Cadets Capture Comeback Win Against Loyola, 81-80

Saturday, January 18

West Point, NY

1 PM

Army West Point

7-10,2-4Patriot

Loyola

9-10,1-5Patriot

Loyola Maryland

Army West Point

Army celebrates after Josh Caldwell knocks down the game-winning shot against Loyola

Cadets Capture Comeback Win Against Loyola, 81-80

January 18, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – A clutch Josh Caldwell 3-pointer with one second remaining brought those at Christl Arena to their feet as the Army West Point men's basketball team erased a 15-point second-half deficit to top Loyola, 81-80, in a thrilling Patriot League contest on Saturday afternoon.

Tommy Funk fouled out of the game with 13 seconds on the clock and head coach Jimmy Allen turned to Caldwell. The sophomore guard brought the ball down the court with his team down by two, 80-78, and the play drawn up gave him an open look in the corner. Caldwell seized the moment and delivered the game-winning basket to help the Black Knights (7-10, 2-4 Patriot League) capture their second consecutive league win.

For the game, four cadets scored in double figures led by a pair of 18-point performances from the senior captains, Funk and Matt Wilson. Funk finished with a double-double after pairing his scoring output with 11 assists. Wilson, who was 9-of-13 from the field, led Army in rebounding with seven against the Greyhounds (9-10, 1-5 Patriot League).

Tucker Blackwell drilled multiple timely 3-pointers down the stretch and capped his afternoon with 16 points to lead all bench scorers, while Lonnie Grayson added 11 in the scoring column.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Funk extended his double-digit scoring streak to 13 games.
It's the longest streak by a cadet since Tanner Plomb '16 had one go for 21 straight games to begin his senior season.
Funk logged his sixth double-double of his career and the second this season.
The senior point guard moved into 19th in program history in career points with 1,267.
Wilson reached double figures in the scoring column for the fifth consecutive outing.
He moved into 13th in all-time points in program history with 1,343.
Army assisted on 23 of its 33 made shots (69%).
The Black Knights recorded 54 percent of its scoring from inside the paint.
Army shot over 50 percent from the field as a team for the sixth time this season.
The 51 points scored in the second half marked the most by an Army squad this season.
The non-starters accounted for 26 of the team's 81 points.
It was the fourth time this season that the Black Knights knocked down double-digit treys in a game.
Army improved to 8-7 all-time versus Loyola.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A Blackwell 3-pointer at the 14:05 mark in the opening half sparked an 11-2 run that put Army on top, 17-9. The Greyhounds countered with a 10-2 swing to even the score with 5:46 on the clock before eventually capturing a 36-30 lead heading into the halftime break.
Loyola closed out the first half on an 11-0 run and started the second stanza with seven unanswered points to go ahead 43-30. Army was able to pull back within single digits after back-to-back scores in the paint by Wilson and Alex King, but it did not remain that way for long. The Greyhounds used an 11-4 run with 12:40 left to play to build their lead to 15, 57-42, the largest of the game.
Both sides began to trade baskets, but a Blackwell trey with 4:14 left brought the Black Knights within nine, 74-65. On the ensuing Loyola possession, Chris Mann came up with timely denial after Kavaughn Scott had a wide-open layup under the basket. The stellar defensive play allowed Army to rush down the court and score on a Funk layup.
It turned out to be a 13-3 Black Knights' run that was capped by a Funk fastbreak score from inside with 49 seconds left to play that made it a two-point game, 77-75. Loyola scored on its next possession, but once again Blackwell delivered a timely 3-pointer.
The Greyhounds went to the line with 14 seconds remaining and despite missing both foul shots, they got the offensive rebound and were fouled again. This time, Loyola went 1-of-2 at the charity stripe. With Funk fouling out of the game on the play, Caldwell entered the contest and he ended up burying a corner 3-pointer right in front of the Army bench to seal the thrilling, 81-80, come-from-behind victory.

UP NEXT
Army will travel to Easton, Pa., on Wednesday for a Patriot League road affair at Lafayette slated for 7 p.m.