Purple Knights Earn Comeback Win over Staten Island, 80-73

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Despite facing a 10-point deficit late in the second half, the University of Bridgeport's men's basketball team earned an 80-73 win over the College of Staten Island on Tuesday night. The non-conference victory pushes the Purple Knights' record to 7-7 this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 67-57 with 8:42 remaining, Bridgeport rattled off a 10-0 spurt to tie the game at the 6:18 mark. The Purple Knights would then break a 71-71 tie courtesy of a Jayden Iturmendi (York, Pa. / William Penn HS) bucket with 2:34 remaining.

Now up 73-71, Bridgeport iced the game with a pair of stops and a Tim Dawson layup with just 59 seconds left in regulation. The Purple Knights went on to make 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to put the final margin at 80-73.

Bridgeport led by as many as nine in the first half before trailing 43-41 at the break.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Graduate student Sam DeSouza (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Benjamin Banneher Academy) was nothing short of sensational for the Purple Knights. The Brooklyn native poured in a season-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting. He also grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to secure his first double-double of the season, in addition to recording two blocks, two steals and two assists.

Three other Purple Knights finished in double figures, including Tim Dawson (New Haven, Conn. / NYIT) with 16 points and Iturmendi and Caleb Jacobs (Harlem, N.Y. / Marshalltown CC) each with 12. Dawson also registered team-highs in both steals (4) and assists (5) while Iturmendi matched DeSouza with a pair of blocks.

As a team, the Purple Knights piled up 13 steals and dished out 19 assists on 33 baskets. Bridgeport also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds while outrebounding the Dolphins, 46-43.

UP NEXT
The Purple Knights will host Chestnut Hill College on Saturday at 3 p.m.