The Berkeley College women's basketball team picked up a pair of victories this past weekend, defeating Penn State York this past Saturday evening, 59-53, before turning back Central Penn by a score of 72-61 on Sunday afternoon. With those results, Berkeley improved to 3-3 on the season.
In their victory over the Nittany Lions of Penn State York, the Knights were led by the standout effort of Keisy Villanueva, as she posted a double-double with game-highs of 23 points, 20 rebounds, and six blocked shots. Kanijah Jacobs also played well for Berkeley, registering 15 points and a pair of boards, and finally, it was Khya Hough finishing with eight points and eight boards.
Despite the loss for Penn State York, the Nittany Lions Jillian Foster put forth a strong effort with team-bests of 14 points and 10 rebounds. She also recorded a pair of assists, as well. Abigail Alexander finished with 12 points, four boards, and two steals, and Jayla Brown added nine points, as well.
Berkeley struggled throughout the entirety of the opening quarter, though the Knights' Za'Nya Henderson did connect on a triple with 18 seconds remaining in the period to pull the visitors to within a point (6-5).
In the second quarter, Berkeley trailed 16-11 and 18-13 before squaring the game at 18 points apiece with 1:59 left in the half. Penn State York's Jayla Brown would give her team the lead at the break, connecting on a three-point basket with four seconds to play to put the Nittany Lions up 21-18.
The Knights, trailing 26-20 with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter, went on an 8-0 run over a span of 2:59 to catapult ahead by a score of 28-26. Jacobs scored four points during that aforementioned spurt, with Villanueva also adding a triple. After Brooke Shutter converted on a pair of free throws to tie the game at 28, Villanueva nailed another short form long range to put Berkeley up for good at 31-28. The Knights built an advantage as large as six points, before taking a 40-36 edge into the final period.
In the fourth, Berkeley held a seemingly comfortable 47-39 advantage with 6:42 to play, but the hosts refused to quit, going on a 13-7 run over the ensuing 3:39 to pull to within a bucket at 54-52. The Knights would finish strong, though, as Jacobs scored four points down the stretch, and Berkeley didn't allow another field goal, winning the tight contest by six (59-53).
For the game, both teams struggled shooting the basketball, with Berkeley connecting on just 27.8 percent of its shots (22-79), and Penn State York shooting 20-76 (26.3 percent). The Knights dominated on the glass, snatching 59 boards compared to 38 for the hosts, and Berkeley also held a 14-4 edge in second chance points. The Nittany Lions registered six assists to the Knights' one, and each team committed 18 turnovers.
A day later in Berkeley's victory over Central Penn, Hough led all players with an incredible effort, scoring a game-high 37 points (14-23 FG) to go along with seven rebounds, two dimes, and a pair of steals. Villanueva added 18 points, a game-high seven blocks, and six rebounds, and Jacobs finished with seven points.
Central Penn was led by Allison Yoder, as her 22 points were a team-high, and her 13 rebounds were a game-best. Cayla Thomas contributed 13 points and three assists, and Sidney Green and Sydney Bubb added eight points apiece.
Berkeley led 15-14 after one quarter, and took its biggest lead of the first half, a 37-27 edge, following a Jacobs layup with 2:00 remaining in the session. The Knights would eventually head into the locker room with a 37-29 advantage.
In the third quarter, Berkeley outscored the hosts 23-13, snatching a 60-42 edge following 30 minutes of action. Berkeley would go up by as many as 22 points in the final period, before winning the contest by 11 (72-61).
For the game, Berkeley connected on 50 percent of its attempts from the floor (27-54), while Central Penn hit on just 23 out of 70 shots (32.9 percent). Central Penn held a 39-34 rebounding edge, while also registering 12 assists compared to eight for Berkeley. Remarkably, each team committing 18 turnovers, and scored 22 points off of turnovers.
Berkeley will return to action on Friday, as the Knights will host Bryant & Stratton-Albany. Start-time for the game is scheduled for 5:30pm.
