BROOKLYN, NY - The Medgar Evers College men's basketball team hosted the College of Staten Island at the Cougars Cave on Friday, December 6. 

The Cougars defeated the Dolphins by a final score of 87-83, in an exciting game which was decided only in the final few seconds.

The black-and-gold came ready to play, as they jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead. CSI then replied with the next 11 points, and the Dolphins eventually took a 20-13 lead, which they soon extended to 30-20 as the Cougars faced their largest deficit of the game.

Mousa Sinera stole the ball and threw it ahead to Jonathan Grimsley for a fastbreak layup to give Medgar a 39-36 advantage with under a minute left in the half. Sinera, playing in his first contest since November 16, had already recorded 13 rebounds and four steals by halftime.

A Grimsley layup made the score 59-52, the Cougars' largest lead of the second half. The Dolphins and the Cougars went shot-for-shot and stop-for-stop, and with a minute left CSI held an 80-78 lead.

Marcus Lewis found Grimsley in the high post, who converted a left-handed layup to tie the game, before the Dolphins responded with a bucket in the paint of their own to make the score 82-80 with under 30 seconds left.

The Cougars took a quick shot on their next possession, which was blocked and rebounded by Staten Island. The black-and-gold applied quick and energetic defensive pressure and forced an errant pass, which Elias Scott stole and converted into an and-one layup with 22 seconds left.

After the go-ahead free throw, Lewis took a charge and Keison McIntosh then converted two free throws to make the score 85-82 Cougars. Medgar fouled and after CSI converted one of two free throws, McIntosh hit two more free throws to make the score 87-83 with five seconds left, essentially ending the game.

Grimsley finished with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, adding 3 assists and two steals, while Sinera contributed a 12-point, 17-rebound, six-steal, three-assist double-double of his own. Scott chipped in 17 points and four assists, while Devin Berrios added 16 points and four three-pointers.

The Cougars grabbed 48 rebounds, a season high, while conceding a season-low 40. The 83 Dolphin points are the fewest the team has allowed this season, while their totals of 12 steals and 20 assists both represent the second-highest totals of 2019-20.

The team returns to action on Saturday, December 28, when they take on D'Youville College at 4 pm. The contest will be the Cougars' first in the 2nd Annual Dr. Carol V. DeCosta men's basketball tournament, held at the Cougars Cave that weekend.