Army Outlasts Lafayette for First League Win

Saturday, January 5

West Point, NY

1 PM

Army West Point

6-9, 1-1PL

Lafayette

3-10, 0-2PL

LAFAYETT

Army

Army Outlasts Lafayette for First League Win

January 05, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Four Cadets scored in double-figures as the Army West Point men's basketball team claimed a 77-69 victory over Lafayette in a Patriot League contest at Christl Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Cayne Edwards paced the Black Knights' (6-9, 1-1 Patriot League) scoring attack that shot the ball at a 53-percent clip from the field against the Leopards (3-10, 0-2 Patriot League). The senior had a career-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting in just 16 minutes of action. Matt Wilson enjoyed similar success down low, putting up 12 points to pair with a team-best eight rebounds.

Alex King ended the afternoon with 13 points, while Tommy Funk notched a double-double with and a game-high 10 assists. Tucker Blackwell chipped in with nine points off the bench.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army secured its first Patriot League win of the 2018-19 season.
The Black Knights defeated Lafayette at Christl Arena for the third straight year.
Edwards' 8-for-8 shooting performance marked the third time this season a Cadet made five or more shots in a game without recording a miss.
It was the first time since Wilson went 11-for-11 against UMass Lowell on Nov. 17.
Funk passed Ron Wilson for third in all-time assists with 426.
The junior guard recorded double-digit assists for the sixth time in his career.
He posted his fourth collegiate double-double.
With one made 3-pointer, Jordan Fox took sole possession of seventh all-time at the Academy, passing Tanner Plomb.
Army dished out 21 assists on 30 made shots.
The Cadets scored 64 percent of their points from inside the paint.
The Black Knights were disciplined defensively, and Lafayette did not go to the foul line once.
Army scored 14 points off 11 Lafayette turnovers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half against Lafayette played out similarly to Wednesday's outing versus Bucknell. Army was strong on both sides of the ball, shooting at a 53-percent clip from the field, while limiting the opposition's quality looks at the basket.
The ball was being moved around effectively and the Black Knights had 14 assists on 17 made shots. Funk manned the well-oiled offense by dishing out seven assists, and Edwards was the primary beneficiary after going 5-for-5 for 10 points.
Army's hot start resulted in a 17-point advantage at the half, 42-25. The 42 points tied the second-most scored in an opening half this season by the Cadets.
In the second stanza, Lafayette came out swinging with a 9-2 run to pull within 10. However, the Black Knights' lead grew to 15, 49-34, following a John Emezie 3-pointer and a score inside by Edwards with 14:58 on the clock.
The Army lead hovered around 10 points for much of the half as the two sides began to trade baskets. With 3:08 left to play, Justin Jaworski buried a shot from deep to help the Leopards pull within nine, 69-60. That Jaworski three sparked a 9-2 run and a pair of Army turnover ensued. It was a five-point game with less than two minutes to go, but the Cadets closed out the contest at the foul line after making six of eight free throws in the final 58 seconds of play to hold on for the 77-69 win.

UP NEXT
The Black Knights will head up to Massachusetts on Wednesday to take on Boston U. in a Patriot League meeting slated to tip at 7 p.m.