The College of Staten Island women’s basketball team kept rolling tonight with a 85-75 win over the reigning CUNYAC champions, Lehman College. The Dolphins picked up their fourth straight to up their mark to 6-2 and 4-0 in the CUNYAC while the Lightning dropped their second straight to fall to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the CUNYAC.
The Dolphins used team play to defeat the Lightning as they notched an assist on 16 of 28 made baskets and had a better night shooting from the floor, 37% compared to just 33% for Lehman in the win. The Dolphins played outstanding perimeter defense, holding the Lightning to 14% (3-21) shooting from downtown. Junior guard Christina Pasaturo scored 17 of her 24 points in the second half to give Pasaturo 24+ points in her last three games. She shot 7-13 from the floor and 7-10 from the charity stripe while also grabbing 11 rebounds for her second double-double on the year.
Junior forward Samantha Flecker tallied 20 points on the night, grabbing four rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Junior guard Victoria Crea was active on the boards tonight, collecting six of her 11 rebounds off of the offensive glass tonight to give CSI second chance opportunities. Angelique Price and Nihada Bracic both added 15 points with the latter shooting 50% from three-point range while Price found her points from inside the arc.
The Dolphins saw themselves fall behind 5-0 in the early stages of tonight’s game but were able to battle back and take the lead from the Lightning midway through the first quarter and would never surrender the lead after that. Staten Island exploded on a 15-0 run in the second quarter to pull away from Lehman College after four straight baskets from behind the arc by the Dolphins. The Lightning struggled to find the bottom of the net on their home court while the Dolphins continued to pour it on and stay out of striking distance.
At the half CSI held a 40-22 lead over the Lightning and the nation’s leading scoring in Amely Del Rosario.
Del Rosario was held in check by the Dolphins in the first half, scoring just six points after coming into the game leading the nation with 28 per game. That would change in the second half as she started to find open gaps in the Dolphins’ defense and convert her shots.
Staten Island would lead by a healthy 20 points heading into the fourth quarter, however the Dolphins became complacent with their large lead and allowed the Lighting to find their way back into the game. After trailing by as many as 21 points the Lightning found themselves down just three with 44 seconds remaining in the game. Lehman chipped away from the start of the final quarter and used an 8-0 run to come within seven points before eventually making it a three point game.
With the momentum fully in Lehman’s favor the Dolphins needed a spark to turn the tide back in their favor and they received that spark when Flecker was able to drive to the basket and convert a layup to put the Dolphins back up by five. Krystal Pearson the junior forward from Lehman College would pick up a costly technical foul after Flecker’s basket to put Flecker on the line where she would bury both free throws and put CSI up seven with 22 seconds to go.
The Lightning would charge down the court and miss their quick opportunity to seal the deal and give the Dolphins their fourth win within the CUNYAC.
The women will return to action on Sunday, December 11 when they will take on Keystone College at 2 pm.
