Cabrini University Cavaliers (17-3, 12-2 CSAC) vs. College of Staten Island Dolphins (11-10, 9-4 CUNYAC)
Saturday, Feb. 3rd, 2pm
Nerney Field House

Game Day Links: Live Stats, Webcast
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CUNYAC/CSAC Challenge
The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) will face off on the hardwood on Saturday in men's basketball in the first CSAC/CUNYAC Challenge.
 
The brain child of Gwynedd Mercy University head men's basketball coach John Baron and Baruch College head men's basketball coach John Alesi, the challenge pits two conferences, who are both in the Atlantic Region.

In addition to host the games, each institution will be taking donations for Coaches vs. Cancer. There will be a donation booth set up at each site, with fans encouraged to donate to this popular cause.

Click here for more information about the Challenge and to view previews of the match-ups.

Last Meeting: Cavs Complete Comeback to Top Dolphins 85-80 (11/19/2016, Salisbury, MD)
Ryan Charity led the Cavaliers with a career high 26 points, including 19 second half points, as the Blue and White improved to 2-1 on the season. Senior Tyheim Monroe paired 17 points and 19 boards, while classmate Deryl Bagwell added 17 points.

After both teams exchanged the lead in the early going, the Cavaliers took control of the action.  Monroe's offensive rebound and putback gave the Cavaliers a 23-12 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Dolphins slowly whittled away at Cabrini's lead, closing the first half on an 11-3 spurt.  Frank Schettino's three pointer with two seconds left in the stanza gave CIS a 40-38 lead at the half.

The Cabrini deficit remained at nine points until it began its comeback with a Charity triple with 9:17 to play.  The senior's long jumper sparked a 9-2 run, as junior Chris Lawhorn's lay-up gave the Cavaliers a 66-65 lead with just north of six minutes to play. Both clubs exchanged the lead over the next several minutes, until Robinson's three point play gave the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish.  The sophomore's hoop and harm gave Cabrini a 74-72 lead with 2:25 to play.

Cabrini Last Time Out: Cavs Withstand Late Rally in 92-88 Win Over Griffins (1/31/18, Radnor, PA)
The Cavaliers held off a late charge to move to the top of the Colonial States Athletic Conference standings with a 92-88 win over Gwyned Mercy Wednesday evening at Nerney Field House.

Junior Anthony Wright-Downing led Cabrini with a career best 23 points on 10-12 shooting to go with nine rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. Senior Tyheim Monroe continued his double-double streak, pairing 18 points and 10 rebounds, including 15 points after the break. Freshman Trey Smith added 14 points and a season best five assists, while sophomore Keith Blassingale matched the rookie with five dimes to go with 12 points.

With the score tied at 30-30, the Cavaliers used a 10-1 run over the next 2:30 to establish a 40-31 lead, as senior Deryl Bagwell hit Smith for a triple.  The lead grew as high as 10 points before the Cavaliers took their 49-40 lead into the halftime break.

Monroe's three pointer at the 6:52 mark put the Blue and White ahead 81-72, but Gwynedd Mercy responded with a 10-0 run of its own. Senior Rip Engel's lay-up put the Griffins ahead 82-81 with 4:33 on the clock, Gwynedd Mercy's first lead since 20-18 midway through the first half.

Cabrini's deficit was short-lived, as Monroe's three point play on the Cavaliers' next possession sparked a quick 6-0 run to put the Cavaliers ahead 87-82 with 3:08 to play. Monroe connected on 3-4 from the line in the final 20 seconds, as Cabrini held the Griffins without a field goal in the final 55 seconds.

Staten Island Last Time Out: Dolphins Drop Third Straight Game, This Time to Medgar Evers 83-77 (1/30/2018, Staten Island, NY)
CSI junior Robert Rossiter canned a three-pointer to open the game, but after that it was all MEC in the first half, as they took full advantage of an ice-cold shooting performance by the Dolphins in the first half.  A Basheeru Camara lay-up for the Cougars gave MEC their first lead at 5-3, and almost 10 minutes later, the lead was nursed up to double-digits, 21-10.

The Dolphins would finish with only nine more points in the half, mired in a 6-for-36 clip from the field (16.2%). 

CSI would use a 7-0 spurt to cut the lead to 46-42 with 10:42 to go in the game, again fueled by a Rossiter three and Christian Taylor lay-up.  CSI, however, would go cold again, connecting on just one field goal over the next four minutes, watching the visitors answer back with a 12-5 run of their own.

Refusing to quit, CSI added 15 points in the final 90 seconds, but by then MEC had the game well in hand and left Staten Island with an 83-77 win.

Taylor, a sophomore, led the Dolphins with a game-high 27 points on 12-18 shooting, while Rossiter paired 14 points and 10 rebounds.

5 Factors for Cabrini

• The Cavs are currently riding a three game winning streak and have won 11 of their past 12 games. 
• In their last matchup, the Cavs overcame a nine point deficit with nine minutes left to secure the 85-80 victory.
• Over his last three games, Wright-Downing is averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. 
• Cabrini's 11.8 offensive rebounds per game is the second best mark in the CSAC, trailing only Keystone (12.4 orpg). 
• The Cavaliers have held their opponents to 88 points or fewer in 15 of their 17 wins.

5 Factors for Staten Island

• The Dolphins have dropped their last three games, losing by an average of 8.9 points. 
• CSI has a faired much better as the visitors than the hosts this season, going 4-7 at home and 6-3 on the road. 
• The Dolphins force an average of 17.8 turnovers per game, better than the Cavs last eight opponents. 
• Taylor and sophomore Adeola Latunji lead Staten Island in scoring, averaging 16.2 and 15.9 points per game, respectively.
• CSI averaged 85 points per game over their recent seven game win streak, but are averaging just 71.6 ppg during their current three game losing streak.

 

	TALE OF THE TAPE
Cabrini		Staten Island
17-3, 12-2 CSAC	Records	11-10, 9-4 CUNYAC
89.1	Points per Game	77.7
.472	FG Percentage	.440
.363	3-Point Percentage	.337
.712	FT Percentage	.686
40.8	Rebounds per Game	37.7
17.3	Assists per Game	17.1
3.4	Blocked Shots per Game	4.4
9.3	Steals per Game	9.1
12.0	Turnovers per Game	16.1
	TEAM LEADERS
Tyheim Monroe (21.8)	Points	Christian Taylor (16.2)
Tyheim Monroe (15.8)	Rebounds	Adeola Latunji (5.9)
Ivan Robinson (5.3)	Assists	Christian Taylor (3.5)
Anthony Wright-Downing (1.3)	Blocked Shots	Jade Spencer (0.8)
Tyheim Monroe (2.1)	Steals	Edin Bracic (2.3)