WILL FACE TOP-SEEDED LEHMAN IN SEMIFINALS
Behind 21 points from senior center John Smith (Bayside / Queens, NY), #4 seeded College of Staten Island topped #5 York College 67-49 in the second of four quarterfinal games of the 2005 CUNY Athletic Conference / Con Edison Men's Basketball Championships at Lehman College. After a 2-2 tie, the Dolphins (15-11) went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Smith (16 rebounds) jumper only 5:30 into the game and never looked back in beating their South Division rivals. York trailed by 12 at the half, 36-24 and never was able to cut the lead below ten points thereafter. The two teams split their regular season meetings, with each winning on the opponent's court. Three-time CUNYAC all-star and former Player of the Year Michael Stewart (Westinghouse / Brooklyn, NY) added 12 points, six assists and three steals for the Dolphins.
"We did a great job keying in on their shooters today," said CSI head coach Tony Peosta, now in his 15th season. "Also, John Smith played real well for us." York (11-15) was led by sophomores Christopher Roberts (Springfield Gardens / St. Albans, NY) and Francis Amino (Beach Channel / Brooklyn, NY) with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Cardinals shot only 7-21 from the free throw line for the game. It marked the second straight season that head coach Ron St. John's Cardinals failed to make the semifinals following ten straight seasons in CUNYAC?s final four.
Junior guard Mike Jones (Warren Hills / Washington, NJ) chipped in with 11 points for the Dolphins, who beat York in the last CUNYAC final played at Lehman's Apex Arena in 1999. CSI now has the dubious distinction of playing Lehman College (20-5), the number one seed and winners of 13 straight games on Wednesday night, February 23 in the first semifinal at 5:30 pm.