The Berkeley College women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker on Tuesday evening, falling to NCAA Division III institution Yeshiva University by a score of 57-56. The contest took place at Baruch College's ARC Arena in New York, NY. With the defeat, the Knights dipped to a mark of 7-9 on the 2023-2024 campaign, while the Maccabees improved to a record of 7-12.
Despite the loss for the Knights, Kanijah Jacobs led all scorers with 17 points. She also snatched five rebounds and dished three assists, as well. Veteran Za'Nya Henderson added 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals, and Jordan Washington posted a double-double, scoring 10 points, snatching a team-high 13 rebounds, and tallying two steals.
Yeshiva's Yuval Nitzan put together a fantastic night, as she scored a team-high 16 points while collecting six boards and piling a game-high seven dimes. She also hit the game-winning shot with 57 seconds remaining on the lock. Daniella Bessler registered a double-double with 14 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, four assists, and two steals, and Shai Rahamim added 13 points and four rebounds.
During the opening five and a half minutes of action, the teams exchanged the lead four times before finding themselves deadlocked at seven-all. Yeshiva would close the quarter on a 10-3 run to take a 17-10 advantage after 10 minutes of action.
The Maccabees continued to grow their advantage to begin the second period, going up by as many as 11 points off layups from Bessler, Rahamim and Sarah Yolkut. However, the Knights would put together an 11-4 run over the final 6:04 of the second quarter to pull to within four (30-26) at halftime. That aforementioned Berkeley College run was highlighted by Henderson's six points during the spurt.
Yeshiva University came out of the break firing on all cylinders. Thanks to Bessler and Nitzan as well as the efficient shooting of Rahamim, Yeshiva University pushed its lead to double digits once again, as the hosts went up by 15, 45-30, with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. Berkeley scored the final five points of the period (thanks to a pair of buckets by Washington, and a converted free throw by Henderson) to pull to within 10 (45-35) as the period ended.
Nitzan's three-pointer to begin the fourth quarter put Yeshiva ahead 48-35 with 9:41 left, but Berkeley would put together a ferocious rally. Over the ensuing 7:18 of play, the Knights outscored Yeshiva 19-3 to snatch a 54-51 advantage with 2:23 remaining. Jacobs was sensational during that spurt, scoring 10 points, including a fastbreak layup that gave Berkeley the lead.
Inside the final minute, Nitzan hit a jumper to give Yeshiva University a 57-56 edge. Berkeley would miss two shots and commit a turnover inside the final 57 seconds as the Maccabees held on for a thrilling one-point victory.
Both teams shot below 40 percent from the floor for the evening, with Yeshiva connecting on just 23 of its 59 shot attempts (39 percent), and Berkeley earning a conversion rate of 32.4 percent (32-71). Each squad pulled down 44 rebounds apiece, and Yeshiva held a 12-7 edge in assists. The Knights did record nine steals compared to six for the Maccabees, and Berkeley did win the turnover battle, committing 20 miscues, while Yeshiva had 23.
Berkeley will look to bounce back this Saturday, as the team takes to the road to battle Regent University. Start-time at Bayside Baptist Church in Newport News, Virginia is scheduled for 2:00pm.
