The College of Staten Island women’s basketball squad got back in the win column, powering by City College of New York, 59-40, in a game played at the Nat Holman Gymnasium in Harlem, New York, on Wednesday evening. The win lifted the Dolphins to a 4-10 overall and 3-3 CUNYAC mark, while the home Beavers fell to 1-14, 0-5, respectively.
CSI led from start to finish, ripping off a 6-0 start to the game on consecutive inside baskets by Olivia Tierno, Katelyn Hepworth, and Allie Shanahan. After a Donika Rexhepi jumper got CCNY on the board, CSI countered with another 8-0 run to power to a 14-2 lead with just over 13 minutes to play in the first stanza, and from there, the Dolphins kept the Beavers at bay.
A pair of Syreeta Williams freebies got CCNY back to within six, 20-14, but again CSI responded with an 8-1run, powered by three straight Shanahan lay-ups to give CSI their biggest least at 28-15, and the Dolphins would eventually head into the lockers with a 31-19 lead.
Another six points by Shanahan helped CSI to 9-0 run to start the second frame as CSI expanded to a 40-21 lead, and later, a 17-2 run spanning just five minutes gave CSI its biggest lead of the game, 57-23, with 8:31 to play. CCNY saved its best run for last, shutting out the Dolphins for the final 4:28, closing on a 13-0 run powered by seven Joyce Li points to close the game at 59-40.
CSI shot a respectable 40.3% for the game while CCNY managed just a 24.1% clip on 14-of-58 shots. The Dolphins won the rebounding edge 48-41, forcing 25 Beavers turnovers. Shanahan led all scorers with 21 points to go with 11 rebounds. Tierno marked 15 points while Katelyn Hepworth posted a season-high 15 rebounds to go with seven points. Rexhepi, Li, and Sajidah Pressley all had 9 points for CCNY, with Rexhepi notching a game-high 16 rebounds.
CSI returns to action on Friday, January 21, when they travel again to face John Jay College in a 5pm contest.