In a contest featuring two teams playing for sole possession of first place in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Berkeley College women's basketball team fell to the Lady Bears of St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn by a score of 59-44 at the beautiful Hill Center in downtown Brooklyn. The loss – the Knights' fifth straight – drops Berkeley to 11-7 overall (3-1 in conference play), while the Lady Bears improved to 12-7 on the 2014-2015 campaign, and an unblemished 4-0 in league competition.
The teams traded the lead three times in the early stages of the opening half, and the Knights led 13-10 just 9:41 into the contest. Berkeley's Champagne Hazel and Rodnesha Diamond accounted for five points apiece during that span. For the remainder of the period, it was all St. Joseph's, however, as the Lady Bears turned up the voltage on defense and allowed just one more Knights field goal for the rest of the stanza while putting together a 16-2 run to take a 26-15 advantage into the locker room at halftime. St. Joseph's held the Knights to 18.8 percent shooting (6-for-32) for the half.
Berkeley College refused to go quietly in the second half, cutting its deficit to single digits numerous times. The Lady Bears' swarming defense was too much for the Knights, however, as St. Joseph's stayed poised and eventually nailed-down the 15-point victory. St. Joseph's held Berkeley to just 24.9 percent shooting for the evening while forcing 21 turnovers. The Lady Bears also dominated inside, finishing with 36 points in the paint, including 18 in the second half.
Taylor Raccuglia led the way for the Lady Bears, putting together a double-double, as she scored a game-high 23 points while snatching 13 rebounds and tallying five assists. Destiny Marino added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Samantha Retas had a nice all-around game, netting eight points, snatching 10 rebounds, and swatting four shots.
Despite the loss for the Knights, Champagne Hazel led the way for squad, scoring a team-best 19 points, nailing four three-pointers, and adding eight rebounds. Rodnesha Diamond contributed eight points and a game-high 15 caroms, and Janay Thomas netted 13 points and snatched five rebounds.
Berkeley College will look to get back in the win column on Thursday evening, as the Knights will travel to the Pratt Activities Resources Center for a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Cannoneers. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 6:30pm.