The College of Staten Island women’s basketball squad dropped their second straight CUNYAC contest, falling on the road to Hunter College, 62-48 on Friday evening. Hunter improved to 8-11 overall and 6-1 in the conference, while the Dolphins fell to 7-10, 4-4, respectively.
Hunter led most of the way, but the young Dolphins put a series of scares into the home squad in a recurring theme throughout the night. Hunter was off to an early start, grabbing a 5-0 lead after a pair of Megan McKenna layups and a free-throw. The Dolphins, who only shot 27% in the first stanza then went on a 10-2 run to take a 10-7 advantage at 13:55 thanks to a Nikki Fabozzi three-ball. Another Fabozzi three made it 15-12 at 7:55 but it would prove to be CSI’s final lead of the night. The Hawks would end the frame on an 11-5 run, spearheaded by a pair of inside baskets by McKenna and Alease Vaughan.
At 17:51 of the second frame CSI drew to within three points again after the Hawks ripped off the first four points of the half, but consecutive three’s by Johanna Kielwitz and Kristen Markoe helped give Hunter a comfortable 35-26 edge a few moments later.
From there, Hunter never trailed, and when an Olivia Tierno jumper cut Hunter’s lead to six, 37-31, the home squad ripped off another mini 6-0 run to grab their biggest lead at the time, 43-31, with 9:31 to go. Mired in poor shooting, Hunter took advantage, ballooning the lead to as high as 17, 55-38, with 3:56 to play, and from there, the Hawks hit cruise control for the win.
The Hawks shot an even 40% for the night, and enjoyed a commanding, 52-36, edge on the boards. McKenna led all scorers with 21 points, adding seven rebounds. Markoe cashed in a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. CSI shot just 27% for the game. Fabozzi led the way with 14 points, despite shooting just 3-of-16 from the floor.
The Dolphins will get back to action on Tuesday, January 31, when they take to the road against St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn as part of non-conference play.
