The Berkeley College men's basketball team began its 2025-2026 season this past weekend, competing in a pair of games at Penn State Beaver. The Knights dropped both contests, falling to the Nittany Lions of Penn State Beaver this past Saturday (11/8) by a score of 89-72, and the Apprentice School Builders this past Sunday (11/9), 88-86. Berkeley is 0-2 to start the new season.
November 8, 2025: Nittany Lions 89, Knights 72
Josiah Mitchener led the way for Berkeley in the Knights' season-opener, as he posted game-highs of 17 points and four steals. Additionally, he snatched three rebounds and dished two assists. DaMarco Watson scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and notched two steals in 25 minutes of action, and Justyce Coleman and Justin Umunakwe scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. Coleman's eight rebounds and three blocks were both game-highs, and Umunakwe added three rebounds as well.
Jiyhad Bobbitt scored a team-high 12 points while tying for the game-high of eight rebounds. Jermaine Knaff netted 11 points (3-4 3PT-FG) while snatching three boards, and Ny'zir Dix finalized his evening with 10 points and six rebounds.
Trailing 40-24 with 3:52 remaining in the opening half, the Knights closed the gap to seven, finishing the half on an impressive 14-5 run. That aforementioned push by Berkeley was highlighted by Umunakwe's pair of three-point baskets, as the Hostos transfer made his presence known in helping the Knights slice into Penn State Beaver's big advantage. After 20 minutes of action, the hosts led 45-38.
In the second half, the Knights stayed within striking distance, trailing by just seven (55-48) with 12:48 remaining, but the momentum changed from there, as Penn State Beaver started to gradually pull away. The Nittany Lions went up by as many as 17, and after that, never led by any fewer than nine points, eventually going on to win the contest by 17 (89-72).
Both teams shot the basketball very well, with the Nittany Lions nailing 48.6 percent of their attempts from the floor (34-70), and the Knights earning a conversion rate of 41 percent (25-61). Penn State Beaver held advantages in rebounding (41-29), assists (11-10), and steals (13-10), but Berkeley had five swatted shots, while the Nittany Lions had none. Penn State Beaver won the turnover battle, committing 17 miscues, while Berkeley had 22.
November 9, 2025: Builders 88, Knights 86
In the game against the Builders, Watson paced the Knights, with a team-high 19 points. He also collected six rebounds, and tallied a game-high five steals. Jesse Taylor and Umunakwe scored 17 points apiece, with Taylor grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while tying for the team-high of four assists. He also swiped three steals in what was a very versatile effort. Umunakwe snatched four boards in addition to netting 17 points. Yasin Abdur-Rashid connected on all four of his free throw attempts, scoring 10 points. He also added four assists while tallying three steals.
Jahlil Hope was dominant in Apprentice's close win, scoring a game-high 27 points (12-15 FG) to go along with five rebounds and a game-high five assists. Devon Brown registered a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Jabari Brackett finalized his day with 15 points, six rebounds, three dimes, and two assists, and Shamon Rosser contributed 11 points and six rebounds.
In a rematch of last year's USCAA Division I semifinal round game, neither team led by more than 12 points at any given point. Leading by three at halftime, Apprentice extended its advantage to 12 with just over 12 minutes to play, but the Berkeley fought back to tie the game up at 72 with just under five minutes left to play.
After some more back-and-forth action, the score was tied 81-all when Apprentice reeled off five of the next seven points to get just enough margin to secure the 88-86 win.
Apprentice converted on 56.9 percent of its shot attempts for the game (37-65), while the Knights shot a clip under 43 percent (30-70, 42.9 percent). The Builders held a 41-28 edge on the glass, and a slim 16-13 advantage in assists. Berkeley took care of the basketball better, committing just 12 miscues, while Apprentice had 20.
Next up for the Knights
Berkeley will return to action on Friday evening, as the Knights will travel to Central Maine Community College to clash with the University of Maine at Augusta. Start-time is scheduled for 8:00pm.
