The Berkeley College New York men's basketball team stayed perfect for the month of February (5-0), as the Knights defeated the visiting Lynx of NHTI by a score of 98-79 in a contest played at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in Lower Manhattan. With the victory, the Knights have now won five consecutive games and eight of their last nine. The team currently owns a record of 16-5 on the year. With the loss, NHTI dropped its third straight game while dipping to 17-8 on the 2014-2015 campaign.
It was senior day for the Knights, and the Berkeley College Department of Athletics took a moment to honor senior Kenton Chan-Man in a special halftime ceremony. Just before the start of the second half, Head Coach Chris Christiansen took the microphone and said a few heartfelt words about Chan-Man before presenting him with a commemorative plaque to thank him for his year of dedication to the Berkeley College Men's Basketball program.
As for the game itself, the Knights led from the opening tip. Berkeley grabbed a quick 6-0 lead thanks to three-point baskets by Tasheen Carrow and Chan-Man. Following a basket by the Lynx' Gabe Nichols, the Knights put together a 7-0 run to take a commanding 13-2 lead with 16:12 remaining in the first half. Later – Berkeley took its biggest lead of the first half – a 49-35 edge – with just under four minutes remaining in the opening session. NHTI used a mini 12-6 run to cut its deficit to eight points, as the Knights took a 55-47 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
The Lynx scored the first basket of the final period when Ethan Rutledge tipped-in a missed layup by Curtis Williams. That sliced the Knights' lead to six points, but Berkeley College answered in a big way by going on an 8-0 run over the ensuing 2:23 to go back ahead by 14 at 63-49. Alessandro DeAngelis and Stephon Jennings accounted for two baskets apiece during that spurt.
Following a timeout by the Lynx, NHTI used a triple by Ethan Rutledge and a layup by Jordan Lates to inch to within nine points at 63-54, but that is when senior Kenton Chan-Man took over. The Brooklyn, NY native sparked a massive run by the Knights, as Berkeley outscored the Lynx 18-4 over a 3:38 span to grab an 81-57 lead. Chan-Man accounted for 10 of his team's 18 points during the run. Berkeley College would eventually push its lead up 27 points before eventually winning the game by 19.
In what was a quintessential team effort by the Knights, five different players scored in double figures, including DeAngelis, as he connected on nine of his 14 attempts from the floor while posting game-highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Kenton Chan-Man netted 19 points. Stephon Jennings contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while Massiah Merritt nailed four triples and finalized his afternoon with 17 points in 23 minutes off the bench. Finally, it was Keenan Langston scored 12 points, recording a game-high nine assists, and snatching seven rebounds.
Leading the way for NHTI despite the loss was Jordan Lates, as he scored a team-high 21 points while nailing nine of his 17 attempts from the floor. Yordy Tavarez contributed 17 points while recording team-highs of six rebounds and five assists, and Ethan Rutledge and Gabe Nicholas added eight points apiece.
The Knights shot 51.3 percent from the floor (39-76), while the Lynx also had a high conversion rate, nailing 29 of their 60 attempts for the afternoon (48.3 percent). Berkeley dominated on the glass, out-rebounding NHTI 46-27, and the Knights dished a whopping 27 assists compared to 15 for their opponents. Both squads kept the turnover total low, with the Lynx committing just 15 miscues compared to 13 for the Knights. Berkeley racked-up 54 points in the paint, while NHTI had 24.
This Thursday, the Knights will be traveling to the Hill Center in Brooklyn, NY to compete for the top spot in the upcoming Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament against the Bears of St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn. Berkeley is currently 5-0 in league play, while the Bears are 4-0. If the Knights win that game, they clinch the top seed in the tourney. Should they suffer a loss, they would need St. Joseph's to lose to Albany College of Pharmacy on February 14 in order to grab the No. 1 seed. That game will serve as Berkeley College's regular season finale, and start-time for the contest is slated for 7:30pm.
