The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team kept their winning streak intact on Friday, powering over Medgar Evers College in a road CUNYAC showdown by a 93-75 count. The win, CSI’s fourth in a row, lifted the Dolphins to 12-4 overall and 6-2 within the CUNYAC, while MEC fell to 7-9, 4-4, respectively.
Despite the lop-sided final score, it was MEC that held court for much of the early stages of the first half. The Cougars went up from the opening whistle and led by as many as seven, 20-13, after a Justin Sutton three-pointer. CSI then came to life, going on a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to wrestle the lead away. Will Fonseca dumped in two baskets, while fellow interior threats Thomas Delahanty and Khaleeq Baum each posted big buckets.
The Dolphins then tightened up defensively, and held MEC scoreless for the final 4:47 of the first half, going on a 12-0 run to finalize the frame and take a commanding, 49-33, lead at the half. Layups by Fonseca, Delahanty and Kevon Murphy tempered the run and the Dolphins went 4-4 from the free-throw line as well, while MEC finished the frame 0-2 from the field with seven turnovers in the final five minutes.
From there, CSI kept the Cougars at arm’s length. The Dolphins went up by 18 early and twice MEC knocked the lead down to as few as 10, the final time at 68-58 with 8:48 to go. CSI responded however, with a mini 7-2 run capped by a Frank Schettino fast break lay-up that kept CSI comfortably ahead.
Much like the first half, CSI finished the game strong, outscoring MEC, 14-7 in the final five minutes to settle on a 93-75 final after being up by as many as 21 points. CSI shot a balmy 53.8% to MEC’s 46.3%, and the Dolphins shot 41% from beyond the arc while MEC struggled, connecting on just four of 21 three-point attempts (19%).
CSI was led by Fonseca’s 22 points to go with 12 rebounds, while Schettino dumped in 18 markers with seven assists. Delahanty finished with 17. CUNYAC leading scorer Matthew Lee finished with 24 points with five rebounds, with Pablo Segura finishing with 17. CSI enjoyed a big, 42-31, rebounding edge.
Up next for CSI will be a non-conference matchup with Kean University on Monday, January 18, at 1:00pm at the CSI Sports & Recreation Center.