Staten Island, NY---In a classic postseason contest to the very last play, the Brooklyn College men's basketball team closed out its season this evening, falling to the College of Staten Island, 74-73, in the quarterfinals of the CUNYAC Championships. The No. 6 seeded Bulldogs end the season with a 7-19 record. CSI improved to 15-11 with the postseason win and will take on No. 2 seed Baruch in the semifinals at CCNY on Tuesday.
How It Happened
-With the score tied at 71, sophomore guard, Michael Tesoriero, would be fouled on the in-bound under the Dolphins' basketball with 28 seconds left in regulation. Tesoriero calmly sank both free-throws giving the Bulldogs a 73-71 advantage. On the ensuing possession, CSI's Edin Bracic drilled the game-winning three-pointer with 18 seconds left. Brooklyn's last chance effort fell short in the paint.
-Up by four, 40-36, at the half thanks to a made three splashed by freshman forward, Alpha Bah, in the final seconds of the first period, the Bulldogs opened the second half with a 7-0 run sparked by a Maynard Grant IV lay-in. Following a couple of CSI answers early in the half, the Bulldogs had their last double-digit lead, 52-41, with 15:27 remaining in regulation.
-The Dolphins took their first lead, 65-64, since the 1:06 mark in the first half with 5:17 left in the game to cap a 7-1 run. Tesoriero knocked down a three to help the Bulldogs retake the lead, 67-65, with 3:54 to go. After the Dolphins tied the game, 67-67, BC guard, Ben Batash, put the Bulldogs back up by two with a backdoor lay-in.
-Brooklyn erased a ten-point deficit, 27-17, in the first half, going on a 14-0 run to take a 31-27 lead with 4:48 before halftime. Batash and junior forward, Daniel Shulman, scored seven points each for the rally.
Box Score Breakdown
-The Dolphins shot 42% to the Bulldogs 36% from the field in the second half. CSI shot over 47% from beyond the arc for the game.
-Brooklyn out-rebounded the Dolphins 17-12 on the offensive boards.
-BC finished with 10 steals to CSI's four.
Leading the Bulldogs
-Batash scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the first half.
-Tesoriero finished with 16 points on 5-7 from the field including 2-4 from behind the arc and was a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists, and had three steals.
-Bah just missed a double-double, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Leading the Dolphins
-Christian Taylor finished with a triple-double scoring a game-high 22 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists.
