The College of Staten Island women’s basketball team will finalize the home portion of their schedule tonight, celebrating Senior Night at the Sports & Recreation Center against Baruch College in an important CUNYAC showdown at 5:30pm. The Dolphins have won seven of their last eight games, and a win tonight will guarantee them no less than a fourth-place finish in the CUNYAC standings, with the Regular Season Championship still within reach. Baruch enters at 10-12 overall and 9-5 within the CUNY, and can finish anywhere from second to fifth in the standings, so tonight’s game is equally important to them.
CSI vs. BARUCH COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (15-7 overall, 11-3 CUNYAC) vs. Baruch College (10-12 Overall, 9-5 CUNYAC)
Where: Sports & Recreation Center – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
Tip-Off: 5:30pm
Ticket Info: $5 General Admission / FREE – CSI Students, Faculty & Staff
Live Video: http://www.csidolphins.com/CSISportsNet
Promotion: Chance to win $5,000 at the half of tonight’s game
All-Time Series: CSI leads 25-21
This Year’s Result: CSI won 82-54
Players To Watch (CSI): CSI continues to be paced by Christina Pasaturo, who is averaging a healthy 17.7 points per game and is 11 points away from becoming only the fourth CSI player in history to score 400+ points in two separate seasons. She is coming off of a 22-point performance against Medgar Evers on Tuesday, where she shot 10-13 from the floor. Samantha Flecker is next on the list with 15.7 points per game. She tapped in 21 points on Tuesday, and she led the team with a 15-point effort the last time these two teams matched up.
Players To Watch (BC): Veronica Ganzi will be the playmaker for Baruch, as she is among the CUNYAC leaders at 19.9 points per contest this season. Jacqueline Kennedy is next up at 17.7 points per game, but the junior has not played since February 2, and she was instrumental in the first meeting, dumping in 28 points and 14 rebounds. Playmaker Kristen Podlovits is expected to be a force. She leads Baruch with 153 assists, good for 7.7 per game, and had 10 the last time these teams locked horns.
News & Notes: Baruch had dominated the series before CSI recorded the huge victory over Baruch earlier this year, having taken 16 of the previous 17 meetings. CSI has not defeated Baruch at home since the 2004 season, a streak of seven games, and the Dolphins are just 10-8 all-time at home against the Bearcats. The Dolphins’ 28-point win over Baruch this season was their largest against the Bearcats since an 81-44 win in 2002. A key for both teams will be strong work on the boards. Baruch is 7-1 when they win the rebounding war and are just 3-11 when they do not, while CSI is just as lethal, posting a 7-2 mark when they win the battle on the glass. CSI was a +20 in the rebounding column the last time these two teams played. CSI is also 7-2 this season when shooting over 65% from the free-throw line. They were a season-best 13-15 (87%) when they played Baruch earlier in the season. The Dolphins’ 31.4% shooting from three-point range is the third-highest total in their history, tying the mark set in 1999-00. Their best three-point shooting season came in 2004-05, when they connected on 33.6%.
