The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team is officially on their longest winning streak of the season, getting it up to five games earlier this week. They will look to stay true to form tonight as they resume the CUNYAC portion of their schedule tonight with a road date against John Jay College. The Bloodhounds most recently saw their three-game win streak snapped, but will look to continue to play well on their home floor.
CSI vs JOHN JAY COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (11-6 overall, 8-0 CUNYAC) vs. John Jay College (4-11 Overall, 3-5 CUNYAC)
Where: The Doghouse – 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY
Tip-Off: 8:00 pm
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/johnjay/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.johnjayathletics.com/watch
All-Time Series: CSI leads 52-12
Last Meeting: November 29, 2016 – CSI won 60-58
Players To Watch (CSI): Senior guard Frank Schettino is having a banner year, leading the Dolphins with 16.3 points per game and a NCAA Division III best 151 assists to date. In CSI’s win over Kean on Monday he became the first Dolphin in history to register 150+ assists three different seasons. Schettino is also third on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Interior threats Khaleeq Baum and Kevon Murphy are putting up eerily similar numbers as well. Baum is averaging 13.4 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game, while Murphy is averaging 13.8 points with 7.1 rebounds per. Long distance threat Edin Bracic leads CSI with 38 three-pointers and is now averaging 10.5 points per game.
Players To Watch (JJC): JJC’s Essien Epps is the main catalyst for the Bloodhounds. The sophomore is putting up a robust 17.2 points per game and is second on the squad with 7.1 rebounds per contest as well. He also has 45 thefts this season making him a strong defensive presence. Wyatt Harkins is next in line with 13.6 points per contest, and he leads the squad with 33 three-pointers this season. MiKing Richardson had a fine outing the last time these two teams tangled and he is averaging 10.9 per game this year. JJC’s leading rebounder is Kiernan Hayes with 7.3 caroms per game.
News & Notes: After their earlier season meeting, CSI has now won seven straight over the Bloodhounds. JJC’s last win in the series came on their home floor back in 2013, but CSI holds an 18-7 all-time advantage in games played at John Jay. The Bloodhounds are just 2-6 on their home floor this season while the Dolphins sport a 5-5 record away from their home floor. CSI led wire-to-wire when these two teams played back in November, but had to weather a furious comeback by the Bloodhounds who came back from 14 points down with 11 minutes to play to tie the game before a basket by Baum won it and Harkins missed a three as time expired. Baum led the Dolphins with 18 points, while Richardson led all scorers for the Bloodhounds with 24. The Dolphins are 7-1 this season when posting 15+ assists in games and are 9-3 when out-rebounding their opponents. The Bloodhounds are 2-6 when being out-rebounded. Senior Frank Schettino needs 17 rebounds to record 500+ rebounds in his career. If he’s able to do it, he’ll be the first player in CSI history to record 1,000+ points, 500+ assists, and 500+ rebounds in a career.
