Senior Captains Propel Cadets to Win Over Lehigh

Saturday, February 15

West Point, NY

1 PM

Army West Point

13-12,8-6Patrio

Lehigh

7-19,4-10Patrio

Lehigh

Army West Point

Senior Captains Propel Cadets to Win Over Lehigh

February 15, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights

WEST POINT, N.Y. – With a combined 47 points from its two senior captains, the Army West Point men's basketball team cruised to a 79-66 Patriot League home win over Lehigh on Saturday.

In the second meeting between the Black Knights (13-12, 8-6 Patriot League) and Mountain Hawks (7-19, 4-10 Patriot League) this season, Lehigh once again had no answer for Tommy Funk and Matt Wilson. While orchestrating the offense, Funk flirted with a triple-double. The Warrington, Pa., native logged 26 in the scoring column on 9-of-12 shooting to go with seven rebounds and seven assists.

Wilson, who has made a habit of making double-digit baskets in games as of late, shot 10-of-13 from the field for 21 points to pair with eight rebounds. The Black Knights also received contributions from Tucker Blackwell, Josh Caldwell, Lonnie Grayson and Alex King who tallied eight points apiece.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Funk extended his double-digit scoring streak to 21 games. It is the longest streak during a single season by a cadet since Tanner Plomb '16 did it in 21 straight to begin his senior season.
Funk eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season and the 13th of his career.
He handed out five or more assists in a game for the 10th consecutive outing.
With his seven helpers, he moved into third in single-season assists at Army with 167. He currently occupies the first, second, third and fifth spot in single-season helpers.
The senior point guard notched two steals and now has 98 in his career. He moved into a tie for seventh in all-time takeaways at Army with Dylan Cox '16.
Funk and Wilson both reached 20 points in the same game for the third time this year.
Wilson posted his seventh 20-point performance of the season and the 16th of his career.
He has now scored 20 points and made double-digit baskets in four of his last five games.
The Alexandria, Ky., native became just the eighth cadet in program history to eclipse 1,500 career points.
He made double-digit shots in a game for the ninth time in his career and the seventh time this season.
The Lee Anderson Head Men's Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen picked up his 150th career victory.
Army swept Lehigh in the regular season for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.
The Black Knights handed out 17 assists on 28 made shots (61%).
The Army starters accounted for 89 percent of the team's scoring.
As a team, the Cadets shot 57 percent from the field.
It was the 10th time this season Army shot over 50 percent from the field in a game. Army is 9-1 in those contests.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Despite Lehigh getting on the board first with a basket on its opening possession, the Black Knights jumped out to a six-point advantage following a 10-2 run. Army could not build much separation as the lead remained in single digits for majority of the opening stanza. However, the Cadets closed out the half on an 8-2 run after Wilson put up six in the closing 2:42 to give his team a 10-point lead, 40-30.
Lehigh began the second half with a basket and once again Army responded with a run. This time, it was a 10-4 spurt that was fueled by an eight-point effort from Funk. Slowly but surely, the Mountain Hawks continued to put dents into the deficit. A 12-5 Lehigh run that began at 11:13 lasted nearly eight minutes and made it a three-point game, 66-63.
The Cadets did not let that trouble them though as Funk picked up a steal on Lehigh's ensuing possession and found an open Grayson for a 3-pointer with 2:38 left to play. That Grayson trey ultimately proved to be the dagger as Lehigh had to foul the rest of the way and Army iced the game at the charity stripe en route to picking up the home win.

UP NEXT
The Black Knights will trek to Baltimore on Wednesday to battle Loyola at 7 p.m. in a Patriot League tilt.