Black Knights Sprint Past Bison, 96-89

Tuesday, January 4

Lewisburg, PA

7:00 PM

Army West Point

8-6,2-0Patriot

Bucknell University

3-11,0-2Patriot

Army West Point

Bucknell

Black Knights Sprint Past Bison, 96-89

January 04, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Game 14
SCORE	Army Black Knights 96, Bucknell Bison 89
RECORDS	Army (8-6, 2-0 Patriot) \| Bucknell (3-11, 0-2 Patriot)
LEADING SCORERS	Army – Jalen Rucker (21) \| Bucknell – Andrew Funk (28)
LOCATION	Sojka Pavilion

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Four Cadets scored in double figures to pace the hot-shooting Black Knights in a 96-89 victory over the Bucknell Bison on Tuesday night.

GAME SUMMARY
In a game played at a blistering pace with 17 lead changes, the Black Knights outlasted the Bison to earn their first win at Sojka Pavilion in eight attempts. Army shot 60 percent from the field, including 66.7 percent in the first half while registering a season-high 50 first half points.

The game turned in the Black Knights' favor with a devastating 20-4 run midway through the second half. Trailing 68-62 with 13 minutes remaining, Army outscored Bucknell 20-4 over the next six minutes. Aaron Duhart started the run with a 3-pointer for his 15^th point of the game to set a new career-high in scoring; he finished with 20 points. Charlie Peterson and Matt Dove followed with baskets for a 69-68 lead.

Bucknell went back in front at 70-69, but a layup by Dove at the 10:32 mark was the 17^th and final lead change of the game. Army led 73-72 with 9:25 remaining when Duhart connected on a 3-pointer to spark a 9-0 spurt in two minutes to cap the 20-4 run.

The Bison cut Army's lead to 84-80 with 3:32 remaining, but the Black Knights showed their grit by reeling off six straight points as Army held off a comeback attempt by the Bison. Army also made 6 of 7 free throws in the final two minutes.

The pace of the game was set in the opening minutes with both teams connecting on shots early. Army used a 12-0 run to take a 21-17 lead with 10:35 left in the half and led 25-19 before Bucknell answered with a 10-2 run for a 29-27 lead with 7:22 left in the first half.

The Black Knights faced a 43-34 deficit at the 4:20 mark but soared ahead with 10 straight points for a 44-43 lead with 1:29 remaining in the half. The lead alternated six times before halftime with Josh Caldwell scoring a layup at the buzzer to give Army a 50-49 lead. The opening minutes of the second half saw the lead flip three more times. Army trailed from the 17-minute mark until the 10-minute mark when the Black Knights took the lead for good on the basket by Dove.

???Highlights from tonight's win??#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/HXv85SxB4y
— Army M.Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) January 5, 2022

CADETS CAPSULES

Jalen Rucker led Army in scoring with 21 points for his fourth 20-point game of the season, including his second straight. He shared game-high honors in rebounds with five and assists with five.
Aaron Duhart scored a career-high 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He shared game-high honors in assists with five, had two steals, and had four rebounds.
Josh Caldwell scored 16 points for his fifth straight game in double figures. He grabbed five rebounds to share game-high honors, had steals, two assists, and one block. Caldwell passed Kevin Houston for fifth on the career steals list (128).
Charlie Peterson scored 13 points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Army improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since winning its first four Patriot League games during the 2013-14 season.
The Black Knights shot a season-high 60 percent (39-for-65) from the field and had a season-low eight turnovers.
Army picked up its first win at Bucknell, which entered the game 143-32 all-time at home against Patriot League opponents, for the first time since January 2015 snapping a seven-game skid at Bucknell.
The Black Knights earned consecutive wins over the Bison for the first time since winning four straight from 2007-09.
The Black Knights scored their most points against Bucknell in the 82-game history between the programs.
Army outscored Bucknell in points from turnovers (24-9), paint (58-34), second chance (15-10), fast break (4-0), and bench (18-6).

COACH'S CORNER
"I couldn't be more excited for our basketball team. I thought Bucknell played an incredible basketball game. They had guys that kept making shots, after shot. I thought we were solid defensively, and when you feel like you're doing a decent job you just have to hang in there. Our offensive pace was incredible, and our guys didn't blink. We got down a couple of times. I'm so proud of our team. We were disciplined offensively. We shared the ball, moved the ball, and a lot of guys stepped up and made big plays." – Jimmy Allen

CADET'S CORNER
"This was a great win for our program. We beat a good team in a tough environment. More importantly, we showed flashes of how great of an offensive team we can be by playing together and keeping the ball moving. We gave up too many easy baskets for our liking throughout the game, but our execution late in the game led to an important win early in league play." – Aaron Duhart

"For starters, this was a great team win and just being able to stay the course. They were scorching hot for probably 30 minutes and we kept finding a way to stay the course and move on to the next play. Aaron (Duhart) and Ruck (Jalen Rucker) did an unreal job of playing off the pick and roll and controlling the offense. We weren't aware or thinking of the fact of how long it's been since we've won there, but we won that game for everyone in the last six years who have put on an Army basketball jersey; that one was 100% for them. We are looking forward to continuing league play and getting back it on Friday." – Charlie Peterson

UP NEXT

Army returns to Christl Arena to host Lehigh on Friday, January 7 at 5 p.m.
Coverage will be provided by the ESPN+ and by the Army Sports Network via the Varsity Sports Network and www.GoArmyWestPoint.com.
For ticket information, call 1-877-TIX-ARMY or visit www.goarmywestpoint.com/tickets.

For complete coverage of Army West Point men's basketball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter, Instagram, and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.