The College of Staten Island women’s basketball team started their season off on the right foot this past Wednesday, and they will look to make it two-for-two when they take on the College of New Rochelle in what will be their home opener this afternoon at 2pm. For the Blue Angels of CNR, today is their season opener for what they hope will be a productive campaign, building on their 12-10 season a year ago.
CSI vs COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE
Matchup: CSI (1-0) vs. College of New Rochelle (0-0)
Where: The Tank – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
Ticket Info: $5 – General Admission / FREE – CSI Students, Faculty & Staff
All-Time Series: CSI leads 4-1
Last Meeting: March 4, 2015 – CSI won 105-39
Players to Watch (CSI): The Dolphins are a senior-laden team and can expect to see a large part of their production come from that class. Christina Pasaturo continues to chase history, and sits 23 points away from tying the school’s all-time scoring record, while fellow senior Samantha Flecker needs just 14 markers to eclipse 1,000 for her career. Knowing their production values, both of those milestones may happen today. Angelique Price will also look to provide a spark, building on her most productive season, while Victoria Crea, in her third season will continue to quarterback the offense, running point most of the way. Look for Jacquelyn Cali to be a factor, as she was deadly from long range against St. Joseph’s on Wednesday, dropping 16 points in 25 minutes of play a few short days ago.
Players to Watch (CNR): The Blue Angels are guided by new Head Coach Gerald Davis, but he sees a good core of returning talent ready to lead in 2017-18. CNR has three returners who made the HVIAC All-Conference team a year ago, including Aaliyah Fields, Caitlin Harrison, and Chelsea Thomas. Fields led the three with 7.4 points per game a year ago in 22 starts while Harrison averaged 7.2 and had a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game.
News & Notes: This is the sixth all-time meeting between the two sides, with CSI having won the last four meetings dating all the way back to 1991. CNR had actually won the first ever meeting in 1985 in Staten Island, but its been all Dolphins since, with their four victories coming by an average of 56.8 points per game, the largest margin of victory by CSI over any opponent in their history. The last time the two teams met was at the Sports & Recreation Center as part of quarterfinal play in the ECAC Metro NY/NJ Championship, with CSi taking a lopsided 105-39 win. Now over two years removed from their last meeting, CNR is hopeful they have closed that gap. The Blue Angels finished 12-10 last year falling in the HVIAC Championship game. CSI is 2-1 all-time at home vs. CNR. Look for turnovers to play a pivotal role today. CSI forced 31 turnovers in their season opener, and forced about 24 per game last season, one of the highest marks in the NCAA. The Blue Angels were just as potent, as they forced 19.2 per game, and they averaged over 15 points per game off of opponent miscues. CNR is also a team that likes to start fast. Last season they scored more points in the first quarter than any other quarter and were a 47 in that quarter, the only quarter in which they outscored opponents. Strong play from the free-throw line will also be vital. CSI shot 63% from the line last season and they were 11-1 when shooting 70% or better in games last season. This was a struggle for the Blue Angels last season, as they averaged just 57% from the line last year, but they did shoot over 70% five times last year, and were 4-1 in those games.
