The Berkeley College men's basketball team reached the .500 mark on Sunday afternoon, defeating Vermont Tech in its home-opener by a score of 98-65 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in Lower Manhattan. With the victory, Berkeley improved to a record of 2-2 on the 2014-2015 campaign, while Vermont Tech dipped to 2-4 on the year.

Berkeley took control of this contest from the start, grabbing an early 6-0 advantage thanks to a basket by newcomer Kenton Chan-Man, and a free throw and three-point bucket by veteran Keenan Langston. The Knights gradually built their lead as the opening session progressed, and thanks to a three-point basket as the first half buzzer sounded by Massiah Merritt, Berkeley took its biggest lead - a 25 point edge (57-32) - into the locker room at halftime. Berkeley forced 18 turnovers and drained seven treys in the opening 20 minutes of action, a session that also saw the Knights record 14 assists as a team.

In the second half, Berkeley continued to play stingy defense, forcing 15 more Vermont Tech miscues while eventually going up by as many as 34 points. The Knights would eventually go on to win the game convincingly by 33.

Leading the way for Berkeley College in its victory was Massiah Merritt who continues to impress for the Knights, as the first-year standout led all scorers with 22 points while draining eight of his 12 shots from the floor. Additionally, he posted game-highs in assists with nine and steals with five. It was the fourth straight game that he recorded at least 18 points. Also, Chan-Man hit on eight of his 15 attempts from the floor and finalized his afternoon with 19 points, and Langston had 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Finally, Daquan Seymour netted 13 points and snatched a game-high nine rebounds.

Despite the loss for Vermont Tech, Jamal Hughes converted on eight of his 10 attempts from the charity stripe while scoring a team-high 18 points. Andrew Scott chipped in with 12 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists, and Logan White contributed 11 points and five rebounds, as well.

Berkeley College forced 31 Vermont Tech turnovers on the afternoon, and converted those miscues into 43 points. Berkeley also held a 26-9 edge in the assists category, while out-rebounding Vermont Tech slightly, by a margin of 38-37. Berkeley converted on 49.4 percent of its attempts from the floor (38-77), while Vermont Tech drained 25 of its 54 attempts (46.3 percent).

The Knights will return to action on Saturday, December 6, as Berkeley will take on Davis College at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 2:00pm.