Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
8-5 (1-1PL)
Loyola
3-10 (1-1PL)
Black Knights Pull Away Late For First League Win
January 02, 2018 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's basketball team earned its first Patriot League win here Tuesday night after a 86-75 victory over Loyola.
The contest marked Army's first game at Christl Arena in 42 days and shifted the Black Knights to 3-0 when playing on their home court.
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the contest with eight ties and nine lead changes. With it a 69-65 Army advantage with just under five-and-a-half minutes left to play, the Cadets used a 10-3 run to ultimately put the game out of reach at 79-68. The Black Knights were then able to hold on down the stretch for the double-digit win.
Leading the way for the Black Knights were Alex King and Matt Wilson, who posted 18 and 15 points, respectively. Also reaching twin figures was Tucker Blackwell (13 points) and Luke Morrison (10 points).
King finished his night 6-of-10 from the floor, 1-of-1 from behind-the-arc and 5-of-8 at the free throw line for the seven double-digit scoring night of his career.
Jordan Fox led the team on the boards with six rebounds to go along with his four assists. Sophomore Tommy Funk dished out a game-best six helpers and notched two key steals in the game. First-year Babacar Thiombane registered a career-high four blocks and was one rebound shy of matching his career-best effort on the glass with four rebounds.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
- The Black Knights shot 53.6 percent (30-of-56) from the floor and 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range. The Cadets also converted on 20 of their 27 attempts at the free throw line.
- Loyola shot 42.2 percent (27-of-64), 33.3 percent (8-of-24), and 72.2 (13-of-18), respectively.
- Jacob Kessler was nearly perfect on the night, finishing 3-of-4 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe for eight points.
- Wilson scored 11 of his final 15 points in the second half alone.
- Fox saw his five-game twin-figure scoring streak halted in the contest.
- Army was slightly outrebounded at 39-33, including a 14-6 deficit on the offensive glass.
- The Black Knights did however outscore their visitors 36-24 on points inside the paint.
- The Cadets also held the edge on points off turnovers (16-15) and on fast-break points (6-4).
- Loyola posted 20 points off second-chance opportunities to just eight for the Black Knights.
- The Greyhounds led for 13:37, while Army was in front for 21:24. The game was tied for 4:59.
- Army was down 37-29 with 3:26 remaining in the opening period, Loyola's largest lead in the game, but the Black Knights used a 14-5 run to take a one-point lead into the break.
- The Cadets held their largest edge in the game with 45 seconds remaining when Kessler finished off consecutive free throws to make the score 86-72.
UP NEXT
- Army remains at Christl Arena for a tough home test against the reigning Patriot League champions Bucknell on Friday.
- The game is set tip off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network with Rich DeMarco on the call.
- The Bison played host to Boston U. on Tuesday prior to their matchup with the Black Knights and dropped a 84-79 decision for the Terriers.
