The Berkeley College men's basketball team claimed victory in DeSales University's Al Senavitis Tournament on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Ospreys of Richard Stockton University by a score of 83-76 in the championship game at Billera Hall in Center Valley, PA. With the win, the Knights accomplished a number of things: The team captured its ninth consecutive game to improve to 9-1 on the year, while also snapping the Ospreys' six-game winning streak in the process (Richard Stockton fell to 9-3). Finally, the Knights won their first ever invitational tournament sponsored by an NCAA Division III institution.
Massiah Merritt led the way for the Knights win Berkeley's win, as the veteran connected on 10 of his 15 attempts from the floor while netting a game-high 27 points to go along with four rebounds and a game-high four steals. Stephon Jennings also put forth a great effort, as he nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, and Keenan Langston and Johnnie Green added 12 points apiece. Following the victory, Head Coach Chris Christiansen gave his thoughts.
"The incredible thing about this team besides the fact that it is incredibly balanced is the fact that every single one of these student-athletes is focused on one primary goal – and that is winning," Christiansen said. "We have so many different players who contribute to our success, and watching them continuing to succeed and build character is very gratifying for me. We were able to pull together and hold off DeSales University yesterday on their home court before defeating a talented and red-hot Richard Stockton team here today. It was a very satisfying weekend for us."
Berkeley College raced out to an 8-0 advantage before Richard Stockton's Jaymere Hadden sparked his team with a pair of buckets as the Ospreys knotted the game at eight apiece. The Knights answered with a 14-4 run to push ahead by a score of 22-12. The Knights never trailed in the opening stanza and led by as many as 11 points in the half before heading into the locker room with a 35-26 edge.
The Knights saw their lead sliced to one point on five different occasions in the opening 10 minutes of the second session, and the Osprey's' Marcus Harmon would connect on a three-point basket with 8:37 remaining in the game to give Richard Stockton its first lead of the afternoon at 58-56. The ensuing 5:27 featured seven lead changes and five ties, and the game was eventually knotted at 71-all with 3:10 left on the clock.
Berkeley College would score the next six points of the game during a spurt that featured a basket and a pair of freebees by Merritt, and another pair of free throws by Langston. Later – Richard Stockton's Zavon Johnson would connect on a triple with 52 seconds remaining later to make it a 79-76 game, but the Knights would not allow another point the rest of the way, eventually holding on for a seven point victory.
Harmon led Stockton with 17 points followed by Hart with 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Darius Jerkins tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaymere Hadden tossed in 12 markers. Armin Cane added 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, as well.
The Knights connected on 50 percent of their shots from the floor (29-58), while holding the Ospreys to 41 percent shooting (25-61). Berkeley out-rebounded Richard Stockton slightly by a margin of 40-38, and the Knights also committed 18 turnovers while forcing 20 mistakes for the opposition.
Berkeley will now have five days off before returning to the court on Saturday, as the Knights will take on the University of Maine at Augusta on the first day of the NHTI Holiday Inn New Year's Men's Classic. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 6:00pm.
