The College of Staten Island women’s basketball team is off to a fast start to the 2015-16 year, and the team will play its penultimate game of the year, as they host William Paterson University as part of non-conference play this evening at the Sports & Recreation Center.  CSI is on a five-game tear coming in and sit at 6-3 coming in, while the Pioneers are 4-5 entering the contest.

CSI vs. WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (6-3 overall, 3-0 CUNYAC) vs. William Paterson University (4-5 Overall, 2-3 NJAC)
Where: Sports & Recreation Center, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
Tip-Off: 7:00pm
Live Video:  http://www.csidolphins.com/CSISportsNet 
All-Time Series: WPU leads 6-4
Last Meeting:: December 10, 2008 – CSI won, 89-80
Players To Watch (CSI): CSI sophomore Samantha Flecker most recently claimed the CUNYAC’s Player of the Week award.  The forward is second on the squad averaging 16.8 points per game and leads the way in rebounding with 7.9 per contest.  Christina Pasaturo is CSI’s leading scorer with 17 points per game, and the guard also leads the squad with 50 assists.  Defensive stalwart Victoria Gallinaro leads the squad with 29 steals per game.
Players To Watch (WPU):  Alex Milne leads the balanced WPU attack with 11.2 points per game this season and is shooting better than 50% from the field (41-80).  She is also a force on the boards averaging 7.4 per game.  Guard Brittany Harden is also a catalyst.  She leads the Pioneers with 31 total assists and is third on the squad in points per game with 8.4.  Sihana Asani and Ashley Castillo have combined for exactly one-half of WPU’s total three point baskets this season.
News and Notes: CSI will try to match the second longest win streak ever under Tim Shanahan.  The team reeled off six wins last year and enjoyed their longest win streak of 9 games in 2013-14.  CSI hasn’t lost in 31 calendar days, which is the longest ever under Shanahan, who is also looking for win number 60 tonight.  CSI and WPU are renewing a rivalry that has been dormant since 2008.  The teams had met every season from 1998-2008, with the Pioneers enjoying a 6-4 advantage.  CSI is 2-3 all-time at home against the Pioneers.  CSI is a +41 in the turnover department in this recent five-game skein.  It’s an important statistic for the Pioneers as well.  The team is 1-4 this season when losing the turnover battle in games this season.  Another area for CSI’s success this season is their ability to hold opponents in check from beyond the arc.  In CSI’s six wins this season, opponents are shooting a chilly 23% from downtown (27-117), while in their three losses, opponents have shot 22-56 from beyond the arc (39%) against the Dolphins.  WPU is shooting 27.3% from the arc this season.