Hot Shooting Lifts Black Knights to Bounce-Back Win Over FDU

Monday, November 18

West Point, NY

7 PM

Army West Point

2-2,0-0Patriot

Fairleigh Dickinson

1-3,0-0NEC

Fairleigh Dickinson

Army West Point

Hot Shooting Lifts Black Knights to Bounce-Back Win Over FDU

November 18, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The offense was firing on all cylinders as the Army West Point men's basketball team put up a season-high in points to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson, 81-65, on Monday night at Christl Arena.

The Black Knights (2-2) received contributions from everyone in the lineup as all nine Cadets who played against the Knights (1-3) scored. Lonnie Grayson was on fire from beyond-the-arc, knocking down a career-best six 3-pointers on eight attempts to match his career-high scoring total of 19 points. The junior guard also accounted for five boards and four assists in the home win.

Matt Wilson was a force on both ends of the floor and posted his second consecutive double-double. The Alexandria, Ky., native ended his night with 16 points and a team-high 14 boards, one shy of his career-high mark set last season.

Alex King eclipsed the double-digit point total for the first time this season as he tallied 12 in the scoring column, while second-year guard Jordan Coleman recorded a career-high 10.

The shots were falling for the Black Knights as the team got plenty of open looks off passes from Tommy Funk. It was a career night for the Warrington, Pa., native who handed out a career-high 13 assists to go along with eight points and five rebounds.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Funk notched double-digit assists in a game for the seventh time in his career.
He moved into 31st in all-time points at Army with 1,057, passing Steve Rothert '90.
He extended his games started streak to 98.
Wilson tallied the 11th double-double of his career.
The senior catapulted his way into 24th in program history in points with 1,132.
He has now scored in double figures in each of the three meetings in his career against FDU.
Coleman recorded his first collegiate double-digit scoring performance.
Army assisted on 69 percent of its made shots.
The Black Knights have assisted on over 50 percent of their makes in all four outings this season.
The Cadets knocked down 13 shots from long range.
It was the most makes from beyond-the-arc in a game since burying 14 against Niagara on Dec. 22, 2018.
As a team, the Black Knights shot 54 percent from the field.
It was the best all-around shooting performance by an Army squad since the team shot the ball at a 55 percent clip against Loyola on Feb. 27, 2019.
The Black Knights scored 47 percent of their points from inside the paint.
Army improved to 8-5 all-time versus Fairleigh Dickinson.

HOW IT HAPPENED

With Funk pacing the offense, Army got off to a hot start offensively. The senior guard had a hand in each the team's first 13 points as he dished out five assists and scored once in the opening 5:09 of play. The Black Knights built their lead as large as 15, 43-28, in the opening stanza and went into the break ahead, 45-35.
Army shot 66 percent from the field and 55 percent from long range in the half as Coleman and Grayson were key contributors, combining for 19 points. Coleman was a flawless 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep.
The Black Knights' lead began to dwindle a quarter of the way into the new half as Fairleigh Dickinson began to find its offensive rhythm. With 13:06 remaining, an Elyjah Williams bucket sparked a 10-0 run to bring the score to within three, 59-56.
However, Grayson, Chris Mann and Coleman knocked down back-to-back-to-back triples as part of a 19-5 run that gave Army a 78-61 advantage with 4:11 on the clock. From that point forward, the Cadets were able to seal the home win over the defending NEC Tournament champions, 81-65.

UP NEXT
Army will head on the road this Saturday to square off against Binghamton at 4 p.m. in Vestal, N.Y.