The Berkeley College men's basketball team played its first game ever against the College of New Rochelle on Wednesday evening, and the Knights came away with a high-scoring, 119-103 victory at the Wellness Center on the campus of the College of New Rochelle. The victory improved Berkeley to an unblemished 10-0 on the year (2-0 HVIAC), and gave the Knights their 34th consecutive program win. The Blue Angels dropped to 5-5 with the loss, and 2-1 in conference action.
Six players scored in double figures for the surging Knights, including newcomer Ricardo Ayuso, as he scored a team-high 23 points while connecting on nine of his 14 attempts from the floor. He also grabbed eight rebounds and tallied two assists. Dondre Simmons connected on four shots from downtown to finish with 22 points and four rebounds, and veteran Stephon Jennings added 20 points and nine caroms.
Also contributing for the Knights was Johnnie Green, as he netted 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also added two steals. Emmanuel Osama also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Massiah Merritt finalized his versatile night with 13 points, 11 assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Berkeley College connected on 50.6 percent of its attempts from the floor for the evening (41-81), while also out-rebounding the Blue Angels 35-25. The Knights forced 17 opposing turnovers, and the opportunistic Knights scored 22 points off of those. Berkeley also scored 58 points in the paint compared to just 22 for the College of New Rochelle.
Despite the loss for New Rochelle, the Blue Angels got a dazzling performance from Jack Tisdale, as he recorded a double-double with a game-high 36 points (16-17 FT) and 10 assists. Hunter Schenkel added 35 points and eight rebounds, and Kobe Tellford finalized his evening with 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
The Knights will now have 14 days off before returning to action on December 28, as Berkeley College will take on Cincinnati-Clermont. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 2:00pm.
