Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
13-10 (6-6PL)
American
5-16 (2-10PL)
Black Knights Ease Back Into Win Column
February 03, 2018 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army West Point men's basketball team took down American here Saturday afternoon, 82-70, to end a three-game slide.
The Black Knights are now 13-10 overall and 6-6 in Patriot League play. Both of those marks match Army's win total from a year ago.
The Cadets finished with five players in double digits for the second-straight outing, and the fourth time overall. Leading the way was sophomore Matt Wilson, who posted 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Luke Morrison chipped in 12 points, all of which came from behind-the-arc.
Tommy Funk and Alex King added 11 points each, while Lonnie Grayson notched a career best with 10 points in the contest. The rookie went 3-of-5 from the floor, 2-of-3 from downtown and a perfect 2-of-2 at the charity stripe.
King and Jacob Kessler led the Cadets on the boards with six rebounds, while Jordan Fox dished out a team-best six assists. Tucker Blackwell also had a solid game for Army, compiling eight points, four rebounds (matched career high) and five assists (career high).
To kickoff the game there were three tie scores over the opening six minutes with neither team holding larger than a five-point advantage. The Black Knights then sparked a 13-3 run, including nine straight, to create a 22-12 gap between the teams. Army then maintained that twin-figure edge throughout much of the first half until a small 3-0 rally by the visitors pulled them to within 40-32 at the break.
The Eagles continued that strong play early in the second half, cutting the deficit to 40-38 after starting the period on a 6-0 run. The Black Knights responded though with a 19-9 run to extend their lead back to double digits at 59-47 with just under 12 minutes to play.
King then sealed the win by draining a 3-pointer with 3:05 remaining to hand Army's its largest lead of the game at 78-62. American was never able to get any closer than 10 points throughout the rest of the game.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
- Both teams shot well from the floor. Army finished 51.7 percent (31-of-60), while American went 48.1 percent (26-of-54).
- The Cadets are now 8-0 when shooting 50 percent or better.
- The Black Knights also converted on 13 of their 28 attempts from behind-the-arc (46.4 percent) to just 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) makes for the Eagles.
- The win marked Army's eighth in the last nine meetings with American.
- The Cadets shifted to 6-1 when winning the opening tip and 10-4 when leading at halftime.
- The Black Knights slightly outrebounded their opponent 36-30 and moved to 9-1 when doing so.
- Saturday's win marked the 10th time this season Army won by double-digits. The Cadets are now also 12-4 in games when they've led by 10 more points.
- Wilson converted on his 250th career field goal, while rookie King registered his 75th.
- Bubba Thiombane matched his career-best effort from the floor with five points in the contest.
- Grayson's 10 points were the first time the rookie hit double digits in a game.
- King's 11 points and six rebounds marked the third time in his short tenure the first-year registered twin figures and at least five boards.
- He also finished 3-of-4 from long range. This was the fourth time the Columbus, Ind., native recorded three treys in a game.
- Army's bench outscored American's an impressive 34-8. This was the fifth time this season the Black Knights received 30-plus points from their bench.
- Funk notched four helpers, which ties him with Babe Kwasniak for eighth all-time. He now has 295 assists to his name.
- Both teams registered 34 points from inside the paint, while Army held the slim edge on points off turnovers (12-8) and second-chance points (15-10).
- There were three tie scores and two lead changes.
- The Cadets led for 34:36. American was in front for 25 seconds. The game was tied for 4:59.
UP NEXT
- Army hits the road for a Wednesday matchup at Lafayette.
- Tipoff against the Leopards is slated for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on the Patriot League Network.
- Prior to the meeting with the Black Knights, Lafayette will travel to Bucknell on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tilt.
