The Berkeley College men's basketball team split a pair of contests recently, falling to the Bobcats of Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse by a score of 109-91 at the SRC Arena (11/9) before responding with an 85-71 victory over Vermont State University (Randolph) this past Sunday. With that 1-1 output, Berkeley is now 1-3 on the 2024-2025 campaign.

In Berkeley's loss to the Bobcats, Ike Sheppard put forth a tremendous game, scoring a game-high 26 points (8-12 FG) while also leading all players with 13 rebounds. Jesse Taylor drilled four shots from beyond-the-arc, finalizing his afternoon with 24 points and three caroms, and Justyce Coleman nearly posted a double-double, finishing with nine points and 12 boards.

For Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse, six players scored in double figures, including Xavier Riullano, as he led all Bobcats in scoring with 18 points (7-8 FT). Wayne Longmore scored 14 points while pulling down a team-high eight boards and dishing three assists, and Jordan Drain added 13 points and seven boards. The other three Bobcats to score in double figures were Justice Carrington (12 points), Darren Joyner (11 points), and Keishon Crosby (10 points).

The Bobcats held a commanding 54-38 edge at halftime, and maintained their lead in the second half, scoring 55 points to Berkeley's 54 to account for the 18-point margin of victory (109-91).

Both teams shot the basketball well, with Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse earning a 48.8 percent conversion rate (39-80), and the Knights hitting on 34 of their 79 attempts (43 percent). The Knights held a 50-41 edge on the glass, but the Bobcats double-up Berkeley in assists, registering 30 helpers to the visitors' 15. Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse also won the turnover battle, committing just 13 miscues, while the Knights finished the day with 21.

In Berkeley's victory over Vermont State University (Randolph), four players reached double figures, including Karif Isaacs, as he connected on six of his 11 attempts from the floor, and all five of his free throws, to finish with a game-high 19 points. Deontay Sprattley scored 14 points while snatching five boards and dishing a pair of assists, and Taylor finalized his afternoon with 13 points, four boards, two assists, a pair of steals, and two swatted shots. Coleman registered a double-double with 12 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and a team-best three steals.

Landon Mashburn paced Vermont State University (Randolph) with a game-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds and a pair of steals. Jaden Clark and Xzavier Ivey netted 13 points apiece, with Clark also contributing eight rebounds and a game-high four steals. Givel Nelson-Nunez posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylon Clark had a nice all-around game, dropping in 10 points, snatching nine boards, dishing a game-high seven assists, and tallying three steals.

Berkeley outscored Vermont State University (Randolph) by seven points in each half, leading the game 40-33 at halftime, and netting 45 points to the visitors' 38 in the second session, to account for the 14-point victory (85-71).

For the game, Berkeley connected on 46.4 percent of its attempts from the floor (32-69), pulled down 49 rebounds, registered 18 assists, and committed 19 turnovers. Vermont State University (Randolph) shot just 31.1 percent (23-74) while snatching 45 boards, earning 12 assists, and turning the ball over 20 times.

Berkeley will look to make it two consecutive victories on Tuesday evening, November 26, as the Knights head to Aston, PA to battle Neumann. Start-time for the contest is scheduled for 8:00pm.