The Berkeley College men's basketball team continued to roll on Saturday evening, turning back the Seawolves of Southern Maine Community College by a score of 108-46 in a game played at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in Lower Manhattan. With the win – the Knights are now 6-1 on the season, and have won 17 of 18 games dating back to last season. The Seawolves dipped to 5-10 with the defeat.
The Knights wasted no time setting the tone for the evening, as four consecutive baskets by standout Stephon Jennings and a converted layup by Alessandro DeAngelis put Berkeley in front 10-0 just 1:58 into the game. After Southern Maine Community College's John Morgan made a basket to put his team on the board, a 12-1 Knights run over the ensuing 3:10 of action put Berkeley up by a score of 22-3. Berkeley continued to build its lead, eventually taking a 55-19 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Knights spend the first 5:18 of the stanza putting the game out of reach, as Berkeley outscored the Seawolves 22-2 to catapult ahead by a score of 77-21. The Knights would only allow eight more opposing field goals the rest of the way, eventually going on to win the game by 62.
Six players scored in double figures for the Knights in their victory, including senior Keenan Langston who posted game-highs of 18 points, seven steals, and seven assists. He also snatched four rebounds and blocked a shot. Johnnie Green put forth a phenomenal effort as well, connecting on seven of his eight attempts from the floor to finalize his evening with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Stephon Jennings posted a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Massiah Merritt, Leonardo Salcedo, and DeAngelis scored 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively. Following the game, Head Coach Chris Christiansen gave his thoughts.
"I'm very proud of the effort put forth by our team today," Christiansen said. "Our defensive tenacity was crucial, as we forced turnovers and turned them into points. We've won six games in a row, and I feel as though the confidence of our team continues to build with each passing victory. We'll have six days of rest before taking on St. Joseph's Vermont, and we are prepared for a tough game against a team that we played in the semifinals of last year's USCAA National Tournament. It should be fun."
Despite the loss for Southern Maine Community College, Ville Wuorenjuuri scored a team-high nine points, and all 13 players who entered the game for the Seawolves scored at least a point.
Berkeley shot 55.8 percent from the floor (43-77) while holding Southern Maine Community College to just 36.2 percent (17-47). The Knights out-rebounded the Seawolves 42-25, and forced 32 turnovers while committing just 13. Berkeley scored 44 points off the Seawolves' miscues, and the Knights also recorded 23 assists as a team.
The Knights will enjoy six days of rest before returning to action next Saturday afternoon, as Berkeley will take on St. Joseph's College (Vermont) at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Start-time is scheduled for 3:00pm.
