Delhi Knocks off Berkeley, Snaps Knights' 56-Game Win Streak

Delhi Knocks off Berkeley, Snaps Knights' 56-Game Win Streak

DELHI, N.Y. (November 19, 2017) – SUNY Delhi men's basketball added another landmark win to their season Sunday in their 88-84 win over Berkeley. The victory was not only the Broncos' third straight win and awarded them the Bronco Fastbreak championship, it ended the Knights' 56-game winning streak, which began over two years ago. Berkeley has won the last three USCAA Division II Championships.

While four Broncos scored in double digits Sunday, it was the gritty double-double performance of Payton Dean that put Delhi over the top. Dean netted 18 points and grabbed 23 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards, nearly doubling his previous season-high of 12 rebounds. Damon Denteh led all scorers with 21 points, hitting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while Jake Slobe had 16 points and five boards and William Knight earning 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Both sides played a well-fought, balanced game throughout the 40 minutes, but the major breakthrough for Delhi was its performance at the free throw line. The Broncos connected on 33-of-42 from the charity stripe (78.6 percent), while the Knights made just 4-of-18 (22.2 percent), a whopping 56.4 percent difference. Delhi shot 37.1 percent from the floor (23-for-62), and Berkeley made 39.5 percent (34-for-86). The Broncos fared 9-of-23 from 3-point range, with the Knights shooting 12-of-40 from downtown.

Facing a 7-2 deficit out of the gate, Delhi grabbed the lead at 10-8 with 14:51 to play in the first and stayed ahead until halftime. With the Knigts threatening on a 3-point shot to make it 30-29, the Broncos scored 11 of the next 16 points to go into the half with a 41-34 lead. Berkeley worked its way back into the game in the second half, and went ahead at 55-54 with 12 minutes to play. The Knights would add four more straight points to lead by five, until Delhi responded to take a 65-64 lead on a pair of Denteh free throws with 5:33 to go. The Broncos stretched their lead to six on two occasions down the stretch, but the Knights kept threatening until the end. After two Denteh free throws gave Delhi an 87-84 lead with six ticks left, a costly Darius Ward turnover awarded the Broncos possession. Knight connected on a free throw after being intentionally fouled to seal the victory.