The Berkeley College men's basketball team continued to roll on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Mighty Oaks for SUNY-ESF by a score of 88-77 at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY. The victory was the seventh straight for the Knights, as Berkeley improved to 13-8 on the year, and 5-0 in HVIAC play. The Mighty Oaks dipped to 7-8 with the defeat, and 2-2 in conference action.
Leading the way for the Knights in their victory was the energetic Foday Saccoh, as he scored a team-high 18 points, connecting on six of his nine attempts from the floor. He also snatched three rebounds, while registering a pair of dimes. Joshua Hardy posted a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals, and Joseph Caraballo contributed 12 points, a game-high five steals, and four boards. Denzel Bush finalized his afternoon with 13 points.
Despite the loss for SUNY-ESF, Zachary Dormer scored a game-high 23 points, drilling nine of his 19 attempts from the floor. He also added three rebounds and a pair of assists. Henry Pflaumer netted 20 points, recorded a team-high three steals, and a game-high five assists, and Logan Ameele finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
The Mighty Oaks kept things very competitive in the opening half, as Berkeley clung to a 28-25 advantage with 4:55 remaining in the opening half. The Knights did finished the opening session strong, finalizing the period with an impressive 12-4 run, capped by a three-point basket by Saccoh with seven seconds remaining. Berkeley took a 40-29 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Berkeley took its largest lead of the game with 9:30 remaining, as the Knights worked hard to build a commanding 69-49 edge. The Mighty Oaks did battle back, eventually pulling to within 10 (83-73) with 2:02 remaining, but the Knights would slam the door, allowing SUNY-ESF just two converted field goals in the final 122 seconds of action, eventually advancing to win the game by 11 points.
Both teams shot very well from the floor, as the Knights converted on 34 of their 70 shots from the hardwood (48.6 percent), while SUNY-ESF drilled 26 of its 57 attempts (45.6 percent). Berkeley dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Mighty Oaks 49-30, while also earning a 48-2 edge in points in the paint. The Knights also won the turnover battle, committing 19 miscues while forcing 22 SUNY-ESF mistakes.
The Knights will return to the court on Wednesday evening, as Berkeley will take on Five Towns College. The game will take place in Dix Hills, NY, with a start-time of 7:30pm. The winner of the game will claim the No. 1 seed in the upcoming HVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Those interested in following live stats for this showdown can do so by clicking the link below.
https://athletics.ftc.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/boxscores/20200205_dmno.xml
