Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island women’s basketball earned a win on opening night, giving Head Coach Nicole Sarcone her first collegiate win. Megan McEwan and Kayla Schmitter helped the Dolphins get off on the right foot to start the season as CSI defeated St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn, 67-43. The Dolphins improve to 1-0 on the year while the Bears drop to 0-1.
The Bears got off to a hot start, taking an eight-point lead over the Dolphins after Victoria Porcasi sank three, three-point shots. Staten Island answered with a massive 14-0 run to put them up 17-11 with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter. Schmitter was a crucial part of that run for the Dolphins as she was able to find success anywhere inside the arc. Schmitter contributed eight points during that run with McEwan adding the other six.
St. Joseph’s – Brooklyn was able to bring it within two halfway through the second quarter when Porcasi hit a jumper to make it 25-23. Nicole Imbesi cashed in on a pair of free throws while Jacquelyn Cali added a bucket with 1:07 remaining. Heading into the half, the Dolphins held a 10 point lead and full momentum.
McEwan opened the third quarter with a bucket from downtown to extend their lead to 13. The Bears looked to be clawing their way back into the game, however, Diana Todaro banked two in to put an end to St. Joseph’s run. After a quiet start to the game, Rosa Perone found her way into the stat sheet with a steal at the top of the key which led to a fast-break layup. The freshman Schmitter continued to dominate inside the paint as the Bears had no answer for her post moves.
Up by 18 at the start of the fourth, the Dolphins were able to keep the Bears from gaining any ground and continued to add to their lead. Todaro and Cali paired up to end the game on a 10-3 run to give the Dolphins their first tally in the win column.
Schmitter finished with a game-high 20 points while also grabbing six rebounds. McEwan followed closely behind with 16 points on 50% shooting while adding four assists. Perone cleaned the glass to the tune of 9 rebounds, a team-high, and added six points.
The Dolphins return to action on Sunday, November 11 against non-conference opponents, NYU at 1:00 pm.
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