The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team is officially on a roll, having won five games in a row and having taken the 14th Annual Tournament of Heroes Championship this past Wednesday for the second time in program history. The Dolphins will now take their show on the road to Brooklyn College, where they will tangle with the 9-2 Bulldogs in an early CUNYAC test. Brooklyn has dropped two straight, but have been idle since early December, as both teams introduce the 2016 year this afternoon.
CSI vs. BROOKLYN COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (8-2 overall, 3-0 CUNYAC) vs. Brooklyn College (9-2 Overall, 3-1 CUNYAC)
Where: West Quad Center – 2900 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Tip-Off: 2:45pm
Live Audio: http://www.spreaker.com/user/5491869?
All-Time Series: CSI leads 38-14
Last Year’s Result: CSI won two of three meetings
Players To Watch (CSI): Coming off of a great Tournament of Heroes this past week, Thomas Delahanty is coming into Brooklyn with a head of steam, putting up 20 points and eight rebounds on Wednesday against SUNY-Canton. Junior Frank Schettino missed a month due to injury but has returned for the Dolphins, and is averaging 18.6 points and 3.6 assists per game thus far. Greg Civiletti is also returning for the Dolphins for this, his final semester as an athlete. He played sparingly this past week, but is set to take on a larger role as the season progresses. The Dolphins continue to be led by senior Will Fonseca, who paces the squad with 21.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Players To Watch (BC): Egzon Gjonbalaj is enjoying a terrific season for Brooklyn, averaging 21.7 points thus far to go with 9.1 rebounds per game. Lorenzo Williams has been just as strong with 18.2 points per contest to go with an even six rebounds per game. Jamel Gist and Edon Gjonbalaj are also averaging in double-figures for Brooklyn, which as a team averages a healthy 89 points per contest.
News and Notes: CSI has fared well against Brooklyn in recent years, having won 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2011. The one Brooklyn win in that stretch was a rather one-sided 83-63 win over CSI last year during the regular season at the West Quad Center. CSI later avenged that loss with an 82-79 win over the Bulldogs in the ECAC Metro Tournament. CSI is 18-7 all-time in games played at Brooklyn. Rebounds will be a big focus in this game. CSI is 4-0 this season when out-rebounding their opponents, and BC is a plus 5.9 in rebounds per game and boast an 8-1 mark when winning the battle. BC is getting the job done with a healthy 47.1% shooting average from the floor, and CSI is equally impressive at 48.9%. Both teams are holding opponents to an identical 41% clip on the floor this season. CSI is countering with a better shooting percentage from long range, while BC is committing three less turnovers per game than their opponents.
