12/16/11

BERKELEY DEFEATS RUTGERS

Junior guard Gary Williams Jr. (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) put back the rebound of his teammate’s missed shot as the final buzzer sounded to lift the Berkeley College men’s basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 64-62, to earn Berkeley's first win ever over a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The victory was the second straight for the Knights, lifting their record to 3-7. The Scarlet Raptors fall to 2-6.

After building a 32-28 halftime lead, the Knights increased their bulge to as many as 11 points midway through the second half, leading 50-39 with 13:52 remaining on a layup by freshman guard Davonn Boyd (Newark, NJ/Kearny Christian Academy).

Rutgers-Camden, however, started chipping away, aided by 10 points from sophomore guard Woody Redding (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) – eight from the foul line – and three field goals from junior guard Bruce Stephens (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee). Redding, who was 14-for-17 from the foul line on his way to a game-high 22 points, tied the score at 62-62 with 18.2 seconds remaining on the first end of a pair of foul shots, but missed the second shot. Boyd grabbed the rebound and the Knights called a timeout with 12.8 seconds remaining to set up the final play.
With the clock ticking down toward a potential overtime, sophomore guard Andrew Webber (Columbus, OH/Thomas Worthington) missed a jumper, but Williams streaked into the paint to grab the rebound and put it back for the winning shot at the buzzer.

The Scarlet Raptors held an early 12-6 lead before the Knights fought back, finally taking the lead at 18-16 on a layup by Webber. Berkeley increased its lead to as many as six points (28-22 and 32-26) before settling for a 32-28 halftime lead. They held the lead until the Raptors tied the game at 62-62 moments before the frantic finish.

Waynick and Williams Jr. each finished with 15 points to pace the Knights, while Webber and sophomore center Terah Mingo (Newark, NJ/Kearny Christian Academy) both added eight points. Webber also dished out a game-high five assists and led the Knights with seven rebounds, while Mingo and Boyd each added six boards. Freshman guard Dakwan Simmons (Newark, NJ/University) had a team-high five steals for Berkeley.

Berkeley shot 21-for-47 (44.7 percent) from the field overall, including 17-for-25 (68.0) from the foul line. The Knights also had a 33-31 advantage off the boards and held Rutgers-Camden to 39.2 percent shooting (20-for-51) from the floor.

The Knights return to action Dec. 29 facing the host team on the first day of the Albright College Holiday Tournament.