Fourth-Quarter Run Helps Army Edge Lafayette

Thursday, January 11

Easton, PA

7 PM

Army West Point

9-7, 2-3

Lafayette

6-9, 2-3

Army

Lafayette

Fourth-Quarter Run Helps Army Edge Lafayette

January 11, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

EASTON, Pa. – A 12-1 fourth-quarter run helped give the Army West Point women's basketball team an eight-point lead that it never surrendered en route to a 65-60 victory over Lafayette in a Patriot League game on Thursday night at Kirby Sports Center.

Aliyah Murray and Madison Hovren both recorded double-doubles for the Black Knights (9-7, 2-3 Patriot League) and combined for 31 points and 20 rebounds. Murray finished with a team-high 17 in the scoring column to pair with 10 boards, while Hovren capped off her night with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Libby Tacka was the third Cadet to reach double-figures against the Leopards (6-9, 2-3 Patriot League) as she knocked down four 3-pointers and tallied 14 points, one shy of tying her career-high.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army picked up its sixth consecutive win over the Leopards.
Murray recorded her third double-double of the season and seventh of her career.
The senior recorded her fifth consecutive double-digit scoring game.
Hovren posted her 11th double-double and 18th double-digit scoring game this season.
She passed Leeann Duhoski '90 for 23rd in all-time scoring.
For the second time this season, two Cadets posted a double-double in the same game.
Tacka tied her career-high in 3-point makes with four.
It was the third time this season that a Cadet made at least four threes in a game.
The Black Knights shot 50 percent or higher in the second and third quarters.
Three Cadets reached double-digit scoring in a game for the sixth time this season.
Army had 22 points off of 15 Lafayette turnovers.
The Black Knights improved to 8-0 when outrebounding their opponent and 8-0 when leading at the half.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was a slow start to the contest as both sides failed to generate much scoring, shooting a combined 12 percent (2-for-17) from the field over the first six minutes of action. It remained tied until Tacka drained a pair of shots from deep to give Army a 14-8 advantage, with 1:41 left in the quarter.
The Black Knights continued to find the bottom of the basket and extended the lead to 10, 20-10, with a 12-2 run in the second, before Natalie Kucowski and Anna Ptasinski both made a shot from deep to bring it back within single digits.
With 2:24 left in the half, Lafayette used an 8-2 run to even the score up at 28, but after a pair of free throws from both squads, Tacka drained a three at the buzzer to put Army ahead 33-29 leading into the break.
Lafayette quickly tied up the score again to start the new half with two consecutive makes from long range. The Leopards continued to bury shots from deep and trimmed the Army lead to one, 41-40, with 5:23 to go in the third.
Less than two minutes later, the Leopards took their first lead since the midway point of the first quarter. The two sides traded baskets for the remainder of the frame and when the horn sounded, Army was ahead 49-47.
To start the fourth, Lafayette put up five unanswered points and retook the lead, but Army came right back and Murray scored five straight points to spark a 12-1 run that spanned over five minutes. The Leopards got as close as six with 1:32 left to play, but the Black Knights closed it out and grabbed their second league win of the season.

UP NEXT

Army will travel down to Annapolis this weekend to square off against service-academy rival Navy at Alumni Hall on Sunday at noon. Sunday's game against the Mids is not the star game and will be televised on CBS Sports Network with Jason Knapp and Leah Secondo on the call.