Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
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Dartmouth
Dartmouth Scores Comeback Win Over Army
December 12, 2010 | Men's Basketball
HANOVER, N.H. – Army led by 12 points in the second half, but Dartmouth outscored the Black Knights 37-22 over the final 16:36 to score a 71-68 win in men’s basketball action at Leede Arena on Saturday night.
Sophomore F Ella Ellis led the Black Knights (5-5) in scoring for the second straight game with 14 points. Junior G Julian Simmons was the only other Army player in double figures with 10 points. Senior G Mitch McDonald handed out a game-high eight assists in his first start of the season.
Dartmouth’s (3-5) Ronnie Dixon led all players with 21 points off the bench. David Rufful chipped in 14 points, and R.J. Griffin added 11 points. Rufful also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.
Army shot 41.7 percent for the game, but hit only 34.6 percent of its three-point tries (9-26). The Big Green hit 41.8 percent of their shots, but were 10 for 18 from deep (.556). Dartmouth also scored 15 points at the free throw line (15-19), while Army was 9 for 14 from the line.
The Black Knights jumped out to a 10-5 lead on Nate Hedgecock’s first three-pointer of the season with 14:48 left in the first half. Dartmouth scored the next seven points to take a 12-10 lead, but Army continued the see-saw affair with a 5-0 run to reclaim a three-point edge with 9:50 to go.
Dartmouth responded with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes, 47 seconds to take its largest lead of the first half at 22-15 with 7:03 on the clock. Army had another answer, scoring eight of the next 10 points. Another Hedgecock triple trimmed the Big Green’s lead to 24-23 with 4:03 left. Dartmouth pushed its lead back to five points, but Army scored the final eight points of the half and went into the locker room up 31-28.
Ellis and Hedgecock led the Black Knights with six points each in the first 20 minutes.
Army sprinted out to a 12-point edge at the start of the second half, scoring 15 of the first 21 points. The Black Knights made six of their first seven shot attempts after halftime, including a three-pointer by Welker that gave Army its first double-digit lead of the game.
The Black Knights maintained a double-digit lead at 49-39 with 13:32 left when the Big Green began to chip away. A 13-3 run capped by a three-pointer by Dixon tied the score at 52-52 with 7:48 left in the contest. Ellis answered with a three-pointer and Jordan Springer hit a jumper to put Army back on top by five with 57-52, but a 13-7 spurt put the Big Green back in front 65-64 with 2:13 left.
Springer scored again to give Army a one-point lead, but Dartmouth ended the game on a 6-2 run to claim the three-point victory.
The game marked Army’s third straight loss against Ivy League opponents this season. The Black Knights entered the year with six consecutive victories over Ivy League foes.
Army takes a week off from competition while completing its term-ending exams. The Black Knights get back on the floor on Sunday, Dec. 19 at LIU. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Game Notes: Army used just its second starting lineup of the season with Mitch McDonald getting the nod at the point … the Black Knights had used the same starting five in its first nine games … Nate Hedgecock added a season-high eight points, his first markers of the season … after starting the year with eight straight double-digit efforts, Jeremy Hence has been held to nine points in each of the last two games … Army played four freshmen during the game … the group of four plebes combined for nine points on 3 for 8 shooting … Dartmouth snapped a four-game losing streak to Army … the two teams will meet again on Jan. 3, 2011 at Christl Arena.
