Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
13-15, 6-11PL
Colgate
16-12, 11-6PL
Black Knights Fall in Nail-Biter at Colgate
February 21, 2018 | Men's Basketball
HAMILTON, N.Y. - The Army West Point men's basketball team battled all night against a strong Colgate team but ultimately fell short here Wednesday night, 87-83.
The game featured strong shooting as both teams finished better than 50 percent from the floor. Army shot 54.5 percent (30-of-55) for the night and an impressive 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from long range. Both of those numbers marked the Cadets' second-best shooting night this season.
Leading the way for Army was Tommy Funk, who posted a career-best 24 points. The sophomore finished 9-of-14 from the floor, a perfect 4-of-4 from downtown and 2-of-4 at the free throw line. The Warrington, Pa., native added a game-high seven assists to pull within two of breaking Ron Wilson's single-season assist record.
After a four-game twin-figure scoring hiatus, Alex King broke out for 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The rookie chipped in 3-of-4 makes from behind-the-arc, while also converting on two of his three free throw attempts. 
Closing out the Black Knights in double digits was Luke Morrison and John Emezie with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Morrison and Jordan Fox led the team on the boards with seven rebounds each, while Emezie recorded five of his own.
The game featured six lead changes, three tie scores and a bunch of runs.
The Raiders jumped out to a 14-4 edge to start the game. They then extended their lead to a game-high 13 points after Sean O'Brien hit a trey with 13:01 remaining before the break.
Army responded with a 21-7 run over a five-minute span to take its first advantage in the game at 26-24. That run was highlighted by six points from the hands of Emezie, including a massive dunk that resulted in three points after he converted on the old-fashioned three-point play.
Colgate would answer with a 15-2 run of its own to create a 39-28 gap between the teams with 3:14 remaining in the opening period. But the Cadets would not go away, finishing the half on a 10-3 run to pull within 42-38 at the break.
The home team extended their lead back to 10 points, at 58-48, just six minutes into the second period. Army then used another 13-4 run to make it a 62-61 ballgame with a little under 10 minutes to play. Morrison drained two of his three treys during that stretch.
From that point on neither team held larger than a seven-point edge throughout the rest of the contest. A Jordan Swopshire jumper handed Colgate the 74-68 advantage with four minutes left. But seven-straight points from the Cadets put the Black Knights back on top at 75-74 with 2:26 remaining.
The Raiders answered on the other end of the floor with a big 3-pointer from Rayman but a quick Jacob Kessler layup knotted the game at 77-77 with 1:38 to play. Swopshire then converted on a tough jumper to hand the home team back the two-point edge. During the ensuing possession, the Black Knights worked the ball around before finding Morrison on the wing. Unfortunately, his shot from long range rattled in and out before being picked up by Rayman on the glass.
Army was forced to start fouling with just under a minute to play. The Raiders made three of their next four attempts at the charity stripe to create an 82-77 gap between the teams with 47 ticks on the clock. Funk then responded 11 seconds later with an old-fashioned three-point play of his own to make it a 82-80 ballgame. After failing to earn a steal, the Black Knights again had to foul. Francisco Amiel then stepped up and converted on both of his attempts.
Army ultimately could never recover.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
- The Cadets notched a season-high in blocks with eight.
- Of those eight, King matched his career-best effort with three.
- Kessler and Emezie both added two blocks each.
- Morrison drained 3-of-4 shots from downtown to tie Alex Morris' mark of 167 career treys for eighth all-time.
- Fox added five assists on his night to hand him 336 for his career. That number matches Josh Miller for fifth in program history.
- Army converted on 11-of-15 attempts at the free throw line for 73.3 percent shooting.
- The Black Knights outrebounded their hosts, 32-29.
- Colgate held the slim edge on points in the paint at 36-34.
- The Raiders also notched 24 points from inside the paint to just 11 for Army.
- The Cadets compiled seven points off of second-chance opportunities, while Colgate registered six.
- Colgate finished with an 8-2 edge on fast-break points.
- Army led for 1:22. The Raiders were in front for 36:45. The game was tied for 1:53.
- The Black Knights have now lost five-straight games.
UP NEXT
- The Black Knights close out the regular season Saturday when they host Boston U.
- Army will honor its two seniors, Morrison and Mark Pollack, prior to the team's final game at Christl Arena this season.
- The Terriers hosted Lafayette on Wednesday for their final home game of the 2017-18 campaign and recorded an 81-65 victory.
