Black Knights Open Season With Win Over USMMA

Wednesday, November 25

West Point, NY

6:30 PM

Army West Point

1-0,0-0Patriot

Merchant Marine

0-1,0-0Skyline

Merchant Marine

Army West Point

Black Knights Open Season With Win Over USMMA

November 25, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. - After months of uncertainty regarding the 2020-21 college basketball season, the Army West Point men's basketball team opened its campaign with a total team effort in a 93-32 victory over Merchant Marine at Christl Arena on Wednesday.

The 61-point win ties Army's single game record for the largest margin of victory at Christl Arena, previously set in the Black Knights' 101-40 victory over SUNY Purchase in 2006.

13 different players recorded a point for the Black Knights (1-0), with sophomore Chris Mann leading the way with 14 points. Junior Josh Caldwell was strong across the board, scoring 12 points with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Army saw key production from its freshman class, as they combined for 28 points on the night. Kwabena Davis was perfect from the field, knocking down all four of his shot attempts with three of those baskets coming from behind the arc in an 11-point collegiate debut. Jared Cross was one of three freshmen in the starting lineup on Wednesday, finishing with 7 points while going 3-4 from the field.

ARMY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

Mann has now posted his two highest point outputs of his career against Merchant Marine, finishing just shy of his 16-point career high from a season ago.
13 different players recorded double-digit minutes in the contest.
Freshman Noah Jager led the Black Knights with 8 assists in his collegiate debut.
Army scored the games first basket at 18:37 in the first half and held onto the lead for the remainder of the contest.
The Black Knights were 17-27 (63%) from the field in the second half.
Army has now won seven consecutive home openers.
The cadets are now 16-0 all-time against Merchant Marine, with 14 of those victories coming by double-digits.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Army was strong from the opening tip, scoring its first basket 1:13 into the game and taking that lead to the final buzzer.
Junior Josh Caldwell paced the offense in the first half, going 4-4 from the field with 10 points, three assists and five rebounds.
The Black Knights began to hit the gas halfway through the opening frame, going on a 16-0 run before going into the half with a 45-19 advantage.
That trend continued into the second half, with Army scoring the first 10 points of the second stanza.
In his collegiate debut, Kwabena Davis scored all 11 of his points in the second half, going 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from three-point range.
Army's bench scored 38 of the team's 48 second half points
The team closed out the game on a 30-5 run to close out the first win of the 2020-21 season.