The Berkeley College women's basketball team finalized its 2023-2024 campaign this past weekend, earning a split at the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. This past Saturday, the No. 2 seeded Knights dominated the No. 3 seeded Huskies of Word of Life by a score of 75-24 in the semifinals. A day later, in the championship game, the tournament's top seed, Five Towns College, captured the Regional title, silencing Berkeley by a score of 75-51. Both games of the tournament took place at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY.
With that aforementioned output, the Sound of Five Towns College earned an automatic bid to the USCAA Division II National Tournament, earning the No. 9 seed. The Sound will take on No. 8 seeded Southern Maine Community College in the Play-In round this Sunday, March 10.
As for the Knights, their season finalized at 11-14 despite a fourth consecutive appearance in the HVIAC final. Word of Life finished their 2023-2024 season at 7-13.
In Berkeley's 51-point thrashing of the Huskies, the Knights were paced by Keisy Villanueva, as she posted game-highs of 27 points (11-23 FG), 18 rebounds, and four swatted shots. Veteran Za'Nya Henderson added 20 points and eight boards, and Kanijah Jacobs narrowly missed recording a double-double, as she finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and game-highs of eight steals and six assists.
For the Huskies, Word of Life was led by Allison Baker, as she finished with team-bests of 10 points and nine rebounds. She also swiped two steals, as well. MJ Buck had a quiet game, finalizing her afternoon with just five points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Word of Life held a 15-12 advantage in the opening 7:39 of action, but it was all Berkeley College from that point forward. The Knights closed the opening quarter with a 7-0 run, featuring a drilled trifecta by Jacobs, a bucket by Henderson, and a pair of converted free throws by Jordan Washington.
The Knights shut down the Huskies in the second quarter, outscoring Word of Life 16-3 to snatch a commanding 35-18 as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime. Berkeley's swarm didn't let up in the second half, with the Knights outscoring Word of Life 26-7 in the third, and 13-0 in the final period. Over the final three quarters, Berkeley's defense allowed just four made field goals, with the Huskies hitting on four of their final 60 shot attempts.
For the game, the Knights earned a 45.3 percent conversion rate (29-64), while Word of Life hit on just 10 of their 82 attempts for the afternoon (12.2 percent). Berkeley held a respectable 60-51 edge on the glass, while also dishing 16 assists to the Huskies' three. The Knights held a slim 14-12 edge in steals, while also winning the turnover battle, committing 24 miscues compared to 26 for Word of Life.
In Berkeley's championship game loss to Five Towns College, the Knights were led by Villanueva's double-double, as she scored a team-high 14 points while snatching 13 rebounds. She also swiped three steals, dished two assists, and blocked a pair of shots. Henderson registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, and Jacobs scored 11 points, recorded team-highs of four assists and four steals, and snatched a pair of boards.
Of Five Towns College's 75 points, 73 of those came from the starters, including Judith Girones' game-high of 26. She also snatched a pair of boards, as well. Jordan Tobin posted a double-double with 19 points a team-high 13 rebounds. Her six steals also led all players. Talaya Guirantes netted 19 points while collecting seven boards and recording five steals, and Gabrielle Sutphin finished with nine points, a game-high 12 assists, and two steals.
The Sound never trailed in the game, though Berkeley College kept things close in the early stages. Trailing 20-11 with 64 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Knights finished the period with consecutive buckets, courtesy of Jacobs and Henderson, to slice their deficit to five, 20-15, as the opening quarter ended.
Berkeley stayed within striking distance, trailing by just seven (34-27) with 1:10 remaining in the half, but Five Towns College drained two triples inside the final 52 seconds, one from Girones, and the other from Guirantes, as the Sound took a 40-27 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Taking advantage of the momentum it gained towards the end of the first half, Five Towns College came out hitting on all cylinders in the third quarter, scoring nine consecutive points to start the period, and taking a commanding 22-point edge (49-27). The Sound led by as many as 24 in the period, before taking a 62-40 edge into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Five Towns College went up by as many as 27 points, before eventually capturing the title, 75-51.
For the game, both teams struggled shooting the basketball, but the Sound was the more efficient squad, hitting on 36.7 percent of its attempts from the floor (29-79) while Berkeley nailed just 18 out of 63 shots. The Knights held a dominating 57-44 edge on the glass, but Five Towns College held edges in assists (22-8) and steals (15-7).
