The Berkeley College men's basketball team put an exclamation point on the best season any team in any sport has ever had in the history of athletics at the institution, as the Knights solidified their second consecutive USCAA Division II National championship by turning back Central Penn by a score of 107-88 Saturday afternoon in the 2015-2016 tournament's championship game. The contest was played in the Main Gymnasium on the campus of Penn State Fayette. The victory was the 24th straight triumph for Berkeley, which dating back to last season boasts a record of 35-1 in its last 36 games.
While last season's National championship team showed tremendous heart and grit by grinding out three victories in the 2014-2015 National Tournament by a combined nine points, the 2015-2016 Knights were all-business with uncanny killer instinct in the second halves of contests. Berkeley not only won its three tournament games this week by a combined 54 points, but it also held a 158-125 combined edge in the second halves of the wins. Following the victory, Head Coach Chris Christiansen gave his heartfelt thoughts on his club's accomplishment.
"All season, our student-athletes remained humbled through all victories while working diligently to ensure that they gave themselves the best chance to win the next game," Christiansen said. "Their actions and execution on the court spoke louder than their words. Today's victory iced a monumental campaign characterized by the players' teamwork, ability to withstand adversity, and willingness to buy into the concept of team-first basketball. These attributes and abilities are the traits of true champions."
The magical and historic 2015-2016 Berkeley College men's basketball season featured a number of highlights, with many astounding accomplishments. The Knights won 24 consecutive games to finish this season, and that current winning streak is longest for any team in Berkeley College's history. Additionally, the team won its eighth Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, and coach Christiansen was voted as one of the Co-Coaches of the Year. Keenan Langston, Massiah Merritt, and Stephon Jennings were not only HVIAC All-Conference selections, but all three also earned USCAA All-American statuses (Langston earned First Team honors, while Merritt and Jennings earned Second Team praise). Alessandro DeAngelis was also tabbed to the National All-Academic team.
In today's victory over Central Penn, Berkeley was paced by Merritt, who finished the contest with game-highs of 34 points and seven steals. He also grabbed eight rebounds as well (including three on the offensive glass) and tallied three assists. Following the game, he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. First year standout Johnnie Green connected on 12 of his 16 shots from the floor to finish with 27 points. He also added 13 rebounds and a pair of blocks, and was named to the All-Tournament team following the conclusion of the contest. Finally, it was Langston putting a cap on his brilliant Berkeley College career by netting 15 points, snatching three rebounds, and contributing three assists.
Neither team was able to establish more than a two possession lead through the first five minutes of the game until a Dondre Simmons three-pointer put Berkeley up 15-8 at the 14:17 mark of the first half. Central Penn then went on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 18 with 10:02 left in the half. Andre Batte and John Starks, Jr., knocked down back-to-back three pointers to give Central Penn its first lead of the game at the 7:53 mark, 24-20. Central Penn would build a lead as large as eight points with 33-25 – with 4:38 to go in the opening session.
Berkeley then used an 11-3 run to tie the game at 36 with 29 seconds left. Each team then gave up a free throw before Merritt hit an off-balance buzzer-beating three to take a three-point lead into the half, 40-37.
In the second half, Berkeley extended its lead to 49-39 at the 17:55 mark thanks to a 9-2 run led by Merritt. Berkeley took control over the next several minutes, going up by 17 with 14:14 left in the game.
Central Penn battled back, however, cutting its deficit to just 6 at the 12:38 mark, as an Andre Batte triple made it 63-57. Despite the impressive comeback, the momentum shifted back to Berkeley moments later following a double-technical foul call that saw Central Penn's Glen Owens ejected from the contest for receiving his second such foul of the contest with 12:32 left in the game.
It remained a 3-4 possession game for the next four minutes of game clock, but Berkeley pulled away over the final 8 minutes of the contest, steadily growing its lead to as many as 26 before reaching a final score of 107-88.
Berkeley connected on 51.4 percent of its shots from the floor (38-74), while Central Penn was almost equally as affective, nailing 32 of its 67 shots (47.8 percent). Berkeley held edges in the rebounding department (46-30), as well as the assists category (14-13) and turnover column (the Knights committed 17 turnovers while forcing 21 Central Penn errors).
Despite the loss for Central Penn, Tyree Tucker led the way for his team, as he dropped-in a game-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds. Additionally, it was Andre Batte contributing 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and John Starks Jr., Dominique Twiggs, and Rafeeq Bush finished with 11 points, 10 points, and 10 points respectively.
The Knights will enjoy this well-deserved title tonight and into the offseason, and will look to make a run at three consecutive USCAA Division II National championships when the 2016-2017 season tips off in early November!
