Box Score Staten Island, NY --- The #3 seeded Brooklyn College Bulldogs knocked off the #2 seeded Dolphins of the College of Staten Island, 61-56, on Saturday night at the CSI Sports & Recreation in the semifinals round of the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Women's Basketball Championships.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 22-7 overall on the season and advance to the championship game of the ECAC Metro Championships for a second straight season. A year ago, as the #1 seed, BC fell to #2 Hartwick College, 67-62, in the 2013 final.

Tonight's game was the third meeting of the season between the two City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) rivals, as the Dolphins swept the regular season series over the Bulldogs, winning 61-48 on December 6th in Brooklyn and 79-76 in an overtime thriller on January 25th in Staten Island.

The Dolphins end their season with a 21-8 overall record.

The Bulldogs were led by CUNYAC First Team All-Star senior Megan Campbell, who finished the night with a double-double, scoring a team-high 18 points, to go along with a team-best 11 rebounds. Junior Sarah Shanderson chipped in with 13 points, doing most of her damage from beyond the arc, going 4-for-5. CUNYAC Second Team All-Star junior Nicole Francomano contributed with nine points and eight rebounds, while classmate Asia Foster also pulled down eight boards. Senior Zoe Randolph grabbed nine rebounds to help the Bulldogs out-rebound the Dolphins 54-41, including a 20-16 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to 15 second chance points (11 in the second half) for the visitors.

Victoria Gallinaro led all scorers with 22 points for CSI, while Nikki Fabozzi grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Melanie Johnson finished the night with nine points and eight rebounds.

"Tonight wasn't the prettiest basketball game, but we made plays when we needed to and earned a tough win on the road against a very good team," said coach Alex Lang. "We will need a more complete effort tomorrow against another excellent team in Kean. We were in this game last year and gave a great effort but fell short, however, this year we are hoping for a different outcome."

Both offenses struggled in the game, as Brooklyn shot 28.1% (18-for-64) from the field and CSI shot 26.6% (17-for-64) from the field. The Dolphins also struggled from deep, going 29.2% (7-for-24) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs converted 46.7% (7-for-15) from three, hitting the same number of shots in less attempts. BC also shot 69.2% (18-for-26) from free throw line, compared to 65.2% (15-for-23) from the charity stripe for the Dolphins.

Brooklyn seized early control of the game, taking a 13-point lead, 20-7, with 12:04 remaining in the opening half. Shanderson helped power the early run hitting three key three-pointers to score nine of the 20 points, while Francomano netted seven of the first 10 points scored by BC. CSI would chip away at its deficit throughout the remainder of the half and get to within three on a number of occasions, before the Bulldogs would take a six-point, 35-29, halftime advantage.

CSI would continue to chip away at its deficit for the majority of the second half and would eventually regain the lead at 52-51 on a three-pointer from Gallinaro with 7:12 left on the clock. For the Dolphins, it would be their first lead since the 18:51 mark of the first half, when Megan Myhre's three put CSI up 3-2.

The home team would be unable to hold onto its lead, as Brooklyn finished the game on a 10-4 run to edge out Staten Island, 61-56, and punch its ticket to the final. Campbell scored seven of Brooklyn's final 10 points to help the Bulldogs advance back to the ECAC Metro Final for a second straight season.

"I'm extremely proud of how our team battled and never quit tonight," said Lang. "I think we have a great opportunity to try and win a championship tomorrow and end our season on a winning note, and, while it will not be easy, if we come to play, I love our chances."

Lang and his Bulldogs will be taking on #1 seeded Kean University (17-12), from the New Jersey Athletic Conference, in the championship game tomorrow night, Sunday, March 9th. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 pm start time at the CSI Sports & Recreation Center. For Kean, BC will be their third CUNYAC opponent of the ECAC Metro Championships, as the Cougars defeated #8 Lehman College (73-57) and #5 Hunter College (69-49), in the first round and semifinals round, respectively.

Admission is free, as the game will be played as the second half of a doubleheader, as the Staten Island men will host Kean in the men's ECAC Metro Title game at 5:30 pm.


First Round – Wednesday, March 5
No. 1 Kean University def. No. 8 Lehman College, 73-57
No. 2 College of Staten Island def. No. 7 College of Mount Saint Vincent, 83-75
No. 3 Brooklyn College def. No. 6 Elmira College, 50-47
No. 5 Hunter College def. No. 4 Drew University, 78-76 (Overtime)

Semifinals – Saturday, March 8 at *College of Staten Island
No. 1 Kean University def. No. 5 Hunter College, 69-49
No. 3 Brooklyn College def. No. 2 College of Staten Island, 61-56

Championship – Sunday, March 9 at *College of Staten Island
No. 1 Kean University vs. No. 3 Brooklyn College, 7:30 pm

*CSI is hosting the semifinals championship rounds as the highest remaining seed able to host.