The Berkeley College women's basketball team struggled in their two games in Maine this past weekend, falling to the Moose of the University of Maine at Augusta 73-55 on Friday evening, before turning around and losing to the Mustangs of Central Maine 87-45 on Saturday. With the defeats, the Knights slipped to a mark of 9-12 on the 2023-2024 campaign, while the Moose improved to 17-5, and the Mustangs upped their mark to 24-1.
Despite the loss to the Moose, standout Keisy Villanueva posted game-highs of 20 points, 15 rebounds, and six blocks. She also added three rebounds, as well. Kanijah Jacobs contributed 11 points, a game-high six steals, and three assists, and Za'Nya Henderson scored 10 points, collected five rebounds, and swiped two steals.
Sage Fortin scored a team-high 15 points for the University of Maine at Augusta. She also snagged four rebounds, as well. Hailey Paquet added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Alizabeth Dumont had a nice all-around game, netting 10 points, snatching five boards, and dishing a game-high five assists. Brianna Poulin finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three times, and Ariana Alcide narrowly missed a double-double, scoring nine points while grabbing a team-best 10 boards.
Berkeley College held an 18-12 advantage after the first quarter, as Jacobs scored six in the period, and Henderson and Villanueva netted four apiece. The Knights also held the hosts to just 26.3 percent shooting in the quarter (5-19). In the second, it was all Maine-Augusta, as the Moose outscored the Knights 29-9 to take a commanding 41-27 advantage into the locker room at the break.
In the second half, the Knights tried to stay within striking distance, trailing the Moose 51-38 with 3:03 left in the third. The University of Maine at Augusta finished the quarter on a 9-2 run, however, taking a 60-40 advantage into the final period. Berkeley trailed by as many as 24 in the fourth period, before going on to lose the game by 18 (73-55).
Neither team shot well from the floor, with the Moose hitting on 29 of their 75 shots from the floor (38.7 percent), and the Knights earning a 34.8 percent conversion rate (23-66). The University of Maine at Augusta dominated the glass, snatching 49 rebounds to Berkeley's 36, and the Moose dished 21 assists, while the Knights finished with eight. Berkeley racked-up 12 steals while the University of Maine August had just four on the evening, and the Knights also won the turnover battle, committing just 12 miscues compared to 16 for the hosts.
Despite the Knights' loss to the Mustangs, Jordan Washington's 18 points led all players. She also grabbed six rebounds, tallied a team-high four steals, and added two assists. Henderson contributed nine points and eight rebounds, and Villanueva finished with eight points and four boards. Finally, it was freshman Ally Cuffy scoring seven points, snatching four rebounds, dishing three assists, and tallying three steals.
Central Maine Community College was led by Destiny Mora Lopez, as she scored a team-high 14 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing two assists. Molly Corbett and Zoe Bedford scored 12 points apiece, and Chantel Ouellette posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with two assists. Finally, it Riley Hebler scored 11 points, tied for the game-high of five dimes, and leading all players with five steals.
After trailing 13-3 in the opening 4:20 of action, Berkeley worked hard to battle back, finishing the quarter on an 11-5 run to slice its deficit to four points, 18-14, after 10 minutes of action. Central Maine dominated from there, outscoring Berkeley 41-12 over the next two quarters, taking a 59-26 advantage after 30 minutes of action. The Mustangs continued to boost their lead over the course of the fourth quarter, eventually winning the game by 42 (87-45).
Berkeley will look to snap its two-game losing skid on Tuesday evening, as the Knights travel to Monsignor Scanlan Gym in Throggs Neck, NY to battle Monroe College-Bronx. Start time is scheduled for 6:30pm.
