The Berkeley College New York men's basketball team regained their winning ways at the New Hampshire Technical Institute's New Year’s Tournament in Concord, NH, with a 69-66 non-conference victory over the University of Maine at Augusta for a third place finish while snapping their seven game losing streak.
In their opening game against host NHTI, Berkeley jumped out to an early 8-4 lead on the home team. Freshmen Damir Redzepagic (Cardinal Spellman HS/Bronx, NY) and Kaseem Williams (Boys & Girls HS/Brooklyn, NY) scored 12 points and 11 points, respectively, to keep Berkeley within a single point at 26-25 with three minutes to play in the first half before the home team would go on a 14-4 run to end the half up by eleven points at 40-29.
Berkeley would get no closer the rest of the way as NHTI built upon their halftime advantage for an eventual 85-61 win. Williams led Berkeley with 22 points while Redzepagic registered his second double-double of the season with 15 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds and sophomore Stanley Hamp (Nazareth HS/Bronx, NY) contributed ten points.
In the consolation game against UMA, Berkeley once again jumped out to the early lead. Freshman Joshua Witsell’s (Jericho HS/Jericho, NY) layup put the Knights in front 12-4 with 16 minutes to play in the half. But UMA would fight back and took their first lead of the contest at 24-23 on a layup by their 6-5 power forward Moses Braithwaite with seven minutes remaining. But Berkeley quickly regained its composure and closed out the half with an 11-6 run with Isaiah Didier (Sheepshead Bay HS/Brooklyn, NY) hitting a 3-point jumper to put the Knights ahead 34-29 at halftime.
Berkeley started out the second half on a 16-9 run for its biggest lead of the game, 50-38, with 14 minutes to play before UMA would go on a 23-8 run of its own to lead 61-58 with seven minutes to play. From there on out the game turned into a back and forth match with both teams trading leads to the finish. Two free throws by Williams and a layup by Witsell off a steal from Hamp put Berkeley ahead for good at 66-63 for the eventual victory.
Witsell led the Knights with his second double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Williams added 14 points and was selected as Berkeley ’s representative to the All-Tournament Team. Honorable mention goes to UMA’s Braithwaite as the power forward was a one-man wrecking crew by scoring 37 of UMA’s 66 points and pulling down 30 rebounds in a losing effort.
Berkeley (3-7) looks to gain its first victory in the Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference as they travel to Albany Pharmacy next Sunday to play the Panthers at 1:00 P.M.
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Berkeley College endeavors to provide an athletic program from which participating students can derive all of the benefits that involvement in competitive sports confers. The guiding principle behind its athletic programs is the belief in their educational value for the students.
