Army Topped by Wagner in Non-League Finale

Saturday, December 21

Staten Island, NY

2 PM

Army West Point

5-6,0-0Patriot

Wagner

3-7,0-0NEC

Army West Point

Wagner

Alex King goes to shoot the ball against LIU

Army Topped by Wagner in Non-League Finale

December 21, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's basketball team was topped by Wagner, 82-62, in the 2019-20 non-league finale Saturday afternoon on the road.

The Black Knights (5-6) had four in double-figures, led by a 15-point performance from Alex King. The third-year forward was 4-of-6 from the field with a pair of treys and four boards. Lonnie Grayson had 12 points, while Josh Caldwell and Tommy Funk combined for 20 with 10 points apiece.

Caldwell had an efficient shooting game, going 5-of-6 from the field. He also contributed on the glass, reeling in 10 boards for his first collegiate double-double. The sophomore guard added four assists to tie Funk for the team lead.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Funk reached double-digits in the scoring column for the seventh straight game.
He played and started in his 105th consecutive contest.
Caldwell scored in double-figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
The starting five for Army accounted for 90 percent of the team's scoring.
The Black Knights assisted on 58 percent of their made shots.
It marked the 10th time in 11 outings that Army assisted on 50 percent or more of its makes from the field.
Army scored 55 percent of its points from inside the paint.
Saturday's contest was the sixth all-time meeting between Army and Wagner.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wagner could not miss to start the game and went 5-of-5 from deep for all 15 of its points heading into the first media break. Despite the hot start by the Seahawks, Army did manage to keep the score within reach, 15-8, by shooting 75 percent from the field over that stretch.
The Seahawks maintained a slim advantage over the Cadets, and it wasn't until the 3:10 mark when a Funk 3-pointer from the top of key gave Army its first lead of the afternoon, 30-29. Army would push that lead to three following a King layup, but Wagner closed out the half on a 6-0 run to go ahead, 35-32.
Army shot 60 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of action, but 11 turnovers cost them as the Seahawks generated 13 more shots from the field and tallied 11 points off the Black Knights' miscues.
The Black Knights recaptured the lead early in the second half following an 11-3 run that began with a Grayson 3-pointer with 18:36 on the clock. However, the Seahawks countered with a 13-2 run after going 5-of-5 from the field over a two-minute stretch to go ahead, 53-45.
Army would get as close as three before the Seahawks closed out the game by outscoring the Black Knights, 26-10, over the final 8:37 of play to secure the win.

UP NEXT
Army will return to action in 2020 when the Black Knights travel to Lewisburg, Pa., on Jan. 2 to take on Bucknell in the Patriot League opener slated for 7 p.m.