The No. 2 seeded Berkeley College men's basketball team (21-5 Overall) picked up a thrilling victory on Friday evening, powering its way to the 2015 USCAA National Basketball Tournament title game by defeating the Fighting Saints of St. Joseph's College of Vermont by a score of 115-111 in triple overtime. The contest was played on the campus of Penn State Fayette. The victory – the Knights' tenth straight – pushed Berkeley into the USCAA championship game for the first time since 2012. The No. 6 seeded Fighting Saints saw their bid for a Cinderella run through the bracket thwarted, and the team finalized its season at 21-12.
The Knights will try to win their first USCAA National title in their program's history tomorrow evening, as Berkeley will take on the No. 8 seeded Nittany Lions of Penn State Mont Alto, which has already recorded victories against top-seeded Southern Maine Community College and No. 4 seeded Johnson & Wales-Charlotte. The contest between Berkeley and Penn State Mont Alto promises to be a classic, and tips off in the Main Arena at 6:00pm.
In a game that featured 16 ties and 13 lead changes, the Knights held a commanding 59-43 lead following Tasheen Carrow's three-point basket with 15:15 remaining – and later held an 83-75 advantage with just under five minutes remaining. A 7-0 run by the Fighting Saints, however, cut St. Joseph's College's deficit to just one point – 83-82 with 27 seconds to play. That spurt included a layup by Josh McAfee, a pair of freebees by Kashean Alston, a basket by Steven Edwards, and another free throw by Alston. On Berkeley's next possession, Carrow was fouled. He would convert on one-of-two at the line, pushing the Knights' lead to two points at 84-82. The Fighting Saints' McAfee would hit a layup with six seconds remaining to tie the game at 84-apiece.
Berkeley College had one more possession with a chance to end the game in regulation, as Kenton Chan-Man received the entry pass and sped down the floor before putting up a 10-foot jumper that was missed. It was rebounded by Daquan Seymour, but his layup attempt at the horn would not fall, and the game headed to overtime.
The second overtime started with the Fighting Saints' Nolan Emory draining a triple to give his team an 87-84 advantage. A 5-0 Knights run over the ensuing 1:45 (featuring a pair of free throws and a basket by Seymour, and a converted freebee by Stephon Jennings) gave Berkeley an 89-86 edge. The remainder of the first overtime saw three lead changes and four ties, and concluded with the College of St. Joseph's Travis Threewitts misfiring on a jumper at the buzzer, sending the contest into another extra session.
In the second overtime, the Knights scored five points in the opening 45 seconds (thanks to layups by Carrow and Massiah Merritt, and a converted free throw by Carrow) to take a 100-95 lead. The Fighting Saints remained pesky, going on an 8-1 run over the ensuing 2:38 to catapult ahead 103-102. Later – with the Knights trailing 104-102 with 13 seconds remaining, the ever-so-clutch Kenton Chan-Man drove to the hoop and banked-in a layup to tie the game at 104-all. On the College of St. Joseph's final possession of the second overtime, the Fighting Saints would miss two shots – a layup by Nolan Emory and another by Steven Edwards. Following those non-conversions, the clock showed 0:00, and the game extended into a third overtime.
In the third and final extra session, Chan-Man took over. After connecting on a pair of free throws on the Knights' first possession, he nailed a three-pointer on Berkeley's next trip down the court to put Berkeley in-front 109-104. Later – with the Knights holding a 111-106 lead, Jennings made perhaps the defensive play of the season for his team. After Chan-Man misfired on a triple, Emory would collect the rebound and swing a pass to Edwards, who attempted to swing the ball in the backcourt, but that pass was intercepted by Jennings, who took the ball to the hoop and made a layup. That gave the Knights a commanding 113-106 lead with a minute to play, an advantage Berkeley would not relinquish.
In the hard-fought victory for Berkeley, the Knights had six players score in double figures, including Chan-Man who scored six points in the third overtime en route to finalizing his evening with 21 points. He also added three rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals. Additionally, Seymour had a strong game off the bench, netting 21 points while grabbing 14 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Keenan Langston scored 18 points while snatching four boards before fouling out, and Stephon Jennings dropped-in 18 points while snatching a game-high 15 caroms. Merritt and Carrow had 16 points and 14 points, respectively.
Despite the loss for Fighting Saints of the College of St. Joseph's (Vermont), it was Alston leading the way, as he dropped in a game-high 31 points on nine-of-11 shooting from the charity stripe. He also connected on 11 of his 23 shot attempts from the floor, and grabbed 10 rebounds as well. McAfee finalized his evening with 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals, and Edwards netted 19 points in 38 minutes off the bench.
Berkeley – just as it has done all season – shot well from the floor, connecting on 40 of their 87 shot attempts (46 percent). The College of St. Joseph's converted on 36 of their 92 attempts, a conversion rate equaling 39.1 percent. The Knights committed just 11 turnovers on the evening while forcing 21 opponent mistakes, and Berkeley also held a 60-40 edge in points scored in the paint. The Fighting Saints held a slim 65-61 edge in the rebounding department, while also dishing 16 assists to Berkeley's 15.
To follow the Knights in tomorrow's championship game, visit the USCAA website – www.theUSCAA.com. Live statistics, audio, and video streaming will be available for the game by visiting the aforementioned link and visiting the Division II basketball schedule page. Recaps of all Berkeley College contests will be available by the Knights' athletics website at http://berkeleycollegeknights.com.
