Release courtesy of Berkeley Athletics
The Berkeley College men's basketball team extended its winning streak to 15 games on Thursday evening, cruising to a 113-42 victory over the Cannoneers of Pratt Institute in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest played at the Pratt ARC in Brooklyn, NY. With the win, the Knights are now 15-1 on the season, including an unblemished 5-0 mark in conference competition, while the Cannoneers slipped to 4-8 on the year, and 0-5 in HVIAC action.
Eight players scored in double figures for the Knights, including freshman Mandrell Jefferieswho connected on nine of his 12 attempts from the floor to finish with 21 points while also snatching four rebounds and recording a pair of assists. Leonardo Salcedo drilled 10 of his 14 attempts from the floor to finalize his evening with 21 points. He also has five assists on the night, as well. Teyvon Bussey scored 14 points and posted five steals, and Malik Browndrained four shots from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points. Finally, it was Stephon Jenningsposting a double-double, as he netted 10 points while grabbing 17 boards. Following the game Head Coach Chris Christiansen gave his thoughts.
"We have a very balanced team with many different contributors, and the student-athletes believe in themselves and one another," Christiansen said. "We've now won 15 consecutive games, and we are undefeated in the conference, and we'll look to keep our winning streak going on Saturday at Valley Forge."
Berkeley College connected on 57.6 percent of its attempts from the floor for the evening, nailing 49 of the 85 shots it took. On the flip side, Pratt Institute struggled, hitting on just 16 of its 55 attempts (29.1 percent). The Knights out-rebounded the Cannoneers 52-25, while also piling up 36 assists compared to six for Pratt. Berkeley also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Cannoneers 74-14 there.
Despite the loss for Pratt Institute, the Cannoneers were led by Bubby Vernon who scored a team-high 20 points, as he drilled five shots from beyond-the-arc on the night. Additionally, Isaac Green contributed with 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Berkeley College will look to extend its winning streak to 16 games on Wednesday evening as the Knights will take on Vaughn College in another Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest. The game will take place at the College of New Rochelle, and will begin at 8:00pm.
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Release courtesy of Pratt Athletics
Brooklyn – Freshman guard Bubby Vernon (Boulder, CO/Santa Barbara) matched his career-high with 20 points, but the Cannoneers were unable to overcome a red-hot Berkeley College offense that shot 57% from the fiel,d and fell to the Knights, 113-42, in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Tuesday evening at the Pratt ARC.
The Cannoneers dropped their fifth consecutive game.
Freshman Isaac Green (St. Augustine, FL/St. Augustine) added 10 points and four rebounds for the Cannoneers, who fell to 4-8 on the season and remain winless in HVIAC play at 0-5.
Mandrell Jeffries and Leonardo Salcedo each came off the bench to lead eight Knights in double figures with 21 points. The victory improved Berkeley's record to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in HVIAC play. The Knights are tied for first place in the conference with Vaughn College.
After Green's layup gave Pratt its only lead of the game at 2-0, the Cannoneers would then fall into an offensive funk, missing eight consecutive shots to fall behind, 9-2, before Vernon's first three point basket ended the dry spell. Vernon made five threes on the night, setting a new career mark.
Berkeley would then go on the first of several extended runs, breaking the game open with a 20-6 run over the next 5:12 to open up a 29-14 lead that the Cannoneers would not be able to overcome.
An Adam Blufarb (Tel Aviv, Israel/Thelma Yellin Arts) three and a Tom Jamieson (Gold Coast, Australia/Dubai American) layup would trim the deficit to 13 with 8:18 to play in the first half, but the Cannoneers would not get any closer as the Knights closed the first half on a 21-4 run to put the game out of reach at 50-22.
Berkeley would continue to display its offensive prowess in the second half, scoring 63 points on 29-for-46 shooting (63%) to hand the Cannoneers their worst loss of the season.
UP NEXT: The Cannoneers will take on Davis College in a HVIAC matchup at the Pratt ARC on Saturday, February 6 at 2:00p.m.
