The Berkeley College men's basketball team finalized its 2023-2024 campaign this past weekend, as the No. 1 seeded Knights fell to No. 2 seeded Villa Maria in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament by a score of 85-76. The game took place on the campus of Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY. With the loss, the Knights wrapped-up their season 14-9, while the Vikings earned an automatic bid to the USCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, and will take on Penn State Mont Alto in the Play-In round this Sunday at 11:00am.
Despite the loss for the Knights, Julio Wallace led all scorers with 21 points (9-18 FG) to go along with four rebounds and a pair of assists. Karanja Bright, who was named the HVIAC Player of the Year prior to the game, wrapped-up his season with a 17-point, eight rebound effort. He also swiped three steals and dished a pair of assists. Kenneth Hines contributed 14 points, seven boards, and four steals, and Justyce Coleman netted 11 points while collecting eight rebounds, dropping four times, swiping a pair of steals, and swatting two shots.
Villa Maria was paced by the stellar effort of Juston Johnson, as he scored a team-high 20 points (6-10 FG, 6-7 FT) while leading all players with six assists. He also snatched three rebounds, as well. Damario James finished with 17 points and five rebounds, and Taron Benton and Trevin Boling scored 10 points apiece. Finally, it was Master Radford scoring eight points and pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. He also finished with three steals, and a pair of swatted shots.
Things looked promising for Berkeley College in the early stages of the contest, as the Knights took an 8-2 advantage in the opening 2:03 of play. Wallace contributed four of those points, with Bright and Coleman each contributing a bucket. The Vikings answered with an 11-4 run over the ensuing 4:54, taking the lead for good, 13-12, on a converted layup by Radford.
Villa Maria would eventually go up by as many as 15 points (46-31) before a triple by Berkeley's Rickey Jones brought the Knights to within 12 with 24 seconds remaining in the opening half. That triple would serve as the final points of the half for either squad, as Villa Maria went into the locker room at halftime with a double-digit advantage.
In the second half, Berkeley battled to stay within striking distance, pulling to within seven points (71-64) with 6:47 left, but the Vikings would then rattle off eight straight points to take a commanding 79-64 edge with 5:16 left, with Johnson's trifecta capping that run.
The Knights, who had won eight consecutive HVIAC titles, refused to go down quietly. Berkeley used the next 3:29 to claw to within seven, 79-72, with 1:47 remaining. Unfortunately for Berkeley, Villa Maria would connect on six of its nine free throw attempts down the stretch, and the Knights would hit on just two more field goals the rest of the way, as the Vikings would win the Regional crown, 85-76.
The Vikings were the far more efficient team shooting the basketball, connecting on 54.7 percent of their attempts from the floor (29-53), while the Knights earned a conversion rate of 39.2 percent (29-74). Berkeley held a slim 39-37 edge on the glass, but Villa Maria dished 13 assists to the Knights' 12. Berkeley also won the turnover battle, committing just 13 miscues, while the Vikings had 20.
