The Berkeley College men's basketball team won its sixth consecutive game Tuesday evening, turning back the Gulls of Endicott College by a score of 80-62 on the first day of the 2014 Trinity Holiday Invitational. The contest was played at the Stan Ogrodnik Court inside Oosting Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity College. With the victory, the Knights are now 7-2 on the 2014-2015 campaign, while the Gulls dipped to 5-3 with the loss.
Throughout the contest there were eight lead changes and seven ties. The largest lead for Endicott College came in the first half and it was eight, while the biggest advantage for the Knights was 19 midway through the final stanza.
Endicott controlled the tempo during the first 20 minutes and entered the locker room at halftime with a 31-27 edge. With the Gulls holding a 39-38 advantage four minutes into the second half, senior Keenan Langston made a jumper to give the Knights a lead they would not surrender throughout the remainder of the contest. Over the next nine minutes, Berkeley blew the game open with a 26-9 run thanks to stout defense and an aggressive fast-break offense.
A balanced offensive attacked propelled the Knights to the victory as four different players scored in double figures. Sophomore forward Stephon Jennings led the way with a double-double thanks to 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Massiah Merritt poured in 15 off the bench, while Keenan Langston and Kenton Chan-Man each added 13 points apiece.
Despite the loss for Endicott College, the Gulls were led by sophomore guard Max Motroni who scored a game-high 19 points (including three baskets from downtown). Sophomore guard Drew Sawyer was the other Endicott student-athlete in double figures as he added 11 points off the bench. As a team, the Gulls dished out 14 assists on their 23 baskets, four of which came from sophomore guard Chris Lipscomb.
On the glass, Berkeley held a 45-37 advantage and they outscored Endicott, 48-30, in the paint. The Knights pulled down an impressive 16 offensive rebounds to help contribute to their 22 second-chance points.
Berkeley College will now square off with the host Bantams tomorrow, December 31, at 2:00 p.m. in the championship tilt and Endicott will take on MCLA in the consolation game at noon.