Cadets Victorious Against Navy at Christl

Saturday, January 19

West Point, NY

2:30 PM

Army West Point

9-10, 4-2PL

Navy

6-11, 3-3PL

NAVY

Army

Cadets Victorious Against Navy at Christl

January 19, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – In a two-point game with 2:48 left to play, the Army West Point men's basketball team went on an 11-2 run to pull away and top service-academy rival Navy, 72-61, at Christl Arena in a Patriot League game on Saturday afternoon on CBS Sports Network.

The Black Knights (9-10, 4-2 Patriot League) continued their home success, picking up their third consecutive league win at Christl Arena this season after defeating the Midshipmen (6-11, 3-3 Patriot League).

Tommy Funk stayed hot and delivered a stellar performance on the court by filling up the stat sheet. The junior tallied a game-high 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while knocking down four 3-pointers. He added a game-best seven assists to pair with six boards.

Matt Wilson was a bruiser down low in the paint, coming away with a double-double after totaling 17 points and 11 boards to go along with a career-best three blocks. Lonnie Grayson was the third Cadet to record double-digit points as the sophomore notched 10 in the win.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army earned its first win over Navy in Christl Arena since Feb. 11, 2012 when the Black Knights took a 69-63 decision in double overtime.
It was the Cadets' largest victory over the Mids since a 75-62 win on Jan. 14, 2012.
Funk posted his second-straight 20-point game and fifth of his career.
The Warrington, Pa., native added his 14th contest with at least five assists this season.
He tied Alex Morris and Josh Miller for 12th in single-season assists with 119.
Wilson tallied his fourth double-double of the year.
His 11 rebounds tied him with Tanner Plomb for 17th all-time at the Academy.
Army recorded single-digit turnovers for the seventh time this season.
The Black Knights scored 15 points off 13 Navy turnovers.
The Cadets assisted on 71 percent of their makes from the field.
It was the 30th-straight game that Army recorded double-digit assists as a team.
Navy was the seventh opponent that the Black Knights' defense held to less than 70 points at Christl Arena this year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Despite Navy establishing an early dominance on the glass, the Midshipmen and Black Knights were separated by one point, 36-35, at the half. Both sides shot over 40 percent in the opening frame but struggled to get in rhythm from long range.
Navy led 34-28 following a 10-2 run with 1:03 remaining, but the Cadets countered with a 7-2 run that was capped by a buzzer-beating three from Funk to close out the half. The junior guard went 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep for a team-best 11 points heading into the break.
It was a battle of runs to open the second half as the Black Knights got the scoring started with a 7-2 run. However, the Midshipmen responded with 10 unanswered points to go ahead 48-42. That advantage did not hold as Army punched right back and took a 54-50 lead following a 12-2 spurt that was finished off by back-to-back 3-pointers from Alex King with 10:02 on the clock.
The two sides continued to fight it out on the hardwood for a long stretch and with 2:48 left to play, the Black Knights led 62-60. Despite Navy's hard-fought comeback attempt late in the game, the Cadets remained composed and outscored the Midshipmen 10-1 to secure the service-academy victory on their home court.

UP NEXT
The Black Knights will close out a three-game homestand on Wednesday night when they play host to Holy Cross in a Patriot League game scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. Army will look to capture its third-straight Patriot League win, while the Crusaders will attempt to snap a two-game skid.