katz basket at 1:56, 47-46, and from there, momentum was seized by CSI.

T.J. Tibbs got the rally started with a pair of free-throws to give CSI the lead back, 48-47, and after a missed jumper on the other end, Young grabbed a CSI rebound and CSI looked to build their lead.  Young missed a layup but the shot couldn’t find the rim and went out of bounds.  With just two seconds remaining on the shot clock and 17 to play, CSI had another chance, and Tibbs launched a 40-footer that hit nothing but net, giving CSI a 51-47 edge with 15 seconds to go.  The teams traded a pair free-throws to hold to a four-point win for CSI.

Magloire led all CSI scorers with 16 points to go with seven rebounds, while Young chimed in with 13 points and 13 rebounds.  Hall and Katz both scored 16 points for FDU while Hall added 12 rebounds.

Winners of three-straight in a span of five days, CSI will now be idle until Saturday, when they return home to face CUNYAC-rivals Baruch College at the Sports & Recreation Center at 3pm.  The game will be preceded by the women’s tilt with the Bearcats at 1pm.