Berkey’s overtime effort helps Juniata MBB edge Moravian College

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Sophomore guard Jeff Berkey (Stoystown, Pa./Shanksville-Stonycreek) drained a three-pointer and went 4-of-4 at the free throw line over the last two minutes of overtime, to help lead Juniata College to a 95-90 overtime win against Moravian College, in Landmark Conference men's basketball action Friday night at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center in Huntingdon, Pa.

 Berkey forced the extra session after making the game-tying layup with 8.8 seconds left in regulation.

Juniata (8-5, 1-1 Landmark) had trailed by as many as seven points, 71-64, with less than six minutes remaining in the second half.

The Eagles pulled even with Moravian thanks to a pair of free throws and a jumper by Brian Cannon (Fallston, Md./Fallston), followed by buckets from Brent Ferko (Sarver, Pa./Freeport) and Garrett Bull (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion). That left the game deadlocked at 71-71 with 4:29 on the clock, and was the first four ties down the stretch in regulation.

Moravian (10-3, 1-1 Landmark) looked to have the game under control with a four-point lead and just under a minute remaining, but a traditional three-point play by Berkey cut the Greyhound lead to 80-79 with 47 seconds left in the second stanza. Mark Franzyshen's layup stretched the Moravian lead back to three points, but Cannon made the first of two free throws with 16 seconds left. That cut the margin back to two points, setting the stage for Berkey's game-tying jumper to force OT.

The overtime session began with Moravian taking a lead on three occasions, only to watch Juniata tie the game twice before taking the lead on Berkey's trey.

Cannon finished with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field, while Berkey tallied 26 points on the night behind a 5-of-9 effort from three-point range. Kyle Opitz (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland) had 16 points with three treys.

Moravian was paced offensively by Franzyshen with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. He was one of five players to score in double-figures: Chris Earley and Ryan Miller each had 18, Chris Bays had 11, and Chris Cullen finished with 10 points.

Juniata continues its Landmark Conference weekend on Saturday afternoon, hosting the University of Scranton at 4:00 p.m. in Huntingdon. 

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