The Berkeley College men's basketball team split a pair of weekend contests, defeating Bryant & Stratton-Albany by a score of 80-75 in overtime Friday evening, before falling to Atlantis University the following day, 84-76. Friday evening's victory over the Bobcats took place at Achievement First Brooklyn High School, while Saturday's setback against Atlanteans emanated from CCNY's Nat Holman Gymnasium in Harlem, NY. With the 1-1 output, Berkeley is now 3-3 on the 2023-2024 campaign.
Pacing the Knights in their thrilling victory over Bryant & Stratton-Albany was standout Brandon Speller, as he connected on 10 of his 14 attempts from the floor, and scored a game-high 22 points. He also added four rebounds, registered three steals, and sprinkled in two assists. Julio Wallace scored 18 points (8-10 FT), recorded a game-high six steals, snatched five boards, and contributed three dimes, and Maurice Harris finalized his evening with 16 points, four caroms, and three assists. Finally, it was Karanja Bright scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
Pacing the Bobcats was Aaron Corker, as his 19 points were a team-high. He connected on nine of his 14 attempts from the floor while also snatching six rebounds and tallying a pair of assists. Devon Smith-Johnson posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Amari Scott netted 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, tallied three assists, and added a pair of steals.
Berkeley held an early 11-4 advantage in the opening 4:08 of action before Bryant & Stratton-Albany raced back with an 11-4 run of its own to knot the game at 15 apiece with 11:35 remaining in the half. The Bobcats would go up by as many as 14 points (33-19) before taking a 37-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Things looked bleak for the Knights late, as Berkeley trailed 61-50 with 7:47 remaining. The Knights, however, refused to wilt. Berkeley clawed back, trailing just 70-66 inside the final minute of play. A Wallace converted layup with 32 seconds left brought the hosts within two, 70-68, and a Bobcats turnover followed that, giving Berkeley the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Following a Knights timeout, Speller converted on a layup with five seconds remaining to tie the game. Bryant & Stratton-Albany has a chance to win it in the final seconds of regulation, but Aaron Corker's jumper was off the mark, sending the contest to overtime.
Berkeley trailed 73-70 after 51 seconds of overtime, but consecutive buckets by Speller over a span of 10 seconds put Berkeley ahead 74-73. Later, with 1:44 remaining, Thomas Clinton III converted on a pair of freebees to put the visitors ahead 75-74. The Knights would take the lead for good 33 seconds later, as Jihadu Brunner made a layup to put Berkeley ahead 76-75. The Knights would score four more points the rest of the way while holding the Bobcats scoreless, as Berkeley went on to register a thrilling 80-75 victory.
For the evening, the Knights connected on 47 percent of their attempts from the floor (31-66), while the Bobcats were a cut below, converting on 43.8 percent of their attempts (28-64). Bryant & Stratton-Albany held an impressive 46-36 edge on the glass, but the Knights recorded 15 steals compared to nine for the visitors. Berkeley won the turnover battle, committing 16 miscues while the Bobcats had 24, and the teams had 20 assists apiece.
In Berkeley's loss to Atlantis University, Wallace scored a team-high 20 points while snatching five rebounds, and Brunner added 17 points, five boards, and a pair of steals. In addition, Bright scored 16 points while grabbing eight rebounds, swatting four shots, and contributing two steals, and it was Maurice Harris scoring 10 points, grabbing six rebounds, and swatting four shots.
The Atlanteans were paced by Gravon Goodman's double-double, as he posted game-highs of 23 points and 10 boards. Keith Shakes Jr. and Tyric Francois scored 14 points apiece, and Nikko Trafton added 12. Finally, it was Anthony Bowen putting together a fine all-around game, scoring 10 points, dishing six assists, and grabbing five rebounds.
Berkeley College led 42-35 at halftime, but Atlantis University owned the second session, outscoring the Knights 49-34 to snatch an 84-76 victory.
For the game, Berkeley connected on 43.5 percent of its attempts from the floor (27-62), while the Atlanteans converted on 42.3 percent of their shot attempts (30-71). Atlantis University held a slim 41-40 edge in the rebounding department, while also tallying 11 assists compared to four for the hosts. Berkeley committed 24 turnovers on the afternoon, while the visitors had 19.
Berkeley will return to action on Friday evening, as the Knights will travel to the Buffalo State Sports Arena to take on Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo). Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 8:00pm.
