The Berkeley College women's basketball team won its second consecutive contest, defeating the Nittany Lions of Penn State Hazleton on Sunday afternoon by a score of 69-59. The game took place at the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium in Hazleton, PA. With the victory, the Knights improved to 6-8 on the 2017-2018 season, while the Nittany Lions fell to 6-9 on the year. Following the game, Head Coach Alex Kuchar spoke about his team's performance.
"Today we played with purpose and executed throughout," Kuchar said. "We looked at this game as a vital one for us in a very important stretch of the season. To come out and play as hard as we did is definitely a positive sign. In addition to Ayana's performance, Jaiyamoira and Crystal really played their hearts out today. They were both in attack mode, and we need that kind of aggressiveness from them. Marisol also gave us 16 great minutes today as well. What a great victory for our ladies."
Ayana Ratliff led all scorers with 35 points on the afternoon, as she connected on 14 of her 28 shots from the floor. She also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, while also adding five assists. Crystal Miller netted 12 points and snatched four boards, and Jaiyamoira Myers contributed seven points, 10 rebounds, and two steals. Ebony Lofton finalized her afternoon with nine points and nine rebounds, as well.
Despite the loss for the Nittany Lions, Penn State Hazleton was paced by Kendra Pfeil, as she scored a team-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. Mckenzie Prutsman posted a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Shelby Berger added 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Knights set the tone of the game early, racing out to a quick 5-0 lead during the opening 1:55 of action thanks to a converted layup by Ratliff and a made three-point basket by Miller. Berkeley College would gradually build its lead as the quarter progressed, eventually grabbing a 20-11 edge after 10 minutes of action. In the second quarter, the Knights went up by as many as 15 points (36-21) before entering the locker room at halftime with a 36-25 advantage.
Penn State Hazleton started the second half by scoring seven unanswered points over a span of 3:37 to pull to within four points at 36-32. That aforementioned run included consecutive baskets by Berger, and a converted three-point attempt by Prutsman. The Knights would build their lead back up to as many as nine points – and Berkeley led 51-42 after three quarters of action.
In the fourth period, the Nittany Lions would once again come to within striking distance of tying the game, as Penn State Hazleton battled back to within four – 57-53 – with 5:54 remaining in the game. Later – with Berkeley clinging to a 64-59 edge with 1:39 remaining, the Knights closed things about by allowing no points in the final 99 seconds of play. Penn State Hazleton missed their final two shot attempts while also committing a turnover in those final 99 seconds. Berkeley would go on to win the contest by 10.
Both teams struggled offensively in this one, as Berkeley College connected on just 37 percent of its shots from the floor (27-73) – including just a three-for-12 output from downtown (25 percent). The Knights also hit just 12 of their 21 free throws on the afternoon (57.1 percent). On the flip side, the Nittany Lions also endured frustration on the offensive end. Penn State Hazleton drained just 23 of its 70 attempts from the floor (32.9 percent). The Nittany Lions also connected on just two of their 19 shots from beyond the arc as well (10.5 percent).
The Knights dominated on the glass in this one, out-rebounding the Nittany Lions by a count of 56-41. Remarkably, Berkeley College committed just six turnovers, with Penn State Hazleton committing just eight.
Berkeley College will return to action on Wednesday evening, as the Knights will take on the Lions of The King's College (NY) in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest. The game will take place at Baruch College, and start-time is scheduled for 9:00pm.
