Box Score Staten Island, N.Y. – The Lehman College men's basketball team needed overtime to defeat the College of Staten Island 85-79, in a CUNYAC game played in Staten Island on Friday.  The Lighting improved to 8-3 overall and sport an unblemished, 4-0 mark in CUNYAC competition.
 
CSI jumped out to a 10-2 lead over the first 3:47 of game time.  The only Lightning points coming from an Andrew Utate bucket.  The Dolphins pushed the lead up to a dozen, but Lehman hung around as a Mylo Mitchell three-pointer at 11:29 pulled them within nine.  A CSI basket with 2:40 left gave them their largest lead of the half, 16 points, at 32-16.  From there, the Lightning rattled off nine straight points to trail 32-25 at the half.  Ja-Zhyoun Laing, Luis Hernandez and Jean Marcial each had a basket, while Utate converted a three-point-play.
 
Lehman got within five points less than two minutes into the second half when Miguel Haboosh buried a three-pointer to make the score 35-30.  The Lighting tied the game at 41-all when Tevon Bennett slashed through the lane for a layup at 14:52.  From there, neither side could take a commanding lead as they jockeyed for position.  CSI led 70-68 with 0:07 left.  Lehman committed a foul to put the Dolphins on the line to stop the clock.  CSI missed the front end of a one-in-one and Hernandez scored the game-tying layup as the buzzer sounded.  The game headed into overtime deadlocked at 70-70.
 
In the extra session, Lehman outscored CSI, 15-9 to earn the 85-79 win.  Their largest lead of the game, nine points, came on a Hernandez foul shot with 0:05 left in the extra session.
 
Despite shooting 8-21, Hernandez led the team with 24 points.  Utate finished with 22 and Haboosh, a freshman, set a new career high with 15 points (all in the second half).  Mitchell chipped in with 12.
 
The Lehman College men's basketball team returns to action on Friday, January 5, when they face York in Queens in a CUNYAC matchup.  The start time is scheduled for 7:30 PM.