On a night when CSI celebrated its six seniors, the Dolphins used a late first-half surge and then rolled from there, defeating visiting Berkeley College (NJ), 104-65, in the Dolphins regular season home finale. The Dolphins, winners of 10 straight for the sixth time in program history, improved to 17-4 overall, while the Knights fell to 4-13.
Despite the final score, the game was up-for-grabs in what was a see-saw first half. The teams exchanged nine first half leads and tied the score eight times before CSI used a late first half run to balloon a 51-38 halftime edge. A quick, 8-4, edge by the visitors would prove to be Berkeley’s biggest lead as Andrew Webber connected on two early inside drives. The Knights nursed a one-point lead, 31-30, at 5:49, before CSI started to catch fire. A basket by Javon Cox and a three-point play by Jordan Young got the Dolphins started, and after another Young lay-in gave CSI a 6-point lead, CSI would go on a 7-0 run to end the frame, ended with a T.J. Tibbs buzzer-beating three-ball.
The forward momentum would lead right into the second frame, as CSI voided out a Davonn Boyd lay-up by going on a 13-0 run spanning just over two minutes to take a commanding 63-40 edge with 17:08 to go. From there the Dolphins were in cruise mode, substituting freely to stay fresh, enjoying what would be a 68-30 edge in points inside the paint.
Berkeley cut the lead to as few as 22, 64-42, but from there CSI exercised another 19-3 run to put the game out of reach, as contributing seniors like Lameik Black, Chris Maccarone, and JC Albano earned valuable time alongside usual starters Young, Tibbs, and Dale Taranto.
The Dolphins shot a healthy 57.5% from the floor (42-73), enjoying a 43-35 edge on the boards and forcing 24 Knights turnovers to their own 14. Bloochy Magloire led the way with 18 points, while freshman Javon Cox exited with 17 markers. Tibbs and Young finished with 13 points, with Tibbs adding a game-high eight assists. Daniel Infante came off of the bench to score 18 for the Knights in the loss, followed by Webber’s 11.
CSI’s next game will be on Monday, February 6, when they travel to York College to continue their CUNYAC schedule, in an 8pm affair. The game will be preceded by the women’s game at 6pm. CSI will host a first round CUNYAC Quarterfinal game on Saturday, February 18, with a tentative start time of 12 Noon against an opponent to be determined. The Dolphins finished the regular season 10-1 on their home floor, their best mark since finishing 14-1 in 1996-97.
