The Berkeley College of New York men's basketball team claimed sole possession of first place in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Tuesday evening, as the Knights turned back the Panthers of Albany College of Pharmacy by a score of 78-55 in a game played at the Wellness Center on the campus of the College of New Rochelle. With the victory, the surging Knights improved to a mark of 13-5 on the season, and 4-0 in conference competition, while the Panthers dipped to 4-11 overall, and 3-2 in HVIAC play.
Berkeley College started slow out of the gate in this one, falling behind to Albany College of Pharmacy by a score of 11-3 in the opening 3:53 of action. The Knights continued to trail over the ensuing 6:51, finding themselves behind by a score of 19-13. It was at that point that the Knights would swing momentum in their favor, as Berkeley went on a tear, scoring 19 of the game's next 23 points to grab a 32-23 lead. Junior guard Keenan Langston put forth a dominant display during that surge, netting 13 of his team's 19 points during that span. The Knights would eventually take a 36-26 edge into the locker room at halftime.
Albany College of Pharmacy would open up the second session similarly to how they began the first half – making baskets and getting stops. The Panthers spent the opening 3:27 of the period clawing back, going on an 8-2 run (thanks to baskets from four different players) to pull to within four points at 38-34. First-year Knights sensation Massiah Merritt would then go on a tear, as he sparked a 14-0 Berkeley College run by netting 10 points during that spurt while knocking down five of his six shot attempts during that spurt. The Knights held a 52-34 lead at that juncture with 13:19 remaining in the game.
Berkeley would balloon its lead up to 21 (58-37), but the Panthers refused to go quietly, as Albany Pharmacy would use back-to-back layups and a free throw by Brandon Votra, as well a three-point play by David McEntee and a converted freebee by John Caswell to pull to within 12 points at 58-46 with 8:31 remaining on the clock. That was the closest the Panthers would get, as the swarming Knights defense would allow only three more Albany College of Pharmacy field goals the rest of the way while finishing the contest on a 20-9 run to account for the 23 point win.
Leading the way for Berkeley College in a triumphant effort was Merritt, as he nailed 11 of his 18 shot attempts while finishing the evening with a game-high 23 points. He also tallied seven assists, pulled down six rebounds, and collected three steals. Langston contributed 17 points, a team-high nine assists, six rebounds, and a team-high six steals, and Kenton Chan-Man buried three triples and netted 13 points while adding four steals. Finally, it was Stephon Jennings completing his evening with 11 points and five caroms.
Two players shared the team-high in points for Albany College of Pharmacy, as both Alex Johnson and Brandon Votra scored 14 points. Johnson also contributed four assists and three steals, while Votra added six rebounds, a pair of assists, and two steals. Emmanuel Okafor netted six points while snatching a team-best nine rebounds.
Both teams shot well from the floor, with the Knights drilling 45.8 percent of their shots (33-72) compared to 42.9 percent for Albany College of Pharmacy (21-49). Berkeley held a 42-32 edge in the rebounding department, while also dishing 22 assists to the Panthers' 14. The Knights forced 28 opponent turnovers, and converted those miscues into 34 points. Albany forced 17 Knights mistakes, dropping-in 18 points off those.
Berkeley College will look to win its third consecutive game while also making it 5-for-5 in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, as the Knights will travel to Brooklyn, NY on Thursday evening to battle Pratt Institute. Start-time for that game is scheduled for 8:30pm.
