The Berkeley College women's basketball team picked up a dominating victory on Tuesday evening, defeating the Express of Monroe College-Bronx by a score of 92-71. The game took place at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium in Throggs Neck, NY. With the win, Berkeley improved to a mark of 10-12 on the 2023-2024 campaign, while the Express dipped to 14-16.
The Knights' Keisy Villanueva put forth yet another dominating effort, turning in a game-high of 38 points (14-25 FG) to go along with 15 rebounds, a game-high nine assists, and four blocked shots. She also added three steals, as well. Za'Nya Henderson finished with 22 points, five boards, three dimes, and two steals, and Jordan Washington (9-16 FG) contributed 19 points, a game-high seven steals, three rebounds, and three assists. Finally, it was freshman Ally Cuffy posting a double-double with 12 points, a game-high 16 boards, and eight assists.
Despite the loss for the Express, Monroe College-Bronx was paced by Daysiah Smith, as she poured in a team-high 35 points, connecting on 11 of her 24 attempts from the floor in the process. Her five steals were also a team-high, and the standout also snatched four rebounds. Tymere Moorer also put forth a solid game, connecting on five triples and finishing with 23 points to go along with six rebounds, four steals, and a pair of dimes.
The Knights led from start to finish in this contest. Berkeley led 8-7 in the opening 3:56 before rattling off 13 consecutive points to increase its lead to 14 points, 21-7. Villanueva and Cuffy contributed five points apiece during that aforementioned run. The Knights led by as many as 16 in the quarter (25-9), and held a 28-16 edge after 10 minutes of action.
In the second quarter, Berkeley took a 36-19 advantage following a converted jumper by Cuffy, but Monroe College-Bronx put together a ferocious run, outscoring the Knights 16-4 over a span of 4:36 to slice its deficit to five, 40-35, with 2:42 remaining in the half. Smith accounted for 11 of the Express' 16 points during the spurt. Berkeley finished the period on an 8-4 run to take a modest 48-39 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Monroe College-Bronx stayed within striking distance of Berkeley, trailing just 61-56 with 1:54 remaining in the third quarter. A string of seven consecutive points (five from Villanueva, two from Henderson) gave the Knights some much-needed breathing room, as Berkeley pushed its edge back to 12, 68-56. The Express halted the Knights' run when Tymere Moore nailed a triple with 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter, as Monroe College-Bronx inched to within nine, 68-59. That would be the final bucket of the period, as Berkeley carried a nine point advantage into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights scored 10 of the first 12 points to go up 79-61 with 6:41 left. From there, Berkeley wouldn't by any less than 13 points, and would eventually win the contest convincingly, by 21 (92-71).
Berkeley College was the far more efficient team shooting the basketball, as the Knights connected on 51.6 percent of their attempts from the floor (32-62), while the Express earned a conversion rate of just 30.4 percent (24-79). Both teams snatched 47 rebounds apiece, but the Knights held a 23-16 edge in assists. Monroe College-Bronx swiped 18 steals to Berkeley's 16, but the Knights swatted six shots, while the Express registered two. Finally, it was Monroe College-Bronx winning the turnover battle, committing 23 miscues to Berkeley's 25.
The Knights return to action on Tuesday evening, as Berkeley will travel to Dix Hills, NY to take on Five Towns College in an HVIAC contest. Start-time is scheduled for 6:00pm.
