NEW YORK, NY | The College of Staten Island women’s basketball squad secured their second-straight win and improved to 6-0 on the road in conference play, racing past City College of New York at the Nat Holman Gymnasium by a count of 84-57. While plenty of Dolphins shined, the night belonged to senior guard Christina Pasatruo, who hit a free-throw with 1:24 left in regulation to become only the third player in CUNYAC history to eclipse 2,000 points. Pasaturo needed 19 going in and hit it on the nose, leading all scorers. The Dolphins improved to 15-3 overall and 9-1 within in the CUNYAC, taking both games over CCNY this season, while the Beavers fell to 11-7, 5-5, respectively.
While Pasaturo built on her historic night, the Dolphins got out to a sizable lead and never looked back. The visitors assumed a 10-0 lead out of the gate, fueled by a three-point play by Victoria Crea and three-pointer by Samantha Flecker over the game’s first four minutes. CSI stayed ahead by double-digits through most of the rest of the first stanza, getting up to as many as 14 when Pasaturo hit a running lay-up to make it 23-9 with 1:31 to play in the quarter.
A 12-2 CSI run to open the second quarter gave CSI a 38-17 lead, as Angelique Price poured in back-to-back lay-ins and Flecker canned another three. From there, CSI never led by less than 18 and led by as many as 24 thanks to a Diana Todaro lay-up before settling for a 46-25 lead at intermission.
Pasaturo finished with just six points at the break, and with a lead secured, the points started to mount in the second half to get her closer to the milestone. The senior would score a basket between four Todaro field goals, and then hit her first three at 5:26 into the third quarter to give CSI a 61-31 lead.
Needing five points going into the final quarter to hit the magical mark, Pasaturo hit on a lay-up at 7:42 to inch closer, and then at 3:15, she connected on another drive to make it 80-47. Then, up by 28 with 1:42 to play, Pasaturo stepped to the free-throw line for two shots, and ended the suspense by canning the first, putting her in exclusive CUNYAC company.
“An accomplishment like 2,000 points is just as much a team honor as it is an individual one,” Pasaturo said later. “You don’t score 2,000 points without a coach believing in you from the very first step you take on the court and continuing throughout your entire career. There is no doubt in my mind that without Coach Shanahan I would never have been able to accomplish this.”
Pasaturo joined CCNY’s Lauren Cargill (2,272 points, 1999-03) and Lehman’s Sally Nnamani (2,113, 2005-09) as the only women’s players in history to accomplish the feat. Averaging over 20 points per game this season, Cargill’s all-time scoring record is in sight should she stay on average and should CSI travel deep into the postseason.
Pasaturo led a balanced attack tonight that included five players scoring in double-figures. Price was next in line with 14 points followed by Flecker’s 11. Crea finished with 10 alongside Diana Todaro, who added 10 rebounds.
“I have been very lucky,” said Pasaturo. “With the caliber of teammates I have had over my four years here I’ve had an opportunity to do something like this. It speaks to all of us as a team.”
Now armed with a win streak the Dolphins will get right back to action on Wednesday, when they host Baruch College at 5:30pm at The Tank in Staten Island.
