The Berkeley College basketball team cruised to its 35th consecutive program victory on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Cougars of Cincinnati-Clermont by a score of 101-66 in a game played at Penn State Brandywine. With the win, the -Knights are now 11-0 on the 2016-2017 campaign, while the Cougars slipped to 2-9 on the year.
It was another dominant performance for Berkeley College, as the Knights were led by veteran standout Stephon Jennings who posted game-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. The 6'5 senior connected on nine of his 10 attempts from the floor on the afternoon, while also collecting three assists. Massiah Merritt added 19 points, a game-high five steals, and three assists, and Johnnie Green nailed eight of his 11 attempts from the floor to finish with 16.
Junior guard Ricardo Ayuso also contributed in a big way for the Knights, as he scored 11 points on five-of-seven shooting in eight minutes of action, and senior Dondre Simmons turned in a versatile performance with seven points, five steals, four assists, and three rebounds.
The Knights trailed only briefly in this game, as Berkeley College was down 3-1 in the opening stages of the contest. A Dondre Simmons converted jumper 2:04 into the game knotted things at three apiece – and later – a Jennings free throw with 16:04 remaining in the opening session gave Berkeley a 9-8 lead – an advantage Berkeley would not relinquish.
Berkeley College led by as many as 22 points in the first half before taking an 18 point lead – 48-30 – into the locker room at halftime. In the second half, the Knights gradually built their lead, eventually going up by as many as 46 points before winning the contest by 35.
The Knights connected on 51.3 percent of their attempts from the floor (39-76), while the Cougars converted on 35.2 percent of theirs (25-71). Berkeley College dominated the glass, out-rebounding Cincinnati-Clermont 57-36, and the Knights won the turnover battle, committing 21 miscues while forcing 31.
Despite the loss for the Cougars, it was A'Drien Baker pacing Cincinnati-Clermont with team-highs of 20 points, five steals, and five assists. He also collected four rebounds. Nick Vosel contributed 17 points as well, and it was Jack Engleman adding 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Knights will return to action tomorrow evening against Penn State Brandywine. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 6:00pm.