The ACPHS Panthers defeated Berkeley College in an exciting fashion in the semifinal round of the 2016-2017 Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday evening, winning by a score of 69-64 in overtime. The game took place at the Wellness Center on the campus of the College of New Rochelle.
The Panthers improved to 11-8 on the season, and will aim to win back to back HVIAC championships tomorrow against the No. 2 seeded Blue Angels of the College of New Rochelle. The championship contest is set for 3:00pm.
The Knights, who defeated the Panthers in the regular season finale exactly one week ago, led by as many as 12 points before taking a 10 point cushion into the locker room at halftime. In the fourth quarter, with 7:50 remaining, Berkeley held a 48-40 edge, but that's when the Panthers started to make their push.
Dannie Griffin's converted jumper brought the Panthers to within six points at 48-42 with 7:27 left, and just 27 seconds after that, Griffin drained a pair of free throws to pull the Panther squad within four. On the Knights' next possession, Akiah Luceus would bank-in a layup to push Berkeley College's lead back to six at 50-44, but an 8-0 Panthers run over a span of 2:52 put the Panthers ahead 52-50.
With the game tied at 55-all and under a minute remaining in regulation, Berkeley's Newman and ACPHS's Griffin would trade baskets within a span of 14 seconds. The Knights had possession with seven seconds remaining and a chance to win, but Newman couldn't convert on a layup, and the contest headed to overtime.
In the extra session, Berkeley trailed by a score of 63-62, when Luceus drew a foul. She would proceed to connect on a pair of free throws with 1:28 remaining to give her team a one-point lead. That would be the final point the Knights would score, though, as ACPHS would finish the game on a 6-0 run to go on to win the semifinal round contest by five points.
Leading the way for the Panthers was the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year Dannie Griffin, as she scored a team-high 25 points and collected a game-high 14 rebounds. Additionally, she grabbed five assists and swatted four shots. Emma Webster added 16 points, two rebounds, and a pair of assists, and Rebecca Foote finalized her night with 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Albany College of Pharmacy was more efficient with its shooting on the night, converting on 44.6 percent of their attempts from the floor (25-56) compared to just a 30.3 conversion rate for the Knights (23-76).
In addition to Griffin being named HVIAC Player of the Year, First year Panther head coach Cornelius Tavarres was named HVIAC Coach of the Year, while freshman Emma Webster and Senior Rebecca Foote were named to the All-Conference Team.
