The Berkeley College men's basketball team won two out of three games this past weekend, falling to Clinton College by a score of 103-88 back on January 27th at CCNY's Nat Holman Gymnasium, before turning around and winning road games at Manor College (101-83) and Culinary Institute of America (102-24) on January 28th and January 29th, respectively.

 

With the aforementioned output, Berkeley is now 10-9 on the 2022-2023 campaign, including a mark of 4-0 in HVIAC competition. The Knights' victory on Sunday helped Berkeley clinch a spot in the upcoming HVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament. 

 

The Clinton College Golden Bears improved to a mark of 10-1 on the season with their victory on Friday. The Blue Jays of Manor College slipped to 5-9 with Saturday's defeat, and the Steels of Culinary Institute of America fell to 1-7 (0-4 CUNYAC) with Sunday's loss.

 

Despite Berkeley's loss to Clinton on Friday, the Knights were paced by the stellar performance of Jihadu Brunner, as he connected on 11 of his 20 attempts from the floor, and all six of his free throw attempts, to finish with a game-high 31 points. He also snatched nine rebounds and dished three assists. Tahshon Moore contributed 17 points, a game-high seven assists, and six rebounds, and Malachi Faison posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Finally, it was Kenneth Hines scoring 11 points while collecting six boards and registering a pair of assists.

 

For the Golden Bears, Clinton College was paced by Jeremiah Anderson, as he nailed seven of his 10 attempts from the floor, and six of his eight freebees, to finish with a team-high 21 points. He also piled five assists while grabbing four rebounds. Tyrik Ward-Hoyte netted 19 points while snatching five rebounds and adding two assists and a pair of steals. Camerson Shannon and Jaden Clarke each scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, with Shannon also tallying five steals, and finally, it was Tyler Hammond scoring 10 points and dishing a team-high six assists.

 

In what was a very competitive first half featuring five lead changes, the Golden Bears' biggest lead of the opening session was eight points (26-18 and 28-20), while Berkeley's biggest advantage was nine (43-34). The Knights' strongest charge of the opening half came when it was down 28-20 with 10:11 remaining. Over the ensuing 6:34, the Knights put together a 23-6 run to jump ahead by a score of 43-34 with 3:37 left in the first half. Brunner scored 12 points during that stretch. 

 

Clinton College responded to Berkeley's ferocious run with a 9-1 run to pull to within a point at 44-43, but the Knights outscored the visitors 5-2 over the final 64 seconds of the session to take a 49-45 edge into the locker room at halftime. 

 

The Golden Bears dominated the second half of play, outscoring the Knights by 19 (58-39) while shooting 55 percent (22-40) and holding the hosts to just 13 converted field goals. Berkeley did appear to be in solid shape, holding a 66-58 lead with 13:15 remaining, but it was all Clinton from there. The Golden Bears used a 24-3 run over a span of 5:27 to jump ahead 82-69. Berkeley's Moore with connect on a trifecta to temporarily halt the visitors' momentum, but Clinton College responded to that triple with a 10-0 run to take a commanding 92-72 edge with 4:39 to play. The Golden Bears would lead by as many as 21 points, before going on to win the game by 15 (103-88).

 

Both teams shot over 40 percent from the floor for the game, with the Golden Bears converting on 48.1 percent of their shots (38-79), compared to a 41 percent conversion rate for the hosts (32-78). The teams were deadlocked at 48 rebounds apiece, and Clinton College held a 28-18 edge in the assists category. The teams took care of the basketball well, with Berkeley committing just 17 turnovers, and Clinton having just 14. Clinton College's bench contributed 52 points, with the Knights' netting 19.

 

The Knights' didn't have long to dwell on the defeat, because they were right back on the court less than 19 hours later against a Manor College Blue Jays team. Berkeley won the game by 18, led by Brunner's five trifectas, and game-high 27 points. He also added seven rebounds, as well. Julio Wallace scored 26 points and piled a whopping 14 assists, which were a game-high. He also collected seven boards, and swiped a team-high three steals. Finally, it was Moussa Diaby adding 16 points and six rebounds.

 

Despite the loss for the Blue Jays, Shyere Mayhue connected on 10 of his 14 shots from the line, finishing with a team-high 23 points. He also added four rebounds, and four assists. Eddie Fortescue Jr. netted 20 points, collected six boards, and swiped a game-high four steals, and Nassir Cook posted a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Finally, it was Larenzo Jackson finalizing his evening with 13 points, four boards, theee helpers, and three steals.

 

The Knights were the more efficient team shooting the basketball in this one, nailing 50 percent of their shots (40-80), while the hosts converted on 37.8 percent of their attempts (28-74). Berkeley dominated the glass, snatching 57 boards to the Blue Jays' 42, and the Knights also piled 31 assists compared to 17 for Manor. the Blue Jays did win the turnover battle, committing only 19 miscues, while Berkeley had 29.

 

In the Knights' final game of the week, Berkeley punched its ticket to the HVIAC Men's Baskeball Tournament, clinching a spot in the upcoming regional playoffs by trouncing the Steels of Culinary by 78 (102-24). Rashid Abdullin led the way for Berkeley, as he scored a game-high 44 points (17-28 FG, 6-11 3PT-FG). Diaby added 14 points, and Bright and Wallace contributed 11 apiece.

 

Despite the loss for the Steels, Davion Only-Going scored a team-high six points.

 

Berkeley College will return to the court this weekend, as the Knights will travel to Virginia for a pair of games. On Friday, February 3rd, Berkeley will play at Apprentice (7pm), before turning around to face Virginia Peninsula Community College on Saturday, February 4th.