The Berkeley College women's basketball team split a pair of NACIA contests this past weekend, blowing out the Vikings of Villa Maria by a score of 95-53 at the Villa Athletic Center in Buffalo, NY, before turning around the following day and falling to the Bobcats of Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) at the Burt Flickinger Center by a score of 90-67. With that 1-1 output, the Knights improved to 4-3 on the 2024-2025 campaign, and 1-1 in the North American Conference for Intercollegiate Athletics.
In the victory over the Vikings, Berkeley was paced by veteran Khya Hough, as she finished with a game-high 19 points to go along with six steals, four rebounds, and three assists. Magan Jackson and Maria Negron both registered double-doubles on the afternoon, with Jackson scoring 16 points (7-14 FG), snatching a game-high 15 rebounds, tallying eight steals, and adding five assists, and Negron finalizing her afternoon with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and a pair of swatted shots. Finally, it was Anastasia Davis contributing 11 points, four steals, and two boards.
Despite the loss for Villa Maria, Daishya Stallings finished with a team-high 11 points (5-11 FG) to go along with six rebounds, and Ellanda Francois added 10 points and a team-best nine boards to go along with a pair of assists.
Berkeley held a commanding 24-9 edge after 10 minutes of action, before taking a 45-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The visiting Knights continued to pour it on in the second session, outscoring the hosts 28-16 in the third and 22-17 in the final period to account for the 42-point margin of victory (95-53).
The Knights connected on 41.8 percent of their attempts from the floor (38-81), while Villa Maria earned a 27.7 percent conversion rate (18-65). The Vikings held a slim 51-50 edge on the glass, but Berkeley registered 24 steals compared to just seven for the hosts. The Knights earned 17 assists to Villa Maria's 12, and Berkeley turned the ball over just 18 times, while the Vikings did so 37 times.
In Berkeley's loss to the Bobcats, Jackson led the way for her squad, connecting on all four of her free throw attempts and finishing with a team-high 15 points. She also snatched four rebounds and swatted a pair of shots. Hough added 11 points and team-highs of eight boards and four steals, and Christa Williams, Aliyah Smith, and Davis each accounted for 10 points, with Williams also contributing five rebounds.
Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) was led by Madison Carey's game-high 20 points (8-12 FG, 4-5 FT). She also collected three rebounds, dished three assists, and swiped two steals. Treanna Bienman finalized her afternoon with 19 points and five rebounds, and Chanice Willis nearly registered a triple-double, netting 17 points, dishing a game-high 13 assists, and tying for the game-high of nine boards. Chelsea Johnson and Imani Ward finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The game was knotted at five apiece with 5:22 remaining in the opening quarter before the hosts put together a 9-0 run over a span of 2:19 to take a 14-5 advantage. Carey accounted for seven of the Bobcats' nine points during that spurt. Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) maintained its advantage, eventually taking an 18-10 edge into the second quarter.
Berkeley fell behind by as many as 13 (29-16) with 6:34 remaining in the half before putting together a ferocious 9-0 run over a period of 2:11 to slice its deficit to four (29-25). Davis capped that aforementioned run with a triple, a spurt that also included buckets by Hough, Smith, and Jackson.
The Bobcats responded with a 5-0 run to take a 34-25 advantage, before eventually taking a modest 36-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, Berkeley stayed within striking distance, trailing by just 13 (52-39) with 4:04 remaining in the period, but Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) put together a 9-0 run over a span of 1:45 to take a commanding 61-39 advantage. Later, with the hosts holding a seemingly-comfortable 64-43 edge, Berkeley closed out the quarter with a 7-0 spurt (courtesy of a pair of converted free throws by Smith, and five points by Jackson) to close to within 14 (64-50) after 30 minutes of play.
In the fourth, Berkeley pulled to within 13 (67-54) following a hoop by Zan'ya Henderson, but the hosts dominated from there, outscoring Berkeley 23-13 the rest of the way to account for the 90-67 triumph.
The Bobcats were far more efficient shooting the basketball on the day, converting on 50 percent of their attempts from the floor (37-74), while Berkeley nailed just 32 percent of their attempts (24-75). Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) held edges in rebounding (57-40), assists (24-9), and steals (10-8), and the teams committed 18 turnovers apiece.
Berkeley will return to action on Friday evening, as the Knights stay on the road to battle Central Maine Community College. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 6:00pm.
