The College of Staten Island men’s basketball returns to their home court for the first time since December 4 as they host the 17th annual Tournament of Heroes. Participating in the 17th installment is Gwynned-Mercy, Tufts and Bates College. Opening up the tournament will be Gwynned-Mercy vs Tufts at 5:30 pm followed by Staten Island taking on Bates College.
CSI VS. BATES COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (4-6) vs. Bates (2-7)
Where: The Tank – 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314
Live Video: https://www.csidolphins.com/csisportsnet
Live Stats: https://www.csidolphins.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Ticket Information: $5 for entry / FREE with a valid CSI Dolphins card
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Players to Watch (CSI): Christian Taylor continues to lead the ship averaging 22 points per game on 51% shooting from the field. Taylor is coming off of a 25-point outing, converting three of his five attempts from behind the arc. Taylor leads the team in assists (32) as he is the court general distributing the ball to his open teammates. Aiding Taylor on the court has been Adeola Latunji as he has added 19 points per game while averaging a team-high 8.5 rebounds per contest. Over the last three contests, Latunji has pulled down 37 rebounds. Stephen Flagg has returned to the lineup and instantly added a third scoring option, averaging 10 points per game, good for third on the team.
Players to Watch (BC): Jeff Spellman paces the Bobcats with 14 points per game and is coming off of an 18-point outing in a loss to Colby. Spellman also sits second on the team with 6.4 rebounds per game but leads with 3.8 assists per game. Leading the team in rebounds is Nick Lynch with 6.9 rebounds per game while adding 11.3 points per game. Brandon Galloway has been effective on defense, picking up 1.6 steals per game which is a team high. Malik Velmar is the 3-point specialist for the Bobcats, cashing in 44% of the time.
News & Notes: This will be the first time these programs face off against each other in their history. The teams are trending in different directions as the Dolphins have won two straight while the Bobcats come into tonight’s game losers of their last five. Bates comes into tonight’s matchup tallying a touch under 70 points per game while the Dolphins score an average of 75 points per contest. Staten Island has been outrebounded by nearly seven rebounds per game, however, Bates comes in averaging nearly the same amount as Staten Island (37). When scoring 70 points or less this season the Dolphins have struggled to find their way into the win column as they are just 1-5 when doing so.
