STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. –  For the second consecutive game, junior forward Deng Akok finished with a double-double, scoring a career-high 21 points with 14 rebounds, but a late-stage 8-0 run by the College of Staten Island helped the Dolphins down Post University Men's Basketball, 95-88, in the team's seventh road game of the year.

The Eagles now sit at 4-9 overall this season while being 1-6 away from the Drubner Center. In all, six of the seven players who touched the court for the College of Staten Island finished in double figures on the scoresheet.

THE BASIC

Post University 88, College of Staten Island 95

Post University (4-9)

College of Staten Island (11-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a tale of two first halves as only two lead changes occurred over the opening 20 minutes of action. Dominating the first 10 minutes were the Eagles, jumping out to an eight-point lead, their largest of the half, 16-8, after trailing by three to start the game on a triple by sophomore guard Mitchell Wiggan to open up the scoring. The responding 9-0 run by the Post offense saw junior forward Deng Akok score five points while junior guard Ta'Quan Williams tacked on the other four of the stretch.

While the Eagles held the lead from the 17:08 mark on, the Dolphins would slowly chip away at their deficit, turning a five-point hole with 8:16 to go, into an 11-point lead over the next 6:15 of the half. A 16-0 run by College of Staten Island, in which Post missed 10 shots and turned the ball over three times, made it a 41-30 game with 2:01 left.

Three Dolphins would close in double figures with 12 points from senior forward Eric Tynes leading the way, followed by 10 each from freshman guard Andrew Benedict and Wiggan. Junior guard Zion Lott, who had five first-half points, hit a three to send Post into the half trailing by 12 points, 50-38, while Akok led the way with nine points.

Both teams shot over 40% from the floor, with the Dolphins going 16-for-31 (51.6%), including 56.3% from three with nine makes, while Post was 16-for-36 (44.4%) overall with a 27.8% half from three after making five shots from long range.

Eventually, that halftime deficit would slowly dwindle down for the Eagles, and despite trailing still by 11 points with 13:46 remaining in regulation, Lott would start an 11-0 run with his layup, capped off by two free throws from Williams, tying the game at 66 only two-and-a-half minutes later. Leading for the first time since there was 5:51 left in the first half, graduate forward Brody Limric's three with 10:37 left made it a one-point lead for Post, 69-68.

Neither side would allow the other to extend their advantage beyond four points, and after freshman guard Cayleb Walters gave Post their four-point lead with just over five minutes remaining, an emphatic dunk by senior forward Asa Kone turned momentum back in favor of the home team Dolphins, who began a responding 6-0 run to take a two-point lead, 87-85.

Scoring the last basket of the game for the Eagles was graduate guard Cape Holden with 3:12 left as his three-pointer put Post back ahead by one, 88-87, before they would miss their last six shots of the contest, falling 95-88 as the College of Staten Island connected on their final six free throws around a layup from junior guard Aaron Goldstein. 

Post finished the game shooting 45.1% overall, led by 22 points from Williams, who went 7-for-11, followed by Akok's 8-for-13 performance en route to his second consecutive double-double. 22 points for Goldstein paced the Dolphins as the junior was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, where the team went 27-for-34 (79.4%) overall, taking nearly triple the number of free throws that Post did, going 11-for-12 (90.9%).

BY THE NUMBERS

• Deng Akok finished with his second consecutive double-double, going for a career-high 21 points and 14 rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting – Akok set career highs with Post University in points (21), minutes (30), field goals made (8), field goal attempts (13), three-point attempts (6), rebounds (14), and blocks (1)
• Out of the seven total players who saw action for the College of Staten Island, six of them finished scoring in double digits, with JJ Chestnut, who reached 1,000 career points, being the only one to fall short with seven points
• At halftime this season, Post University is a perfect 4-0 when leading at halftime, while being 0-8 when trailing and 0-1 when tied 
• This is the first time in program history in which Post University has lost to the College of Staten Island, as well as the first time they have faced them on the road – The Eagles played their first-ever game against the Dolphins at home last season, winning 86-71

WHO'S NEXT
Post University looks to win its sixth game in the last seven matchups against Goldey-Beacom College on Saturday at 3:00 PM on the road. Last season, the Eagles lost in the regular season at home to the Lightning, 89-85, snapping their four-game winning streak against them, before avenging it in the CACC Quarterfinals with a 76-68 win.