The Berkeley College men's basketball team won its fifth consecutive game on Wednesday evening, dominating the Huskies of Word of Life by a score of 94-63 in HVIAC action. The contest took place at the Huskies Health & Athletic Center in Pottersville, NY. With the win, the Knights are now 9-7 on the 2023-2024 campaign (1-0 HVIAC), while Word of Life dipped to 4-19 (0-4 HVIAC).
Pacing the Knights in their victory was Rickey Jones, as the youngster maximized his 18 minutes of action, scoring a team-high 17 points (6-8 FG, 5-6 FT) to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Brandon Speller netted 16 points while snatching five boards and dishing a team-high three assists, and Kareem Butler added 13 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Finally, it was Karanja Bright adding 10 points, eight boards, and two dimes.
Despite the loss for Word of Life, Joseph Matthews led all players with 23 points. His seven rebounds were a team-high, and his four blocks were a game-high. Travis Shearin contributed 13 points, five boards, and a game-high five assists, and Branden Dugger contributed 10 points and four rebounds.
Berkeley College played from behind for most of the opening 10:33 of action, as Word of Life opened up a seven-point edge, holding a 25-18 lead over the Knights. The pendulum then swung Berkeley's way, as the Knights put together a 14-2 run over a span of 3:22 to catapult ahead by a score of 32-27. That aforementioned run was highlighted by the stellar play of Jones and Butler, with both contributing six points during the spurt. Word of Life then scored seven of the next nine points to deadlock the contest at 34 points apiece with 4:14 left in the half.
Understanding the importance of finishing halves strong, Berkeley capped the opening 20 minutes of action by going on a ferocious 12-0 run to take a commanding 46-34 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Brian Fajardo scored four points during the run, with Bright, Josiah Mitchener, Jerome Micah Kashisha, and Kenneth Hines each contributing two.
Using the momentum from their run at the end of the opening half, Berkeley opened the second half on a tear, outscoring Word of Life 21-3 over the opening 5:37 of the session to take a 67-37 advantage. From that moment on, the Knights never led by less than 27 points, eventually going up by as many as 34, before winning the game by 31, 94-63.
For the game, the Knights shot the ball very well, connecting on 44.3 percent of their attempts from the floor (39-88), while Word of Life earned a conversion rate of 38.7 percent (24-62). Berkeley dominated the glass, snatching 55 rebounds compared to 33 for the hosts, and the Knights also tallied 15 steals to the Huskies' six. Berkeley swatted nine shots compared to six for Word of Life, but the home school did win the assists battle narrowly, 15-14. The Knights protected the basketball well, committing just 14 turnovers, while Word of Life had 28.
The Knights will return to action on Saturday evening, as Berkeley College takes to the road to battle Washington Adventist. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 8:00pm.
