The College of Staten Island men’s basketball team will continue hosting the 16th annual Tournament of Heroes this afternoon, and they will be featured in the Consolation Game of the tournament, taking on Roanoke College in a 1pm matinee. After CSI tips off with the Maroons, it will be SUNY-Oneonta taking on Salisbury University in the Championship Final, slated for a 3pm start. The excitement was heated last night and today promises another pair of great contests. SUNY
CSI vs. ROANOKE COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (4-5 overall) vs. Roanoke College (7-4 Overall)
Where: Sports & Recreation Center – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
Tip-Off: 1:00 pm
Ticket Info: $5 General Admission
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Players To Watch (CSI): The Dolphins are led by sophomore guard Christian Taylor with 14.4 points per game, and he stayed on par with that average with 14 points last night as well. Robert Rossiter was also effective, notching 14 points on 5-10 shooting from the floor, raising his season average to 7.7 this season. The Dolphins shot a crisp 10-19 from beyond the arc last night, with senior Edin Bracic leading the way with 3-6 from downtown. He leads CSI with 12 three’s this season and is also second to Taylor with 4.3 rebounds per game as well. The Dolphins got 18 of 21 points from the bench last night from both Ray Savage and Rigaud Destime, so expect the two to get quality minutes today after combining to play for 38 minutes last night.
Players To Watch (RC): C.J. Miles leads the way for RC with 14.6 per game. He put in 10 points last night alongside Caleb Jordan. Josh Freund continues his hot hand, as he went 6-10 from the floor en route to a team best 13 points last night, and he is right there at the top with 14.1 points per game this season for the Maroons. Freund is also the team’s top rebounder, averaging an even 8.0 rebounds per game. Look for Eli Sumpter to distribute this afternoon. He has 34 assists this season to lead the way for RC, 10 more than any other Maroon player.
News & Notes: Today is a first for both teams, as it represents their first meeting against one-another all-time. Today marks the eighth time that CSI is playing in the consolation round of this tournament. They are 4-3 all-time in the previous seven tries. This is the Dolphins’ first appearance in the consolation bracket since 2009, when they beat Colby-Sawyer, 90-79. CSI’s loss last night to Salisbury (93-75) broke their three-game win streak, and dropped them to 1-2 this season on their home floor. For Roanoke, yesterday’s 65-59 loss to Oneonta broke their modest two-game win streak, and moved their overall record to 1-3 when they play away from home. The 59 points they were held to was their second-lowest scoring output on the season. Roanoke came into the tournament ranked 14th nationally in points allowed per game at 62.1, and they are 5-0 this season when scoring 70+. The Dolphins, meanwhile, need to tighten up on defense. Yesterday marked the fourth time this season they have given up north of 80 points and when they do, they are 0-4 this season. The Dolphins are 4-0 this season when they have scored more than 75 points in games this year.
After the Consolation matchup, it will be SUNY-Oneonta taking on Salisbury in the Championship Final of the Tournament of Heroes. Salisbury improved to 6-4 with a win over CSI last night, breaking their two game slide, scoring 90+ points for the third time this season (all wins). Oneonta won a defensive, 65-59, affair over Roanoke, lifting them to 6-3 this season and moving their win streak to two games. It was the first time ever that they have played on the CSI campus. Both teams are playing in the Tournament of Heroes for the first time so the winner will be taking home their first TOH title.
