Cadets Welcome Boston U. on Senior Night

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army closes out its regular-season home slate Wednesday when Boston University comes to West Point.

That contest is slated for a 7 p.m. tip in Christl Arena and can be viewed live on the Patriot League Network with Rich DeMarco on the call. Prior to the game, four special senior cadet-athlete will be acknowledged for their contributions to the team and program over the last four years.

Army is coming off one of its most historic games in program history. The Black Knights rallied from 25 points down to steal a three-point victory over archrival Navy on Saturday. The 33-8 rally, which got the Cadets back in it, was highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by Jordan Fox just 29 seconds apart. The sophomore than drilled his final trey of the night with 19 seconds remaining to hand Army the lead for good. That win closed out a 2-0 week for Army as they also earned a 52-47 road win at Holy Cross on Wednesday.

The Terriers most recently dropped a tough 86-66 home loss to league frontrunner Bucknell on Sunday. That decision ended Boston U.'s four-game winning streak after they posted victories over Lafayette, American, Loyola, and Colgate. The Terriers have not lost back-to-back games since dropping three straight from Jan. 16-21. Boston U. brings its 11-5 conference mark into Wednesday's contest and sits in sole possession of second place in the league.

HOW TO FOLLOW
VIDEO • Patriot League Network
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WLNA (1420 AM, Peekskill, N.Y.)
AUDIO • Knight Vision
LIVE STATISTICS • www.GoArmyWestPoint.com
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TWITTER • @ArmyWP_MBB
GAME NOTES • Army | Boston U.

ABOUT THE TERRIERS
    During Boston U.'s last outing against Bucknell, the Terriers saw two players reach double-digit scoring. Sophomore Kyle Foreman led the way with 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor. He added 1-for-2 makes from downtown, while going 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Cedric Hankerson also recorded twin figures with 10 points in the contest. Junior Nick Havener led the team on the glass and in assists with five rebounds and three helpers, respectively. Foreman added four steals, while Hankerson earned three.
    On the year, senior Eric Fanning is averaging 14.8 points per contest, which is good enough for eighth in the Patriot League. Justin Alston is also putting up 12.0 points per outing, while Hankerson and Cheddi Mosely are averaging 9.7 and 9.2 points. Fanning is ninth in the league with his 6.0 rebounds per game, while Alston comes in at the 10th spot with 5.9. Hankerson is averaging 2.4 makes from 3-point range per contest to go along with his 2.0 steals per outing. Foreman is fourth in the league with 4.6 assists per game and in assists-to-turnover ratio with 1.9.

LAST TIME OUT
    The Army West Point men's basketball performance at Navy on Saturday afternoon was nothing short of a miracle. The Black Knights rallied from 25-points down with 13 minutes remaining to register a 71-68 victory over their archrival. The outcome handed Army its first Star Game win in three tries and brings the Alumni Trophy back to West Point. The Cadets finished the regular season 2-1 against their service-academy foes including a 79-71 triumph over Air Force back on Dec. 7. The impressive win ties for the largest comeback in NCAA Division I play this year. Nevada also rallied from 25 points down to beat North Mexico on Jan. 9. It was also the largest comeback in the Army-Navy Game series history.
    With Navy's lead up to a game-high 25 points, senior Mac Hoffman sparked a quick 6-0 run for Army with 12:40 remaining following a jumper to make it a 54-35 ballgame. The Mids then saw Tom Lacey hit a jumper with nine minutes to play, but Army answered with another 27-6 rally to knot the score at 62-62. That last run closed out Army's 33-8 overall rally from 12:40 to 2:38. During that stretch the Cadets drained five 3-pointers, including two very important ones back-to-back from Jordan Fox. Army also made 12 straight field goals at one point during the epic comeback. Navy quickly broke the tie with a trey of their own, but a 7-2 run from the Black Knights handed the visitors their first lead since the 12:17 mark of the opening period. That small rally was highlighted by another make from downtown by Fox with 19 ticks on the clock. Strong defense by the Cadets in the final 10 seconds then secured them their fifth win in Patriot League play.
    Fox earned his fifth career 20-plus point outing with a game-high 22 points. The sophomore finished 8-of-15 from the floor, 5-of-9 from downtown and 1-of-3 at the free throw line. His five treys were a career best. The Jackson County, Ky., native also led all players with seven assists and two steals. Joining him in double-digit scoring was rookie Tommy Funk and Hoffman, who posted 14 and 11 points, respectively. Hoffman notched his second career double-double after adding a game-high 10 rebounds.

    In a battle for first place in the Patriot League standings, defending regular season champion Bucknell spoiled Senior Day festivities by utilizing a second-half surge to defeat Boston University, 86-66, on Sunday afternoon at Case Gym. Despite the loss, the Terriers received good news as they clinched a top-four seed and home quarterfinal game following the conclusion of the other conference matchups.
    Owning a 45-36 lead with 18:16 left in regulation, Bucknell scored 17 of the game's next 18 points over the following seven minutes of action to pull away for the win. The Bison shot 61.5 percent in the second half, with the help of seven 3-pointers and held the Terriers to 34.8 percent shooting and just one 3-pointer.
    Sophomore Kyle Foreman reached double figures for the fourth time this season and second time in three games with 16 points. He hit a career-tying seven free throws off eight attempts. BU entered the contest with the conference's top defensive field goal percentage at 42.0, but the nation's No. 35 top shooting team Bucknell (47.8 FG%) came out ahead on Sunday at 32-of-55 (.582). Seeing their four-game win streak snapped, the Terriers finished ahead in points in the paint (32-30), points off turnovers (20-17) while also tying Bucknell in second-chance points, 10-10. The Bison though had a 12-4 advantage in made 3-pointers, marking BU's highest deficit of the season. Bucknell became the only team to sweep the Terriers this season after BU avoided a second defeat against Loyola Maryland and Colgate.

ARMY VS. THE TERRIERS
    Boston U. leads the all-time series 15-8 and has won eight of the last 10 meetings between the teams. During their last outing on Jan. 25, the Black Knights saw the Terriers nab a 90-89 overtime victory. Army had two solid opportunities to win the game. The first one came with 11.7 seconds remaining in regulation. The game was knotted at 77-77 with 11.7 seconds left and Army had one final attempt at the game-winner. John Emezie broke free at the free throw line and pulled up for a jumper in the paint. Unfortunately, his shot fell just short skimming the rim and forcing the contest into overtime.
    Then after a back-and-forth overtime period, the Terriers jumped in front 89-83 after Eric Fanning converted on two free throws with 16 seconds remaining. But Army would not go away. Emezie was fouled with 13 seconds left and made both of his attempts at the charity stripe to pull the Cadets to within 89-85. Then after a huge defensive stop, Army saw Emezie drain a 3-pointer with four seconds left to make it a one-point game at 89-88. The Black Knights couldn't come up with the steal and were forced to foul Fanning. The senior then stepped up and hit the front end of two shots at the line to extend the Terriers lead to 90-88.
    Army quickly grabbed the rebound and dished it over to Jacob Kessler on the wing at midcourt. The sophomore threw up one last-ditch 3-pointer but his attempt fell short. But that wasn't the end of the game. Kessler was fouled by Fanning while shooting, handing the Cadets an opportunity to tie or win the game. Unfortunately, the Richmond, Va., native only converted on one of his three attempts, ending the Black Knights' hopes of a comeback victory just shy.
    Six Cadets found double digits with Tommy Funk's 16 points leading the way. The first-year matched his career high after going 6-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-5 from long range and 1-of-4 from the line. Luke Morrison, Jordan Fox and Emezie all added 14 points each, while Kessler and Mac Hoffman both finished with 11 points, respectively. Hoffman, Morrison and Kennedy Edwards led the team on the boards with seven rebounds, while Funk and Fox dished out a team-high five assists each.

SHARING THE ROCK
    Two names stand out on the Army team when it comes to sharing the basketball - Jordan Fox and Tommy Funk. Fox currently leads the team and is second in the Patriot League with 4.9 helpers per game. Funk isn't far behind, averaging 4.4 for fifth in the league, making him the only rookie in the league's top-10. As a team, the Black Knights are 37th in the nation in assists per contest with 16.2.

EFFICIENCY IS KEY
    Strong shooting and the ability to spread the ball around are both keys to Army's success. The Black Knights' 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the Patriot League, while their 16.2 assists per game and .353 percentage from long distance rank first and fifth, respectively. With no one truly dominating the ball offensively, it is helping to create open looks for shooters on the outside where the Cadets are first in the conference with 9.2 made 3-pointers per game. That mark also has them tied for 37th in the NCAA.

SOPHOMORE SWAG
    Jordan Fox has emerged as a leader for the Black Knights. He currently leads Army with 12.2 points per game. What's more impressive though is how he's scoring. The sophomore has converted on 120 of his 276 attempts from the floor, which is good enough for .435 percent shooting. Things don't stop there as Fox is among the leaders in the conference with a .389 mark from behind-the-arc. He is averaging 1.8 treys per outing, which is 11th in the league. In addition to that, Fox is second on the team with a .781 percentage from the charity stripe. The Jackson County, Ky., native is second in the conference and 48th in the nation with a 2.4 assists-to-turnover ratio, recording 137 assists to just a league-low 57 turnovers. Lastly, Fox has posted double figures in 18 of Army's 28 contests, including five games with 20-plus points.
    He most recently was tabbed the Patriot League The Rock Player of the Week, College Sports Madness' Patriot League Player of the Week and AAA Athlete of the Week after his outstanding performance at Navy and Holy Cross last week.

BY THE NUMBERS
    Army's current starting five have accounted for 1,212 points and 577 rebounds this season. They are averaging 59 percent of the Cadets' scoring and 55 percent of the Black Knights' rebounding. Tommy Funk or Jordan Fox have led Army in assists in every game this season but two (Jacob Kessler - vs. Arkansas State (11/19) and John Emezie - vs. Colgate (2/8)). The Cadets have drained 10 or more 3-pointers on 12 different occasions throughout the year. All season, Army has allowed just two opponents to hit 10 or more treys (vs. Holy Cross - 1/18 and at Colgate - 2/8).

MAKING HISTORY
    Army's 25-point comeback win at rival Navy on Feb. 18 was its largest in school history and largest in the Army-Navy series records book. The Black Knights trailed by 25 with 12:51 remaining in the second half. Army then used a 33-8 run over the next 10 minutes to knot the score and get itself back into the game. It was the fifth-latest comeback by 25-or-more points in NCAA history. It is tied for the 11th-largest overall comeback to win in NCAA lore. The largest ever is 32 points by Duke in a 74-72 victory over Tulane on Dec. 30, 1950.
    With Navy's lead up to a game-high 25 points, senior Mac Hoffman sparked a quick 6-0 run for Army with 12:40 remaining following a jumper to make it a 54-35 ballgame. The Mids then saw Tom Lacey hit a jumper with nine minutes to play, but Army answered with another 27-6 rally to knot the score at 62-62. That last run closed out Army's 33-8 overall rally from 12:40 to 2:38. During that stretch the Cadets drained five 3-pointers, including two very important ones back-to-back from Jordan Fox. Army also made 12 straight field goals at one point during the epic comeback. Navy quickly broke the tie with a trey of its own, but a 7-2 run from the Black Knights handed the visitors their first lead since the 12:17 mark of the opening period. That small rally was highlighted by another make from downtown by Fox with 19 ticks on the clock. Strong defense by the Cadets in the final 10 seconds then secured them the historic win.

NEXT UP
    Army wraps up its regular-season slate with a game at Lehigh on Saturday. That meeting is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip in Stabler Arena and will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network. The Mountain Hawks host Colgate on Wednesday before welcoming the Black Knights three days later. Lehigh currently sits with a 10-6 mark in conference play and holds a 16-11 record overall.

Army West Point Athletics

Cadets Welcome Boston U. on Senior Night

Players Mentioned

Kennedy Edwards

John Emezie

Jordan Fox

Tommy Funk

Mac Hoffman

Jacob Kessler

Luke Morrison

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