Box Score New York, N.Y. – The No. 2 Lehman College women's basketball team fell behind early in the game and could not get their shot going to come back as their attempt to repeat fell short against No. 3 College of Staten Island, 69-43, in the CUNYAC semifinals Tuesday night on the campus of CCNY.
Pacing the Lightning (17-9, 14-3 CUNYAC) was
Ayanna Behagen, who scored a team-high 14 points with seven rebounds.
Krystal Pearson added 10 points of her own along, while
Marika Gordon grabbed nine rebounds in a losing effort.
The Dolphins were led by conference player of the year Christina Pasaturo, who poured in 15 points and secured a game-high 20 rebounds for a double-double. Angelique Price (20) and Samantha Flecker (17) each scored in double figures as they advance to the tournament finals against Brooklyn College Friday.
Staten Island got out to a hot start, hitting the first eight points of the game to force an early Lehman timeout. They failed to chip at the deficit in the first, falling behind 20-6 after one. They had their best quarter in the second, cutting the Dolphins' lead down to single digits at one point but CSI continued to hit their long range shots and took a 37-23 advantage at halftime.
The second half saw the Lehman defense help clamp down on the opposing team, but they failed to capitalize on offense as they tallied just three points in the stanza. The deficit was too much in the fourth as the Lightning were eliminated.
The Lightning had their toughest game all season when it comes to shooting, hitting just 26.2% (16-for-61) of their shots all game including just six field goals in the second half. Staten Island controlled the glass, earning a decisive 58-31 including 19 offensive boards.
This concludes an impressive season for Lehman despite the defeat, earning a number-two seed in the CUNYAC with a 14-2 record including 13 of their last 14 games.
