STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The Lehman College men's basketball team concluded the regular season on a high note, by knocking off the College of Staten Island on the road, 81-64, on Tuesday evening. With the win, the Lightning will enter the CUNY Athletic Conference Championships as the third seed, and will battle #6 Hunter in the Quarterfinals, on Sunday at 1:00 p.m., in the APEX Main Gym. Lehman ended up finishing in a tie for second place with Brooklyn College. The Bulldogs won the tiebreaker, thanks to having a better record against top seeded Baruch.

"It has been a tremendous season," Lightning head coach Steve Schulman said. "I am really proud of this team. So many guys had to sacrifice to help us get to where we are."

The Lightning (17-8, 12-4 CUNYAC) and Dolphins (17-8, 11-5 CUNYAC) were tied at 10 early on. However, Lehman took complete control by scoring the game's next nine points, capped off by a three-pointer from freshman guard Andrew Utate (Washington Heights, N.Y./Mount Saint Michael Academy), to give Lehman a 19-10 lead, less than seven minutes into the contest.

With Lehman up 28-17, junior forward Chaun Miller (Brooklyn, N.Y./Eleanor Roosevelt) scored the game's next five points, including a successful shot from beyond the arc, to extend the visiting team's lead to 33-17, with 8:20 left to play in the first half.

Lehman went into intermission up 46-27.

In the second half, the Lightning were up by as many as 23, but the Dolphins rallied to cut Lehman's lead to single-digits, 71-62, with 4:28 remaining. Lehman would counter by scoring 10 unanswered points, capped off by a three-point basket from Utate, to give the Lightning a more comfortable 81-62 advantage, with less than two minutes remaining. Lehman would go on to win, 81-64.

The Lightning had a very balanced scoring attack, as five players scored in double-figures. Miller recorded 19 points, while Utate produced 15 points and three assists. 

Senior guard Jonathan Greenfield (Hartford, Conn./Windsor) had a very productive game, by scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out four assists, and blocking three shots. Junior forward Jerrome Jones (Bronx, N.Y./Mount Vernon) just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Classmate Olando Minott (Bronx, N.Y./Samuel Gompers) added 12 points.

Freshman guard John Brens (Washington Heights, N.Y./All Hallows) scored eight points, with just as many assists, and added six rebounds.