The Berkeley College women's basketball team started calendar year 2020 with a tough loss, falling to the Moose of the University of Maine at Augusta by a score of 62-57. The game took place at the Goldie Crocker Wellness Center on the campus of NHTI, as part of the NHTI New Year's Classic. With the defeat, the Knights slipped to a mark of 4-5 on the 2019-2020 campaign, while the University of Maine at Augusta improved to a record of 8-4, halting a two-game losing skid in the process.

Despite the loss for Berkeley, the Knights were paced by the versatile effort of Kaina Martinez. The standout tied for the game-high of 19 points, connecting on eight of her 19 attempts from the floor in the process. Additionally, her seven steals led all players on the afternoon, and she also swatted a pair of shots. Amirah Greene scored 13 points, snatched seven rebounds, added three steals, and blocked two shots, and Sabriana Franck finished with 15 points, six boards, and two dimes.

Leading the way for the Moose was Madeline Suhr, as she tied for the game-high of 19 points. She also grabbed six rebounds while registering a pair of steals. Sydney LeBlanc finalized her afternoon with 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists, and it was Hope Butler contributing 12 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high five assists.

In what was a very competitive game from the opening tip, Berkeley College found itself trailing by nine late in the opening session (33-24), but the Knights used a 7-1 run over the final 2:26 of the first half to pull to within three (34-31) as the teams entered the locker room at halftime. That aforementioned run featured three converted jumpers by Greene, and a drained free throw by newcomer Starasia Lawley.

The Moose outplayed Berkeley in the third quarter, as the University of Maine at Augusta outscored the Knights 22-14 in the session to take its biggest lead of 11 (56-45) into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, Berkeley's defense stepped up, holding the Moose to just two converted field goals for the quarter. The Knights showed tremendous resilience, battling back and cutting the University of Maine Augusta's edge to three points, 56-53, with 5:23 remaining in the game. Berkeley later trailed by just four points (61-57) with 57 seconds remaining, but the Knights would be unable to inch any closer, eventually suffering a defeat.

The Moose were more efficient from the field this afternoon, as the University of Maine at Augusta connected on 41.5 percent of its attempts from the field (22-53) compared to a 36.5 percent conversion rate for Berkeley (23-63). The University of Maine at Augusta held a respectable advantage in the rebounding department, as the Moose snatched 36 caroms, while the Knights grabbed 28. The Moose won the game despite committing a whopping 31 turnovers, while Berkeley committed 23 miscues.

Berkeley College will look to bounce back tomorrow and avoid its first two-game losing streak of the season, as the Knights will take on the Lynx of NHTI on day two of the NHTI New Year's Classic. Start-time is scheduled for 11:00am.