BRONX, N.Y. – The Lehman College women's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to the College of Staten Island, 89-82, in CUNY Athletic Conference action, on Friday night, in the APEX Main Gym. The Lightning had the lead for the majority of the first half, but the Dolphins rallied in the second to earn the victory.

The final 13 minutes of the game featured four lead changes. After the Dolphins (7-8, 4-2 CUNYAC) grabbed their first lead since early in the first half, junior forward Yarmese Jones (Astoria, N.Y./William C. Bryant) countered with a layup, to tie the game at 57, with 12:37 left to play in regulation. The Dolphins went on a run to jump out to a four-point lead, but the Lightning (10-4, 4-2 CUNYAC) came storming back. Junior guard Jennifer Navarro (Jamiaca, N.Y./Grover Cleveland) knocked down a three-pointer to put the home team up, 70-69, as part of a 7-0 run. Lehman's string of consecutive points was capped off by a pair of free throws from junior forward Karrin Walker (New York, N.Y./Richard R. Green) to extend the Lightning's lead to 72-69, with 6:19 left to play.

The Dolphins turned the tide into their favor by scoring the game's next nine points, over the course of 2:35 to go up, 78-72, with just over three minutes to go. Lehman would not go down without a fight, as Jones laid the ball up and in, on the next possession, to pull the Lightning within four. After Lehman's defense prevented CSI from scoring, sophomore guard Amely Del Rosario (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) found Walker, who drained a three-point basket to cut Staten Island's lead to one, 78-77, with 2:14 remaining.

Unfortunately for the home team, that was as close as they would get for the remainder of the game, as the Dolphins went on an 11-5 run in the remaining 1:34, to earn the conference win. The final eight points that CSI scored were from the free throw line. Staten Island shot 92% from the line, in the second half, and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds during the game.

The Lightning dominated the first half. Del Rosario tallied a three-point shot to give Lehman a 16-10 lead, just over five minutes into the game. Later in the opening half, freshman forward Linda McKeon(Yonkers, N.Y./Moyne C.S.) continued the Lightning's dominance from beyond the arc, by nailing a three-point basket to increase Lehman's lead to 22-13.

With 8:19 left to play in the opening stanza, Del Rosario blocked a shot, fed the ball to junior forward Amani Lightbourne (Elmsford, N.Y./Alexander Hamilton), who went on a fastbreak, and laid the ball up and in, to give Lehman a 15-point lead, their largest of the game. Both teams went into the half with the home team up, 45-34. In the second half, CSI outscored Lehman, 55-37, to earn the comeback win.

For the game, Del Rosario just missed a triple-double, by scoring 28 points, dishing out nine assists, while grabbing eight rebounds, and adding five steals. Walker tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards. Lightbourne  scored 13 points and had five assists. McKeon and Navarro each scored eight points.

The Lightning will return to the APEX Main Gym on Wednesday, for another key conference game, this time against the defending CUNY Athletic Conference Champion Baruch College, at 7:00 p.m.

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