Black Knights Top Red Foxes In Hudson Valley Tussle

Saturday, November 27

West Point, NY

1:00 PM

Army West Point

4-2,0-0Patriot

Marist College

2-3,0-0MAAC

Marist

Army West Point

Black Knights Top Red Foxes In Hudson Valley Tussle

November 27, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Game 6
SCORE	Army Black Knights 65, Marist Red Foxes 61
RECORDS	Army (4-2) \| Marist (2-3)
LEADING SCORERS	Army – Jalen Rucker (24) \| Marist – Jao Ituka (12)
LOCATION	Christl Arena

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Behind a strong second-half push and Jalen Rucker's game-high 24 points, the Army Black Knights topped Hudson Valley rival Marist, 65-61, on Saturday afternoon.

GAME SUMMARY
The Black Knights used a 12-2 run to start the second half to seize control of the contest that featured seven lead changes and seven ties. After the teams played to a 27-27 tie in the first half, the Black Knights surged ahead in the early minutes of the second frame. Jared Cross connected on a 3-pointer 47 seconds into the second half to give Army a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Cross' 3-pointer was followed by four straight points by Jalen Rucker, a dunk by Matt Dove, and another 3-pointer by Cross for a 39-29 lead with 13:53 left.

The Red Foxes countered with an 11-2 run to cut Army's lead to 41-40 with 10 minutes remaining. However, Rucker answered with a floater to spark a 10-2 run over the next three minutes with Rucker contributing eight points, including draining consecutive 3-pointers.

Marist trimmed Army's lead to four points before the Black Knights pushed back with Charlie Peterson and Rucker combing for the next six points for a 57-49 lead with two minutes remaining. Army managed the final minutes by going 6-for-7 at the free-throw line.

The first half was story of runs which saw the lead see-saw. Trailing 13-6, Army reeled off 10 straight points coming from four different players – Kwabena Davis, Isaiah Caldwell, Jalen Rucker, and Matt Dove – for a 15-13 lead with nine minutes left in the opening half. Marist responded with seven straight, but Army responded with a 7-0 run of its own to retake the lead, 23-20 with 4:31 on the clock. The Red Foxes regain the lead with a 7-2 spurt, but a basket by Dove with one minute remaining knotted the score at 27-27.

CADETS CAPSULES

Jalen Rucker led all scorers with 24 points for his second 20-point game of the season, on 9 of 14 shooting from the field. Rucker scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half while shooting 6-for-8 from the field. Rucker shared game-high honors in 3-pointers with three and in steals with two, while adding four rebounds.
Charlie Peterson grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Josh Caldwell tied a season-high in assists with a game-high six.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Army has won the last five in the series with the Red Foxes.
The Black Knights improved to 3-0 for their best home start since the 2018-19 season (started 4-0).
Army tied a season-high in free throws made (14).
The Black Knights limited the Red Foxes to seven free throw attempts which are the fewest attempts by an opponent this season.
Army outscored Marist, 17-1, in fast-break points.

Comments from @ArmyCoachAllen , Jalen Rucker, and Jared Cross on today's win! #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/pukT6OdsrY
— Army M.Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) November 27, 2021

UP NEXT

The Black Knights host another local foe in the Siena Saints on Tuesday, November 30 at 7 p.m.
Coverage will be provided by the ESPN+ and by the Army Sports Network via the Varsity Sports Network, www.GoArmyWestPoint.com.
For ticket information, call 1-877-TIX-ARMY or visit www.goarmywestpoint.com/tickets.