NEW YORK – In a season that has been marked by frustration, it all came together for the City College of New York men's basketball team on Tuesday night.  After trailing by six at halftime, the Beavers (1-17) outscored Staten Island (6-13) 47-32 in the second half to earn a 79-70 triumph at Nat Holman Gymnasium.  The win was the first collegiate coaching victory for first-year Head Coach Sean Clores.

Staten Island held a 38-32 advantage at the break and extended its lead to 40-32 on an Adeloa Latunji layup to start the second half.  However, a three-pointer Torrel Trim (Springfield Gardens, NY) on the other end sparked an 11-0 run that put the Beavers in front, 50-42.  CCNY eventually opened up a 13-point cushion, 63-50, when Yassine Sakhi (New York, NY) sank a pair of foul shots at the 7:37 mark.

The Dolphins scored nine of the next 10 points to trim their deficit to 64-59 before Sakhi responded with a pair of layups to bring the margin back to nine, 68-59, with 3:37 left.  After a Sakhi layup made it an 11-point game, 72-61, with 2:31 remaining, the Beavers went 5-for-7 at the foul line down the stretch to close out the 79-70 victory and snap their 19-game losing streak dating back to last season.  It was CCNY's first win since a 77-75 win over Brooklyn on Feb. 9, 2019.

Sakhi paced the Beavers with a career-high 28 points, 22 of which came in the second half.  He also posted eight rebounds and three assists.  Isaiah Denard (Staten Island, NY) had 17 points and six boards, while Daniel Piszczatowski (Middle Village, NY) finished with 12 points.  Romello Rashad (New Yori, NY) added 11 points, seven boards and three steals.  Jonathan Suazo (Bronx, NY), meanwhile, contributed six points, five rebounds and three assists.  As a team, CCNY shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the floor, 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from downtown, and 74.1 percent (20-of-27) at the free throw line.

CCNY got off to a hot shooting start in the first half, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on a Denard layup and two Piszczatowski jumpers.  Staten Island rallied to go in front 9-8 before Denard drained a three-pointer to start another 6-0 spurt that gave the Beavers a 14-9 advantage.  Denard's fourth trey of the half made it a five-point game, 22-17, with 9:22 left until halftime.  The Dolphins ended the period on a 21-10 run, though, and took a 38-32 edge into the locker room.

For the Dolphins, Latunji led the way with 23 points, and Andrew Kartalis recorded 18 points.  Joseph Zieris had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocks.  Staten Island shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) overall, 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from three-point land, and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) at the charity stripe.

On Saturday, the Beavers begin a four-game road trip with a 3 p.m. visit to Cairn (10-8).  It will be CCNY's final non-conference matchup of the season.