Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
13-13 (6-9PL)
Holy Cross
10-16 (7-8PL)
Army Falls in Heartbreaker to Holy Cross
February 14, 2018 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army West Point men's basketball team battled back from a 14-point first-half deficit but it wasn't enough as the Black Knights dropped a 70-65 decision here Wednesday evening to Holy Cross.
The Cadets sprinted out to an early 11-4 advantage through the first four-and-a-half-minutes, led by a pair of rookies. Babacar Thiombane and Tucker Blackwell propelled Army to the early lead with eight of the team's opening 11 points.
The visitors responded in a strong way, however, using a 34-13 run to take control at 38-24 with 1:07 remaining on the clock. That streak included three unanswered runs of eight or more.
Army then used a small 6-0 run to close out the final 51 seconds of the half to cut the deficit down to 38-30 at the break.
That run continued and evolved into a 13-2 scoring edge that brought the Black Knights within three at 40-37 just two-and-a-half-minutes into the second period. Army continued to press the issue and worked the score even at 45-all following a make from Matt Wilson. From there, a dog fight ensued.
Neither team scored more than four straight points over the next 11 minutes until back-to-back buckets by Jacob Kessler once again brought the Black Knights even at 58-58. After trading baskets, a Jehyve Floyd layup and a pair of makes by Caleb Green at the charity stripe sent the visitors ahead by four, at 64-60.
Wilson responded with a three-point play before the Cadets came up with a critical stop on defense. After an Army timeout, Jordan Fox was fouled late in the shot clock, sending the junior guard to the line for a 1-and-1 situation with 56 seconds remaining. He knocked down both to give the home side its first lead since the 13:52 mark of the first half.
The Crusaders once again had an answer, this time in the form of Patrick Benzan whose layup put Holy Cross back in the lead by one with 46 ticks remaining. Coming out of another timeout, the Crusaders forced Army to turn the ball over deep in the corner, which sparked a fast-break score for the visitors. The Black Knights were never able to recover.
Four cadet-athletes finished the night in double figures, led by Wilson's team-high 16 points. Kessler and Blackwell tallied 11 points each, while Fox finished with 10.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
- Army shot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the free throw line, 39 percent (23-of-59) from the floor and 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from behind-the-arc.
- Holy Cross finished 66.7 percent (14-of-21), 51.1 percent (23-of-45) and 45.5 percent (10-of-22), respectively.
- This was Army's 12th game with at least four players scoring in double digits.
- The Black Knights outrebounded the Crusaders, 39-27, including a season-high 17 on the offensive glass.
- The Cadets have now made at least one 3-point basket in each of their last 250 games dating back to Dec. 19, 2009.
- The Black Knights turned the ball over just eight times in the game.
- It was the fifth time this season Army has committed fewer than 10 turnovers, all of which came against Patriot League opponents.
- The home team had five players with five or more rebounds for the third time this year.
- Kessler brought down a game-high seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end of the floor.
- Tommy Funk dished out a game-high six assists.
- Funk now ranks third in program history for single-season assists with 151, 11 shy of the program record.
- Thiombane made his first collegiate start.
- The rookie notched five rebounds, including a personal-best four on the offensive glass. He compiled two points, one block and one steal on the night.
- Wilson collected his 150th rebound.
- Blackwell converted on three of his four attempts from long range and finished 4-of-6 on the night for his 11 points.
- Kessler reached double-digit points for the first time in 22 games.
- Fox pulled down his 100th rebound of the season.
- Wednesday was just the ninth time this season an Army opponent hit more 3-pointers than the Black Knights.
- Eight of the 10 Army players that saw action tallied at least one point in the game.
- The Cadets outdueled their opponent 19-9 in second-chance points and in bench points, 28-19.
- Holy Cross outscored the Black Knights in the paint, 26-24.
- The Crusaders also held a 15-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The visitors finished with a 4-2 edge in fast-break points.
- There were four lead changes and five tied scores.
- The Crusaders led for 33:33, while Army was in front for 3:36. The game was tied for 2:51.
UP NEXT
- Army hits the road to play Lehigh on Saturday.
- The game is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. from Stabler Arena.
- The Mountain Hawks came away with a gritty 88-78 victory at Colgate on Wednesday night.
