Cadets Fall to Lehigh in Patriot League Contest

Wednesday, February 20

Bethlehem, PA

7 PM

Army West Point

12-16, 7-8PL

Lehigh

18-8, 11-4PL

Army

Lehigh

Cadets Fall to Lehigh in Patriot League Contest

February 20, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Despite a career night from Tommy Funk, the Army West Point men's basketball team was unable to halt a late Lehigh surge and ultimately fell, 91-81, on Wednesday night at Stabler Arena.

The Black Knights (12-16, 7-8 Patriot League) ran into a hot-shooting Mountain Hawks' (18-8, 11-4 Patriot League) squad that made over 55 percent of its shots in the second half to complete an 11-point comeback.

Funk was electric on the court for the Cadets, coming away with a career-high 26 points to lead all scorers in the game. The junior guard buried five from shots long range and dished out a game-high eight assists. Matt Wilson was efficient underneath the basket, finishing his night with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting to pair with a game-high 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the year.

Alex King was the third cadet to record double-digit points opposite the Mountain Hawks as the sophomore had 11 and knocked down three 3-pointers. Army's bench notched 25 points in the game with Lonnie Grayson and Cayne Edwards putting up seven apiece.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Funk recorded his fourth 20-point performance of the season.
The Warrington, Pa., native has handed out five or more assists in 20 games this year.
He has scored in double figures in three consecutive outings.
For the third straight game, Wilson reeled in double-digit boards.
Grayson had a career-high seven rebounds.
Aaron Duhart came away with a season-best three steals.
Forty-seven of Army's points came from inside the paint.
The Cadets scored 18 points off 11 Lehigh turnovers.
Army had only nine turnovers.
For the 12th time this season, the Black Knights turned the ball over 10 or less times.
The Cadets tallied 22 assists, one shy of tying their season high.
It was the fifth time this season that Army notched 20 or more assists in a game.
The Black Knights assisted on 73 percent of their makes from the field.
For the fourth straight game, the Army bench totaled over 20 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Early foul trouble plagued the Mountain Hawks and the Black Knights took advantage. Army attacked Lehigh from several different areas on the floor and seven Cadets got involved in the scoring efforts in the first half, led by 18 points from Funk.
The Black Knights' defense was the difference maker as Army held the nation's top 3-point shooting team to one make on its first seven tries. The Cadets also generated 13 points off nine Lehigh turnovers. With Lehigh struggling to find the bottom of the basket and control the basketball, Army grabbed a 22-12 lead following a Grayson 3-pointer with 9:34 on the clock.
The Mountain Hawks continuously brought the deficit within single digits, but Funk kept answering for the Cadets. With 4:47 remaining, the junior buried a trey for his 13th point of the half to give Army a 35-23 advantage. However, Lehigh began to get into a rhythm and looked like its usual self on the offensive end, shooting 71 percent from the field to pull within seven, 42-35, entering the half.
The Mountain Hawks carried their momentum into the second half and with 8:31 remaining, grabbed their first lead of the game following a 21-2 run. During that stretch, the Mountain Hawks went 6-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 from deep and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
An Alex King 3-pointer halted the run, but Lehigh responded by making four consecutive shots to go on a 10-2 run and take a 79-69 lead. Funk and Wilson worked to bring the deficit back within single digits and it was a four-point game, 81-77, with 1:54 left to play after an 11-2 Army run.
That would be as close as the Cadets would get as Lehigh made all eight of its foul shots and closed out the contest on a 10-4 run to secure the league win.

UP NEXT
The Cadets will return to Christl Arena on Sunday for a 1 p.m. Patriot League showdown with American.