Men's basketball fights hard, falls to #1 Berkeley on Senior Day

ESF gave number one-ranked Berkeley College a challenge but, in the end, the Mighty Oaks went down to a 97-84 defeat.

Right from the outset, Berkeley administered a stifling full-court press against the Mighty Oaks. The press stymied the offense as the Mighty Oaks managed only four points in the first seven minutes of the game. The Knights used the press to generate turnovers and jumped out to an early 20-4 lead. ESF fought back by attacking the basket, drawing several fouls, and slowly got back into the game via the free-throw line. After a slow, foul-prone first half, ESF was down 57-38 at the half.

In the second half, the Mighty Oaks found their rhythm, breaking the Knights' full-court press with more ease. The Mighty Oaks played hard, outscoring the Knights most of the second half, and with five minutes remaining got within ten points, 86-76, after a three-pointer by Jared Bard. Berkeley and ESF continued to trade baskets for the next few minutes but 10 points was as close as the Mighty Oaks would get. The Knights pulled away at the end with the final score of 97-84.

Treadwell lead all scorers with a career high 23 points and seven assists. Junior Ryan Caldwell added 21 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore center Tyler Kuhn chipped in eight points and 14 rebounds.

It was Senior Day as the Mighty Oaks recognized seniors Sage Beemer (Fleischmanns, New York, construction management), Jacob Ball (Naples, New York, fisheries and aquatics science), Raymond George (Attica, New York, paper engineering) and Kyler Brown (Weedsport, New York, landscape architecture) for all their contributions to the Mighty Oaks men's basketball program.

With the loss, ESF fell to 6-13 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Mighty Oaks finish the regular season Feb. 16 against HVIAC rival Davis College at Onondaga Community College's SRC Arena.  With a win, the Mighty Oaks will clinch a spot in the HVIAC playoffs this weekend.