Improbable comeback by College of Staten Island men's basketball squad

Trailing by 24 points at halftime, the College of Staten Island tried to find some kind of coherent locker-room message prior to the second-half tip.

?I guess the message was ?Let?s chip away,?? said junior point guard Jonathan Chadwick-Myers of the deep 38-14 hole the Dolphins found themselves in against visiting Medgar Evers. ?It was crazy to think we could come back, but we talked about taking it one possession at a time.?

CSI opened the second half on a 17-2 run and pulled out a dramatic 60-55 victory over the deep and talented Cougars in the rematch of the past two CUNY Conference Tournament championship games.

The victory for the 10-2 Dolphins (6-0 CUNY) was their 20th consecutive in conference play, including three postseason triumphs last season. They outscored the visitors 46-17 in the second half in a comeback that had even 23rd-year head coach Tony Petosa scratching his head trying to remember anything resembling the electrifying rally.

?Basketball is a funny game,? said Petosa after his squad had won its fourth straight. ?They did everything they wanted to against us in the first half, then we came out and completely turned it around.?

Medgar Evers jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead and held CSI to seven first-half baskets. CSI held Medgar Evers to six second-half baskets.

FIRST LEAD OF GAME

Chadwick-Myers, the CUNY?s leading scorer, hit a driving layup to give the Dolphins their first lead, 55-53, with 1:05 remaining. Dylan Bulger, a 6-foot-11 junior center, sank two free throws after Michael Taylor?s driving layup and CSI had a 57-55 edge with 37.5 seconds left.

Medgar Evers continued to misfire from the perimeter while Chadwick-Myers made two free throws and Bulger one to put the icing on the cake.

The comeback began with defensive intensity and was aided by offensive penetration, with junior guard Bloochy Magloire attacking the basket and scoring 14 of his game-high 20 points after intermission. Javon Cox had 13 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists, while Bulger added nine points and 11 rebounds.

?We kind of had the momentum,? said Chadwick-Myers, who had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. ?We all felt it. And Bloochy got hot in the second half.? 

NOTES: Medgar Evers dropped to 2-4 in CUNY play and 5-9 overall as reigning MVP Winston Douglas had 18 points and 12 rebounds ... Petosa stuck with his five starters the entire second half. ?We had things rolling pretty good and I never saw the need to change the lineup,? he said ... Senior swingman Herschel Jenkins was cleared to play after missing most of the season with a broken hand. He played six minutes in the first half ... CSI topped Medgar Evers in last year?s CUNY final, avenging a title-game loss two years ago ... The Dolphins travel to second-place John Jay (6-1 after a 78-73 win at Brooklyn) on Wednesday night and host Hunter next Saturday afternoon at 1 following the third annual Matty White Alumni Game. 

EDGAR EVERS (55)

Douglas 6-11 3-5 18, Prime 3-9 1-1 7, Allen 0-0 0-0 0, Hudson 1-3 0-0 2, Williams 1-3 1-2 3, Oliver 3-11 0-0 9, Deare 1-7 2-2 4, Taylor 4-14 2-3 12.

Totals: 19-58 9-13 55. 

CSI (60)

Cox 6-8 1-1 13, Chadwick-Myers 4-14 3-4 12, Magloire 8-20 2-2 20, Van Manen 3-4 0-3 6, Bulger 3-7 3-6 9, Jenkins 0-2 0-0 0, King 0-3 0-0 0, Husslein 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals: 24-58 9-16 60.

Halftime: 38-14, Medgar Evers.

Three-point goals: Medgar Evers 8-25 (Douglas 3-5, Oliver 3-10, Deare 0-1, Taylor 2-6); CSI 3-18 (Chadwick-Myers 1-6, Magloire 2-9, Jenkins 0-1, King 0-2). Rebounds: Medgar Evers 36 (Douglas 12, Williams 7); CSI 43 (Cox 11, Bulger 11, Chadwick-Myers 7). Assists: Medgar Evers 9 (Deare 3); CSI 8 (Chadwick-Myers 3). Turnovers: Medgar Evers 18, CSI 15. Total fouls: Medgar Evers 22, CSI 14. Fouled out: Douglas, Williams. 

Source: http://www.silive.com/colleges/index.ssf/2013/01/improbable_comeback_by_college.html

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