11/19/2006 - (Riverdale, NY) - Pretty, the Championship Game of the Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) Tip-off Tournament, was not. Between Berkeley College and the Pratt Institute there were more turnovers (67) than minutes played, 50 personal fouls, and 26 missed free throws, but in the end, the game turned into a contest as competitive and fun as it was sloppy, and Berkeley College allowed an early 18-point lead to stand despite a valiant comeback effort, defeating the Cannoneers 62-48 to improve to 2-1 for the 2006-07 season. All games this weekend were played at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York.

Berkeley College opened a 28-10 first half lead en route to a 62-48 win over Pratt Institute to capture the 2006 Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) Tip-off Championship. The Knights were led by Tournament MVP Kempes Gilles, who scored 17 points and added nine rebounds.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Kempes Gilles (Jamaica, NY/Springfield Gardens HS) enjoyed his second fantastic outing of the weekend, scoring a team-high 17 points and adding nine rebounds to earn MVP honors. He scored 12 of his points during a first half in which Berkeley - thanks to 24 points off of 26 Pratt Institute turnovers - opened a commanding 28-10 lead en route to a 29-15 halftime advantage.

The second half saw the game swing in Pratt's favor for some time as the Cannoneers (2-1) began to break the Berkeley press that caused 77 turnovers during two games, and also began scoring as well. When Cannoneer freshman Michael St. John (New York, NY/St. Francis Prep) hit a three-point basket with 1:49 remaining, Pratt trailed only 54-48, but that was as close as the game would get. Gilles scored four points during the final 1:02 in which Berkeley outscored Pratt 6-0 to earn the 14-point win.

For the Knights, besides Gilles's heroics, sophomore James Dorismond (New York, NY/Bread & Roses) added 13 points and a game-high five assists and five steals, while sophomore Willie Bowman III (Bronx, NY/Msgr. Scanlan) added eight points and seven rebounds. Berkeley enjoyed a 45-44 rebounding edge, and also combined for 19 steals.

Pratt was led by St. John, who scored 17 points and added five steals off of the bench, while junior Goran Krstic (New York, NY/LaGuardia HS) added 13 points. After shooting a mere 18% (3 for 17) from the floor during the first half of play, the Cannoneers shot 42% (10 for 24) during the final 20 minutes to spark the comeback.

2006 HVMAC Tip-off All-Tournament Team:
Ralph Kube - Mount Saint Vincent
Tommy Crimmins - Cooper Union
Nathaniel Ripp - Pratt Institute
Darnell Jones-Bey - Pratt Institute
James Dorismond - Berkeley College
Willie Bowman III - Berkeley College
Darjan Milojkovic - Berkeley College

2006 HVMAC Tip-off MVP:
Kempes Gilles - Berkeley College