It was business as usual for Berkeley College's men's basketball team yesterday evening, as the Knights picked up another victory, defeating Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe SUNY-ESF by a score of 104-70 in a game played at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. The victory improved Berkeley to a record of 22-0 on the season, and a mark of 7-0 in conference play. The Knights – who won their 46th consecutive game as a program in the process – also locked up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming HVIAC tournament (2/18-2/19).
Five players scored in double figures for the Knights, including Stephon Jennings who put forth another stellar effort, as he scored a game-high 18 points while connecting on seven of his 10 attempts from the floor. He also grabbed eight rebounds and tallied a pair of steals. In addition, Paul Johnson connected on three shots from beyond-the-arc to finish with 17 points and five rebounds, and Emmanuel Osama drained four shots from downtown to finish with 12 points and two steals. Dondre Simmons and Johnnie Green scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Both teams shot very well from the field, but it was the Knights' tenacity on defense that made the difference. The Knights not only shot 53.8 percent for the game, but Berkeley also connected on nearly half of its attempts from three-point territory, knocking down 11 of 24 attempts from that area. The Mighty Oaks drained 25 of their 52 shots from the floor, but the Knights forced 24 SUNY-ESF turnovers while only committing 12 mistakes of their own.
Berkeley College also held a 39-30 edge on the glass, while also tallying 18 assists to the Mighty Oaks' eight. The Knights also held a modest 42-32 edge in points in the paint.
Despite the loss for SUNY-ESF, it was Ryan Caldwell putting forth a terrific effort, as he connected on seven of his 10 attempts from the floor to finish with 16 points and five rebounds. Dan Treadwell added 14 points, and Jared Bard drained three shots from beyond-the-arc to finalize his evening with 11.
The Knights will return to the court on Saturday, February 11, as the team will finalize its Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference portion of the schedule with a home game against Albany College of Pharmacy. The contest will take place at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and will begin at 4:00pm. Prior to the game, the Berkeley College Department of Athletics as well as the men's basketball team will honor seniors Johnnie Green, Stephon Jennings, Dondre Simmons, and Jeffrey Mejia for their tremendous contributions to the program during their tenures at Berkeley College.
