The Berkeley College women's basketball team played their first two contests of calendar year 2024 this weekend, splitting them, falling to Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) 84-60 on Friday, before turning around and defeating NHTI 68-62 on Saturday evening. With that 1-1 output, the Knights are now 6-6 on the 2023-2024 campaign. The Bobcats improved to 11-5 with Friday evening's victory, and the Lynx dipped to 2-5 with yesterday's loss.
For Berkeley, Friday evening's home game against Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) took place at the Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of the City College of New York. Despite the defeat, the Knights were led by standout Keisy Villanueva, as she scored a team-high 18 points while leading all Berkeley players in the rebounding category with seven. Denise Maldonado-Jones scored 11 points while snatching four boards, and Kanijah Jacobs and Jordan Washington contributed eight points apiece.
In the victory for the Bobcats, Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) was led by the sensational play of Saige Roberts, as she connected on 11 out of her 18 attempts from the floor, scoring a game-high 27 points in the process. She also grabbed four rebounds while tallying four steals. Chanice Wells (8-11 FG) finalized her evening with 17 points, five boards, and four steals, and Ashlynn Johnson netted 16 points, collected five rebounds, and registered four steals. Finally, it was Ja'Da White-McConnel posting a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Bobcats dominated the game from start to finish, snatching a 26-8 advantage after one quarter of play, and extending that lead to 21 points (29-8) in the opening stages of the second quarter when Roberts drilled a trifecta. Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) led by as many as 27 in the quarter, before taking a 44-19 edge into the locker room at halftime.
In the third, after falling behind by 32 points (56-24), the Knights put together an 18-7 run over a span of 4:57 to slice their deficit to 21 (63-42). Villanueva scored 10 points during that aforementioned spurt, draining two triples and converting on two other buckets.
Berkeley closed to within 20 (66-46) early in the fourth, but that is the closest the hosts would get. Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) put together a 16-0 run over a span of 4:04 to built a commanding 82-46 advantage, before eventually going on to win the contest by 24.
For the evening, the Bobcats converted on 42.4 percent of their attempts from the floor (36-85), while Berkeley earned a conversion rate of 32.4 percent (22-68). Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) held a slim 53-46 edge in the rebounding department, while also piling 27 dimes compared to the Knights' 14. Berkeley lost the turnover battle, committing 33 miscues while the visitors finished with 25.
Following the loss, Berkeley travel to NHTI to battle the Lynx, and the Knights bounced back in a big way, registering a solid 68-62 win. Pacing the Knights in their victory was Villanueva, as she dominated with a game-high 34 points. Her 18 points, nine blocks, and seven steals were also all game-highs for the visitors. Villanueva's four assists also tied for the game-high. Desiree Sealy also finished in double figures with 13 points and seven boards, and Jacobs had a fine all-around game, finalizing her evening with four points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Despite the loss for NHTI, Bella Ferrazzani posted a double-double with team-highs of 25 points and 14 rebounds. He also added two steals, as well. Janessa Lofton scored 19 points, dished four assists, and snatched three rebounds, and Maggie Brown narrowly missed tallying a double-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, and three dimes.
Berkeley raced out to an early 7-0 lead over the Lynx in the opening 3:19 of action, courtesy of buckets by Villanueva and Maldonado-Jones, and a completed three-point play by Sealy. Later, leading 11-6, the Knights closed the quarter on a 5-0 run (thanks to basket by Washington and a trifecta by Villanueva) to take a 16-6 edge after 10 minutes of play.
In the second quarter, Berkeley led 24-15 before putting together a 10-3 run to take a commanding 34-18 lead with 1:51 remaining in the period. That 10-3 featured four points by Villanueva, and a bucket apiece by Sealy, Olivia Sturges, and Trinity Sierra. The Knights eventually took a 34-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
NHTI started the third quarter by scoring the first eight points, extending their overall run to 10-0 going back to the late stages of the first half. At that juncture of the game, Berkeley's lead was trimmed to six (34-28). The Lynx continued to push, pulling to within four (46-42) at one point, before Berkeley scored three of the period's final five points to take a modest 49-44 lead into the fourth.
The Lynx's Alexis Christiansen converted on a layup midway through the fourth quarter to pull the hosts to within one (56-55), but Berkeley would halt the hosts momentum over the ensuing few minutes. Villanueva converted on a layup with 4:47 left to put the Knights ahead 58-55, and 1:12 later, Villanueva earned another bucket to give Berkeley a five-point edge (60-55) with 3:35 to go.
Later, with 2:50 remaining, Sealy would drain a triple to give Berkeley an eight-point cushion, 63-55. Still, the hosts refused to go away, putting together a 7-2 run over the next 95 seconds to pull to within three (65-62). That would be the end of NHTI's comeback push, though, as the Knights' defense didn't allow another point for the remainder of the game, holding off the Lynx and solidifying a much-needed win.
Berkeley connected on 39.5 percent of its attempts from the floor (30-76), while NHTI hit on just 20 of its 81 shots for the day (24.7 percent). The Lynx held a modest 60-55 edge in the rebounding department, but Berkeley did register 14 assists compared to eight for the hosts. The Knight also took care of the basketball very well, committing just 15 miscues for the evening, while NHTI finished with 22.
The Knights will return to the court on Saturday afternoon, as Berkeley will welcome the Apprentice School to New York. The game will take place at CCNY's Nat Holman Gymnasium, with a start-time of 2:30pm.
