Loyola Hands Army Tough Loss

Saturday, February 4

Baltimore, Md.

2 p.m.

Army West Point

9-15, 3-9PL

Loyola

13-10, 7-5Pl

Army West Point

Loyola Maryland

Loyola Hands Army Tough Loss

February 04, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BALTIMORE – The Army West Point men's basketball team dropped a 78-63 decision here Saturday afternoon to host Loyola.

The Black Knights dip to 9-15 overall and 3-9 in Patriot League play. Loyola improves to 13-10 and 7-5, respectively.

It was a back-and-forth affair for the opening six minutes but the home team eventually rallied and held the 34-25 edge at the break after Andre Walker banked in a fade away 3-pointer with no time remaining in the opening period. That closed out his 18-point first half in which he went 6-of-8 from the floor, 4-of-5 from behind-the-arc and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. The junior finished Saturday's contest with a game-high 25 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Army tried to rally early in the second period by cutting the deficit to 44-37 but a huge 17-2 run over nearly a five-minute span ultimately handed the Greyhounds their seventh win in conference action.

Tommy Funk led Army with 13 points, followed by Jordan Fox's 12. John Emezie closed out the Cadets in double digits with 10 points. Funk finished 5-of-14 from the floor, 2-of-5 from downtown and 1-for-1 at the charity stripe. Fox went 4-of-10, 1-of-1 and 3-for-4, respectively. Both cadet-athletes handed out a team-high five assists.

Mac Hoffman was one board shy of notching his fourth double figure rebounding night. He led the Black Knights with nine, including six on the offensive glass.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

The Black Knights committed a season-high 21 turnovers in the game. Loyola recorded 17 of its own.
The home team posted the 38-26 advantage on points in the paint and the 16-14 edge on second-chance points.
Army registered 21 points off turnovers compared to the Greyhounds' 17.
The Cadets also earned the 6-0 and 25-11 advantage on fast break and bench points, respectively.
Army slightly outrebounded Loyola at 38-35 and held the 14-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
Luke Morrison finished with eight points, while Kennedy Edwards and Matt Wilson chipped in six points apiece.
The Black Knights closed out the game shooting 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the floor and 35 percent (7-of-20) from behind-the-arc. Army also converted on 10 of its 16 attempts at the free throw line for 62.5 percent shooting.
Loyola went 52.7 percent (29-of-55), 50 percent (5-of-12) and 58.3 percent (14-of-24), respectively.
There were four lead changes and two tie scores.
The Greyhounds held their largest lead of the game at 61-39 with 9:32 remaining after closing out a 17-2 run.
Loyola saw Jarred Jones and Cam Gregory also record twin figures with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Those two posted 10 rebounds each to lead all players as well.

TURNING POINT

Army had cut a nine-point half deficit to 44-37 with 14:20 left in the contest. Unfortunately, the Greyhounds answered with an impressive 17-2 run over a five-minute span to break the game open at 61-39 with 9:32 remaining. The Black Knights were held scoreless for a little over three minutes while Loyola notched 10 straight during that stretch.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The two teams exchanged baskets for much of the opening six minutes with Hoffman's layup at the 13:48 mark knotting the score at 9-all.
The Greyhounds responded with a 10-3 run over the next two minutes to create a 19-12 gap between the teams.
Army chipped the deficit down to two at the 9:13 mark but a 15-8 run to close the half handed the home team a 34-25 advantage at the break.
The Greyhounds extended their edge to double digits early in the second half but the Black Knights answered by cutting the lead to 44-37 with 14:20 left on the clock.
Unfortunately, that would be as close as they would come as the Greyhounds sparked a 17-2 run over the next five minutes to break the game open at 61-39.
Despite some last-ditch efforts, the Cadets were never able to recover.

UP NEXT

The Black Knights remain on the road at Colgate on Wednesday. That contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip in Cotterell Court and will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network with Eric Malanoski on the call. The Raiders hosted Navy on Saturday and notched a 55-52 victory over the Mids, ending their eight-game winning streak. Colgate currently sits seventh in the league and brings its 6-6 conference mark into Wednesday's contest.