Brooklyn College Bulldogs Lose a Tough One Despite Second-Half Surge
BROOKLYN — On Monday, the Brooklyn College Bulldogs took on the College of Staten Island that saw BC fall to the Dolphins 68–63. Coming into the contest, BC was led by stars Jordan Wright and Michael Tesoriero, who are averaging 11.5 and 11.4 points per game respectively.
The Bulldogs come into the contest against the Dolphins were 9–12, winning six out of their last ten after starting 3–7. The Dolphins, who were 8–14 and led by Adeola Latunji averaging 21 points per game, came to play. Guard Noah Shy led the team in scoring with 15 points in 36 minutes. Joseph Zieris showed up big on the road for CSI, leading all scorers with 22 points and playing all 40 minutes of game action.
Both teams were feeling each other out in the first half, with both teams see-sawing the lead back and forth. The score at the half was 38–33 with Wright and Shy leading The Bulldogs with 10 points. BC struggled with 8 turnovers in the first half and allowed the Dolphins to shoot 51%.
“We just gotta keep moving the ball around the horn. Once we get the ball downhill, we just gotta make sure that once it’s there, we finish,” said Brooklyn College Assistant Coach Albert Barbosa during the half.
The Bulldogs sparked a resurgent comeback in the second half. Down by as many as 13, Guard Orri Cohen had 10 points and 4 steals and was the catalyst of a 21–9 run that saw the Bulldogs cut the lead down to 62–61 with one minute remaining.
“I had to come in and do my part off the bench, whatever was needed. Coach told me before I went in, he said ‘lock-in, get some defensive stops’, and our defense sparks off them so, I did what I could”, said Cohen.
The Bulldogs fell to 9–13 after a tough loss, and gave up 20 points on 15 turnovers. If the Bulldogs were more careful in the first half, the Bulldogs might have won. Guard Anthony McClean led the team with 6 turnovers, but poor shooting also helped result in defeat.
Former Bulldogs Guard Steven Diaz was in attendance as well. “It was great to be back in West Quad, seeing guys like Coach Jeff. When I was playing, Jeff was an assistant, it’s crazy to see him develop as a head coach” He later adds, “I think that Brooklyn needs to keep putting pressure on guards. They have these guards that can pressure the ball for 94 feet.”
After a tough battle against their CUNY rivals, The Bulldogs look to get their season back on track before the season ends so they can carry their momentum into the offseason.
