Army Hangs with No. 5 Oregon

Friday, November 11

Eugene, Ore.

8 p.m. PT

Army West Point

0-1

#5 Oregon

1-0

Army West Point

Oregon

Army Hangs with No. 5 Oregon

November 12, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – The Army West Point men's basketball team put up a fight Friday night in its season opener at No. 5 Oregon.

The Ducks created a 49-31 lead at the break, but the Black Knights slowly started to chip away at the deficit. Army ultimately outscored its nationally ranked opponent 46-42 in the second 20 minutes but weren't able to complete the full comeback, dropping a 91-77 decision.

Head coach Jimmy Allen's squad pulled within nine on two occasions through the second period thanks in part to a solid half from Kennedy Edwards.

The senior finished with a team-best 17 points after having only tallied two in the opening period of play. First-year Matt Wilson was the other Black Knight to post double digits, earning 10 points in the game.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

The attendance at Matthew Knight Arena on Friday was 12,364, which was a record crowd for an Oregon home and season opening game.
Both teams wore special jerseys paying tribute to all military veterans.
The Black Knights saw two players in double digits with Edwards posting 17 and Wilson 10.
Senior Mac Hoffman led Army on the boards with seven rebounds, while Edwards added five of his own.
Army finished the night shooting 39.4 percent (26-of-66) from the floor and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range.
In the second half alone, the Black Knights shot 50 percent from the floor and 70 percent from long to make it an interesting final 20 minutes of play.
Tommy Funk earned his first career start, while Wilson saw action in his first collegiate game.
Oregon's Tyler Dorsey notched a game-high 21 points. Payton Pritchard tallied 15, Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher added 14 points each and Roman Sorkin registered 12 to complete the Oregon players in double-figures.
The Ducks earned a 13-0 edge on blocked shots, but the Black Knights finished with three steals to the host's two.

TURNING POINT

Two made free throws from Edwards, pulled Army within 77-68 with 5:43 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, a 7-2 run for the Ducks over more than a two-minute span, created an 84-73 deficit between the teams. The Black Knights were never able to recover.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Ducks pushed their lead out to 49-29 with 50 seconds to play in the opening half. Two good free throws from Funk, however, made it a 49-31 ballgame at the break.
A made 3-pointer from Jordan Fox on a fast break early in the second half pulled the visitors to within 53-43.
The teams went back-and-forth but the Ducks extended their edge back to 62-45 with 14:15 left to play. The Black Knights answered with a 12-5 run, including three treys to again make it a 10 point game at 67-57.
It remained a close game, with Army getting the deficit down to nine on two different occasions, but ultimately the hosts were able to hold on down the stretch for the victory.

FROM THE SOURCE

Head Coach Jimmy Allen: "I was pleased with how our guys competed against an extremely talented Oregon team on the road. We did a lot of positive things for a young team and we are excited to get back to work and keep improving."

UP NEXT

The Black Knights have a quick turnaround as they host Mount Saint Mary College (N.Y.) on Tuesday in their home opener. That contest is slated for a 7 p.m. tip in Christl Arena.