The Berkeley College men's basketball team closed out calendar year 2022 winning two out of three contests, falling to Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse 97-82 back on December 17, before turning around to register consecutive wins in a Buffalo trip, downing Villa Maria 79-68 and Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo 83-81 on December 19th and 20th, respectively. With that output, the Knights improved to a mark of 5-5 overall (2-0 HVIAC).
The Knights' game against the Bobcats came back on December 17 at CCNY's Nat Holman Gymnasium in Upper Manhattan. Despite the loss, Berkeley College was led by Jihadu Brunner, as he led all players with a game-high 27 points (10-18 FG, 5-5 FT). He also added a game-high four steals while snatching three rebounds. Marc Combs contributed 18 points, five boards, three assists, and three steals, and it was Tahshon Moore finishing with 13 points, six caroms, three assists, and three steals.
Leading the way on Saturday for the Bobcats was Anton Berga who scored a team high 25 points on an impressive 10-15 shooting from the field. Jameel Abdallah (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Moses Hughes (16 points) were also key contributors. All five Bobcats starters reached double figures with Josue Oreste adding 15 points and 9 rebounds and Darren Joyner scoring 10 points.
Following the setback to the Bobcats, Berkeley embarked on a trip to Buffalo, NY to take on Villa Maria in an HVIAC contest at the Villa Athletic Center. The Knights captured the victory, led by Combs finishing with a game-high 24 points (4-8 3PT FG). He also grabbed five rebounds, registered three dimes, and tallied three steals. Brunner netted 18 points while collecting six boards, and Moore finalized his evening with 17 points and four boards.
For the Vikings, Master Radford and Rhalon Bragg tied for the team-high of 17 points. Radford added a game-high 12 rebounds, as well. Nolan Shephard put together a fine all-around performance, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists, and Damario James finished with 10 points.
Following the Knights' conference victory over Villa Maria, Berkeley returned to action the next day, winning a thrilling contest against Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo. Karranja Bright led the Knights, nailing eight of 10 shots to finish with a game-high 24 points. He also snatched seven rebounds, registered three assists, and tallied two steals. Brunner contributed 21 points, five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Kenneth Hines and Combs netted 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Pacing Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo was DJ Little, as he posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He also recorded five steals and piled four assists. Kalon Kimble added 12 points and five boards, and DaShaun Brown and DJ Brown scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Berkeley College has now won five out of six overall after dropping their first four games of the season, and the Knights will return to the court this weekend, as they'll travel to Concord, New Hampshire to play in the NHTI New Year' Classic. This Saturday, Berkeley will take on the University of Maine at Augusta in a neutral contest at 6:00pm. The following day, the Knights will play host NHTI at 4:00pm.
