The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team started to pull away in the final stages in the first half, and then blew the game open in the second frame in an 86-58 win over visiting Brooklyn College at the Sports & Recreation Center today as part of CUNYAC play.  The Dolphins, winners of 14-straight, pulled to 15-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the CUNYAC, while Brooklyn College fell to 5-12, 2-7, respectively.

The two sides battled through five lead changes and a pair of ties before CSI started to put some distance in the latter stages of the first half.  The Dolphins grabbed their first lead on a Javon Cox jumper at 13:15, taking a modest, 8-7, lead.  From there, the game teetered back-and-forth as both teams jockeyed for positioning.  Just a minute later, BC’s Valon Djombalic completed a three-point play, giving the Bulldogs a 12-10 advantage.   Little did the visitors know, it would be their final lead of the game.

CSI went on an immediate 8-0 run, started and finished by Jonathan Chadwick-Myers lay-ups, giving CSI an 18-12 lead with 9:48 to go.  After BC edged to within 18-17 on a Jamel Gist jumper, CSI went on a longer 15-4 run spanning the next seven minutes.  Up by 12, CSI would ultimately settle for an eight-point, 36-28, halftime lead.

The Bulldogs responded well after halftime, as a Gist jumper cut the lead to 39-24 with 16:43 to go, but then CSI began to turn the tables.  After three free-throws, Cox made another lay-up, and after Kevin King scored a fast-break lay-up of his own, Chadwick-Myers knocked down a three at 14:17 to give CSI a commanding 49-37 lead.  

CSI wasn’t finished.  After a Nicholas Grasso lay-up for BC cut CSI’s lead to 54-39, the Dolphins used a 14-2 run to commence the blowout, aided by three consecutive Cox lay-ups.  The persistent Bulldogs cut the lead to 20, 69-48, with 7:52 to go on an Edon Gjonbalaj three, but CSI countered again, this time with a 16-0 run to uncork an 84-48 advantage before the Dolphins emptied their bench.  Brooklyn would close on a 10-2 run, but by then, the tremendous damage had been done.

Dominating on the interior, CSI held a 40-20 edge in points in the paint, and finished with a 42-32 edge in rebounds.  The Dolphins shot a respectable 44.3%, holding Brooklyn to just 36.5% and forcing 17 Bulldogs turnovers.

Chadwick-Myers led all scorers with 23 points on 6-9 shooting to go with five rebounds.  Cox enjoyed a double-double, scoring 18 points to go with 12 rebounds.  Frankie Schettino, in the NCAA Division III top 10 in assists per game, finalized with six.  For BC, Gist led the way with 13 points, followed by Jai Kellman’s 12 markers.  Justin Staton led the rebounding chart with six.

?CSI is back in action on Wednesday, January 29, when they visit City College of New York for a 7pm tip.