Murray, Hovren Power Army Past Loyola in Road Tilt

Tuesday, January 2

Baltimore, MD

7 PM

Army West Point

8-5, 1-1

Loyola

2-11, 0-2

Army West Point

Loyola

Murray, Hovren Power Army Past Loyola in Road Tilt

January 02, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BALTIMORE – Behind standout performances by Aliyah Murray and Madison Hovren, the Army West Point women's basketball team picked up its first Patriot League victory after defeating Loyola, 69-62, on Tuesday night at Reitz Arena.

Murray led the Black Knights (8-5, 1-1 Patriot League) on the offensive end for the second consecutive outing, putting in 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting. She added four assists and four steals against the Greyhounds (2-11, 0-2 Patriot League).

Hovren contributed heavily with her 10th double-double of her junior campaign, recording 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Janae McNeal chipped in with 10 points and eight boards.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Hovren became just the 25th Cadet in program history to reach 900 career points.
She now ranks 23rd all-time in scoring with 906 points.
Hovren and Murray both reached double-digit scoring for the second straight game.
Three Cadets scored in double figures in a game for the third time this season.
Murray had 18 second-half points and her 23 for the game was a career best.
It was the second time in her career that she recorded 20 or more points in a game.
The Black Knights turned the ball over fewer than 10 times for the second time this season.
Army forced 18 Loyola turnovers and scored 24 points off of the Greyhound miscues.
The Cadets went 14-for-16 from the free throw line.
Army's 10 made shots in the second quarter marked the sixth time this season that Army made 10 or more shots in a single quarter.
The 11-point deficit was the largest overcome by an Army team in a win this season.
Army is now 6-0 when shooting 40 percent or better from the field.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Following a missed layup with 7:35 remaining in the first quarter, Loyola built an 11-point lead, 24-13, after making 10 of its ensuing 12 shot attempts. On the opposing side, Army struggled to get into rhythm offensively, scoring just two points in the final 3:35 of the frame.
The Greyhounds maintained their double-digit advantage until the 6:25 mark of the second quarter when Daizjah Morris drove to the basket and converted a three-point play. Momentum began to swing in favor of the Black Knights and three straight Army scores trimmed the deficit to four, 28-24.
Army's 9-0 run was halted after Alexis Gray knocked down a shot from deep. Loyola pushed the lead back to seven, however, the Cadets got hot and had one final burst in the first half. A 7-0 Black Knight run evened the score up at 36-36 before heading into the break.
Murray caught fire in the third quarter and with 8:29 left on the clock, the Black Knights went on a 9-2 run to go ahead 45-40. The senior forward dropped seven points during that stretch.
The two sides traded baskets over a three-minute span, but Army turned up the defensive pressure and forced four Loyola turnovers in the final three minutes of the third. Over that period, the Black Knights turned defense into offense and used an 8-0 run to grab a double-digit lead, 55-44, for the first time of the night.
Loyola started to creep back into the game and pulled within four, 57-53, after a 7-0 run. The Black Knights turned to Murray to halt the run and she delivered. The senior ended Army's scoreless drought with an and-one finish under the basket.
With 5:39 left in the game, an Izzy Therien layup sparked a 10-2 Greyhound run and the Army lead was down to two, 64-62. With time winding down and the two teams locked into a tight battle on the court, Hovren scored off the glass from the low block to push the advantage to four with less than a minute remaining.
The Black Knights held onto their slim lead in the final minute and left Baltimore with their first league win of the season.

UP NEXT

The Black Knights will close out the first week of January with a Friday night tilt against the defending Patriot League champions, Bucknell, at 6 p.m. in Lewisburg, Pa.