The Berkeley College women's basketball team started December on a winning note, turning back the Lions of The King's College (NY) in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game by a score of 63-52 Wednesday evening at the Aviator Complex in Brooklyn, NY. With the victory, the Knights evened their mark at 3-3 on the 2019-2020 campaign (1-0 HVIAC), while the Lions slipped to a mark of 2-4 (1-2 conference play).
Leading the way for the Knights was Kaina Martinez, as her versatility was once again on display. The newcomer posted game-highs of 19 points and seven assists, while also tying for the game-high with five steals. Amirah Greene scored a point per minute, netting 16 in 16 minutes of action, while also grabbing four rebounds and posting a game-high four blocks. Sabriana Franck connected on three shots from downtown to finish with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists, and Daniella Wood snatched a team-best nine boards.
Despite the loss for The King's College (NY), the Lions were paced by Donyanna Sanders, as she finalized her evening with a team-high 12 points. She also contributed three rebounds and a pair of assists. Three King's (NY) players finished in double digits in the rebounding department, as Serena Tuomi pulled down a game-high 14 caroms, and Bailey Kaufman and Catie Shoemaker snatched 11 boards apiece.
The Knights trailed just briefly in this one, finding themselves down 9-7 with 2:56 remaining in the opening quarter. However, Berkeley put together a 9-2 run to finish the first session, capped by a converted three-point basket by Martinez. At that point, the Knights led 16-11. Berkeley went up by as many as nine points in the second quarter, before entering the locker room with a five point edge (27-22).
Later, with 2:43 remaining in the third quarter, the Knights took their biggest lead of the game 46-32. The Lions would score the final four points of the session to pull to within 46-36 after 30 minutes of play. In the fourth, King's (NY) was able to pull to within seven points on three different occasions, but Berkeley was able to keep the Lions at arm's length, never allowing King's (NY) to get any closer than that, as the Knights advanced for the 11-point triumph.
Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch this evening, with the Knights hitting on just 31.3 percent of their attempts from the floor (25-80) compared to a 27.4 percent conversion rate for the Lions (20-73). The Knights registered 13 assists to seven for King's College (NY), and Berkeley also committed just 16 turnovers while forcing 24 Lions errors. The Knights dominated in bench points, netting 24 to the opposition's nine.
The Knights will aim for their first winning streak of the season, as Berkeley returns to the court Sunday afternoon against Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo). The game takes place at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, with start-time scheduled for 1:00pm.
