Black Knights Fall in Opener, 77-74

Friday, November 10

Hempstead, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Army West Point

0-1

Hofstra

1-0

Army West Point

Hofstra

Black Knights Fall in Opener, 77-74

November 11, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's basketball team dropped its season opener at Hofstra here Friday night, 77-74.

The Black Knights and Pride battled the entire game which saw 12 tie scores and 18 lead changes. It was a one-point home team lead at 37-36 after the opening 20 minutes of play. Sophomore Matt Wilson led the charge with 10 of his final 17 points in the first frame. He was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor during that half before finishing 8-of-9 and 1-of-4 from the charity stripe on the night for his 17th career double-digit scoring game.

The Alexandria, Ky., native also led the Cadets in rebounds with six.

Army held a slim 68-67 advantage with 4:27 remaining in the game after sophomore Tommy Funk drained a 3-pointer. Unfortunately, a three-point play for the Pride, sparked a small 6-0 run over 18 seconds and the Black Knights were never able to recover. Jordan Fox converted on two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to pull within 75-74 but Desure Buie hit a pair of free throws on the opposite end of the court to create a three-point gap between the teams. The Cadets did, however, get one final look at the game-tying trey but senior Luke Morrison's attempt from downtown fell just shy.

Joining Wilson in double-figure scoring was Fox and Jacob Kessler with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Fox added five assists and one steal to his stat line. Kessler was near perfect in the game missing just one jumper after finishing 5-of-6 from the floor, 1-of-1 from long range and 1-of-1 at the line. The junior chipped in five rebounds as well.

Morrison posted a team-best three 3-pointers, while Funk dished out a team-high six helpers to go along with his five boards.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army finished the game 30-of-65 from the floor for 46.2 percent shooting. The Black Knights hit eight shots from behind-the-arc, while converting on six of their 11 attempts at the free throw line.
The Pride shot 25-of-63 (39.7%), 8-of-28 (28.6%), and 19-of-21 (90.5%), respectively on the night.
Justin Wright-Foreman tallied a game-high 25 points, while three others recorded double-figures for Hofstra in Joel Angus III (13 points), Buie (12 points) and Jalen Ray (10 points).
Rokas Gustys notched a game-best 12 rebounds.
Hofstra registered 17 points off of second chance opportunities to 14 for the Black Knights.
The Pride also held the slim edge on points off turnovers at 17-15.
Army recorded 40 points from inside the paint, while Hofstra scored just 26.
Three Black Knights saw action in their first collegiate games with Tucker Blackwell, Alex King and Babacar Thiombane all seeing minutes.
Both Blackwell and King converted on a jumper, while all three handed out one assist.
Fox has scored in double-figures in seven consecutive games, while Morrison has drained at least one 3-pointer in Army's last six games. Both streaks date back to last season.

TURNING POINT

After a back-forth affair for the opening 35 minutes, Funk's lone 3-pointer of the game handed Army a 68-67 lead with 4:27 left to play. The home team answered on the other end of the court with a three-point play after Wright-Foreman was fouled on a made jumper. The Pride then forced the Black Knights to turn the ball over before Buie hit a transition trey to ultimately put the game out of reach at 73-68 with 3:12 remaining.
Army tried to rally and even got the five-point deficit down to one on two different occasions over the final three minutes but was never able to complete the full comeback.

UP NEXT

The Cadets are back in action Tuesday when they host Division III John Jay College in Christl Arena at 7 p.m. for their home opener. The game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network with Rich DeMarco on the call.