Staten Island, NY | Nick Taylor and the rest of the Dolphins’ second unit showed the rest of the CUNYAC how deep Staten Island’s bench is this afternoon at The Tank. The Dolphins cruised to a 99-84 win over the Beavers of the City College of NY, bumping their record up to 12-8, 8-1 while knocking the Beavers down to 2-15, 2-7.
Nick Taylor came into the game, replacing his brother Christian Taylor, and led the Dolphins’ attack while tallying 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. Benefitting from Taylor’s success was Austin Mick who led the Dolphins with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. Andrew Kartalis was outstanding in his utility role tonight, locking down his opponent on defense while cashing in on his offensive attempts.
The Dolphins got off to a great start, opening the game with 12 unanswered points. CCNY would eventually settle in and find the bottom of the net but Staten Island was in the driver’s seat and continued to pick apart the Beavers’ defense. Adeola Latunji electrified the crowd with an alley-oop in the first half, flying from the baseline and throwing down a two-handed jam on a pass from Nick Taylor.
Chamald Martin also had his share of success inside the paint against the Beavers, using his size and skill moves inside the lane for easy layups. Late in the first half, Stephen Flagg gave the Dolphins their largest lead of the half, 22 points, when he was able to sink a jumper from just outside the painted area.
The original five starters got off to a slow start for the Dolphins which allowed the Beavers to find themselves down just five points with 12:45 remaining in the game. Staten Island would switch lines, bringing in the second unit which brought a spark to the team. The Dolphins went on a 14-4 run, stretching their lead out to 15 after a Kartalis 3-point basket.
With the lead comfortably back in hand, the Dolphins finished off the game to win their 10th straight.
As a team, the Dolphins hit 50.6% of their shots and 41.7% from range. Staten Island was also on the winning side of the rebounding margin, edging out the Beavers 43-35.
Up next for the Dolphins is a rematch against John Jay College who handed Staten Island their lone CUNYAC loss earlier this season.