Down by 11 at intermission and down by as many as 15 in the game, the College of Staten Island women’s basketball squad mounted a feverish comeback and came back to storm past Lehman College, 89-82, as part of CUNYAC play at the Apex Arena in the Bronx this evening.  The win lifted the Dolphins to 7-8 overall, and 4-2 in the CUNYAC, while Lehman fell to 10-4, 4-2, respectively.

Two early baskets by Christina Pasaturo, one of them a three-pointer, got CSI started to a 10-5 lead, but the hot-shooting Lightning from beyond the arc was on display and the Lightning would counter in the early stages.  Amely DelRosario canned her first three that gave LC a 13-10 lead at 15:57, and from there Lehman was on its way to a 28-8 run that would span the next seven minutes.  DelRosario and Jennifer Navarro would can three’s in the run while Karrin Walker added a pair of lay-ins.  With 8:13 to go in the first, LC had a commanding 33-18 edge.

A three-point play by Pasaturo knocked Lehman’s lead to just seven, 40-33, with under a minute to play in the first period, but a quick, 5-2, spurt in the final minute, with a three-point play by Navarro to end it, gave the Lightning a comfy 45-34 halftime lead.

In the second half, CSI made all 20 minutes count, and steadily mounted their comeback.  Megan Myhre opened the frame with a three and CSI started on a 13-2 run in the first 3:08, sparked by another Myhre three.  LC tried to ward CSI off but at 14:25, Victoria Crea converted a fast break into a lay-up to tie the score at 53-53, and after an exchange of baskets, CSI grabbed the lead on another Crea basket, making it 57-55, with 12:59 to go.

Lehman grabbed the lead again, but a resilient CSI took it back via a Jamie Pifalo three at 11:12 to make it 62-59, and CSI would never trail again until 6:37, when Navarro canned another three to put Lehman up by a digit, 70-69.  Lehman then went cold, and after a Myhre three tied it, a free-throw by Crea, then a three-point bomb by Pasaturo, and then another Crea basket gave CSI a big 78-72 lead with 3:19 to play, and CSI hung on from there.  Myhre would add another three and CSI went a perfect 8-8 from the line in the final 1:34 to seal it.

The teams combined for a 23-56 clip from the three-point line in the game, but the Dolphins were able to get off 10 more shots than Lehman thanks to a 43-35 advantage on the glass and a 20-17 advantage in turnovers.  Pasaturo notched a career-high 29 points in the win, while Crea added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Myhre 15 points in the win.  DelRosario posted 28 points in the loss, with Walker collecting 19 and 10 rebounds.

CSI will get a few days off before returning to action on Wednesday, January 14, vs. York College (NY), at 5:30pm at the Sports & Recreation Center.