The Berkeley College men's basketball team picked up a pair of victories this weekend at the NHTI-Holiday Inn New Year's Men's Classic, defeating the University of Maine at Augusta by a score of 112-73 on Saturday evening, and turning back NHTI 81-55 today in Concord, New Hampshire. With the wins, the Knights have now won 11 consecutive games, and dating back to last year's National championship season, Berkeley has won a staggering 22 of its last 23 games.
In the Knights' 39-point triumph over the Moose, six Berkeley College players scored in double figures, including standout Stephon Jennings who posted a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He also recorded a game-high six steals and added a pair of assists. Johnnie Green nailed nine of his 11 attempts from the floor en route to finishing with 19 points, and Massiah Merritt added 15 points, eight rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. Keenan Langston, Jeffrey Mejia, and Dondre Simmons added 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively.
The turnover differential told the story in Berkeley's win over the University of Maine at Augusta, as the Knights forced 29 opposition turnovers and netted 40 points off of Moose mistakes. Berkeley committed just eight miscues, with the Moose scoring just 11 points off of those. Berkeley shot 54.2 percent from the field (45-83), while the University of Maine at Augusta nailed 45.8 percent of its attempts (27-59. The Knights out-rebounded the Moose 37-31, as well.
Despite the loss for the Moose, Brandon Rogers posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Keith Chesley also put forth a strong effort with 17 points and 10 caroms. Noah Thompson nailed five three-point baskets and finalized his evening with 17 points and four assists.
In Sunday's victory over NHTI, Berkeley College was paced by Merritt and Langston. Merritt connected on six of his eight attempts from the floor while also draining all four of his free throw attempts to finish with 18 points, four rebounds, four steals, and two assists, and Langston drilled four shots from beyond-the-arc en route to finishing with 16 points. He also added eight rebounds, a pair of assists, and two blocks.
Berkeley College's defense was tough as nails against NHTI, as the Knights held the Lynx to 30 percent shooting (21-70) while also forcing 18 Lynx mistakes. Berkeley out-rebounded NHTI 47-35, while also scoring 38 points in the pain compared to 22 for the Lynx. The Knights led by as many as 32 points early in the second half before eventually winning the game by 26.
Despite the defeat for NHTI, the Lynx were led by Jerome Wooten, as he scored a team-best 13 points while grabbing a pair of rebounds. Jared Stauffeneker added 11 points and four rebounds, as well. Following the Knights' two victories, Berkeley College Head Coach Chris Christiansen gave his thoughts.
"I am very proud of the student-athletes for the efforts they put forth this weekend," Christiansen said. "Obviously, we've had great chemistry offensively all season long, an while we shot the ball very well in nailing down these two wins, I felt as though our defense was on full display in these games. We forced turnovers, we forced bad shots, and we made plays by hustling and getting after the basketball. Our student-athletes are playing with a purpose, and we'll look to bring this momentum into Friday evening's contest."
The Knights will return to action on Friday evening, as Berkeley College will play host to the University of Maine at Presque Isle at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 8:00pm.
