The College of Staten Island men’s basketball squad improved their winning streak to 12 games, racing past visiting Kean University as part of non-league play at the Sports & Recreation Center, 83-72. The win lifted the Dolphins to 13-2 overall while the Cougars dipped to 9-6.
Although the Dolphins led wire-to-wire, it wasn’t until the later stages that the Dolphins were able to put away the pesky Cougars, using a 44-7 advantage in bench scoring to move past Kean, improving to a 4-0 mark against New Jersey Athletic Conference schools this season.
CSI raced out to a quick 8-2 lead, powered by a pair of Louis Valdes three-pointers, and from there, Kean’s exercise for the afternoon was trying to chase and cut the deficit. That proved difficult, as midway through the frame, CSI used a 16-2 run to balloon their lead to 30-14. A pair of Frankie Schettino baskets powered the run, one a three-pointer. KU was able to whittle the lead down to 10 on a Michael Burton lay-in, but CSI again was crisp, finishing the final six first-half minutes on a 17-9 run to take their biggest lead into the locker room, 49-31, as senior Jonathan Chadwick-Myers nailed a jumper at the buzzer.
To that point, CSI had out-scored Kean, 25-5 in bench scoring and 22-14 in the paint, but the Cougars would refuse to go quietly.
After shooting 55.6% from the floor in the first frame, CSI went cold in the second half, scoring only 11 points over the first 10 minutes of the second session, as Kean was able to whittle down the lead. Two Burton three’s highlighted a 25-11 opening for the Cougars, as CSI shot just 2-for-17 (12%) over the first 10:54 of the frame. Finally, after a pair of misses, Chadwick-Myers followed with a rebound and a three to break up the chill, putting CSI back up, 63-56, with 9:06 to go. Two consecutive trips down the floor, Kean was able to cut the lead to five points, but each time CSI had an answer, and then Kean struggled from the floor, shooting just 2-for-9 over the next five-plus minutes as CSI regained a double-digit lead, 78-66, with 3:01 to go after a Cougars turnover turned into a fast-break Kevin King lay-up.
From there, CSI was able to hold on, using up the shot clock and holding Kean to another pair of scoreless consecutive trips up the floor. The Cougars would cut the lead to eight with under a minute to play, but the Dolphins made three of four free-throws from there and an uncontested lay-up to advance via the 83-72 final score.
CSI shot just 32.3% in the second frame, but went an important 12-14 at the charity stripe to stay afloat. For the game, CSI shot 44.8% to Kean’s 39.7%, while holding a 43-38 edge on the glass. CSI’s Bloochy Magloire led all CSI scorers with 22 points on 8-14 shooting, adding six rebounds and six assists. Chadwick-Myers poured in 14 points, while Javon Cox finished with a double-double, recording 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. KU’s Ali Mix registered a game-high 23 points, while Xavier Fuller registered 16 points.
Both teams have been meeting on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day for the past 10 years. Although Kean still leads the all-time series, 10-7, CSI has won four out of the last five meetings, and the last four played at the Sports & Recreation Center.
The Dolphins will return to the hardwood on Wednesday, January 22, at 7:30pm, when they take on York College at the Sports & Recreation Center. CSI’s current 12-game win streak started earlier this season against the Cardinals, when they scored a 78-76 win.
