Army Dominates Lehigh For Third Straight Win

Friday, January 7

West Point, NY

5:00 PM

Army West Point

9-6,3-0Patriot

Lehigh University

4-11,2-1Patriot

Lehigh

Army West Point

Army Dominates Lehigh For Third Straight Win

January 07, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Game 15
SCORE	Army Black Knights 77, Lehigh Mountain Hawks 55
RECORDS	Army (9-6, 3-0 Patriot) \| Lehigh (4-11, 2-1 Patriot)
LEADING SCORERS	Army – Jalen Rucker (22) \| Lehigh – Keith Higgins Jr./Evan Taylor (13)
LOCATION	Christl Arena

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's basketball team improved to 3-0 in Patriot League play after a convincing, 77-55, victory over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Friday night.

GAME SUMMARY
Army West Point left little doubt in tonight's outcome, leading for 99.5 percent of the game and as much as 28 points.

The Black Knights accelerated to a 16-2 lead and never looked back. Jalen Rucker set the pace with a 7-0 run to start the game, and his 3-pointer at the 13:18 mark gave the Black Knights a 16-2 lead as he was in double figures for the 10^th time in the last 11 games.

The Mountain Hawks quickly found themselves trailing 21-4 after a 3-pointer by TJ Small with 10 minutes left to play in the first half. A layup by Rucker increased Army's lead to 25-8 with six minutes on the clock before Lehigh got into double figures on its next possession. The Black Knights closed the final five minutes of the first half on a 14-2 run to head into halftime with a commanding 39-13 lead.

A Charlie Peterson dunk 15 seconds into the second half gave the Black Knights their largest lead of the game, 41-13. Army maintained a 20-point lead throughout the second half until the 1:25 left in the game. However, the Black Knights made four straight free throws to end the game for a 22-point win margin.

"I'm super proud of this basketball team. We were ready to go and that's super impressive" - @ArmyCoachAllen #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/knmS8FsyJI
— Army M.Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) January 8, 2022

CADETS CAPSULES

Jalen Rucker scored a game-high 22 points for his third straight 20-point game and fifth 20-point game this season. He added five rebounds, dished out a game-high four assists, and had two steals.
Aaron Duhart netted 11 points, chipped in four rebounds, and had three assists.
Charlie Peterson scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Army is 3-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
The Black Knights recorded their third straight win over Lehigh for the first time since winning three straight from February 1998 to January 1999.
The Black Knights have won three straight league games for the first time since a six-game win streak from January and February of 2020.
Army shot over 50 percent (53.6%) in the first half for the third straight game. The Black Knights finished the game shooting 54 percent from the field.
Army's 22-point victory is the largest win over Lehigh since a 27-point victory on December 12, 1978.
The 26-point halftime lead is the largest of the season.
Army outscored Lehigh in points in the paint (40-24), second-chance points (9-2), fast-break points (18-1), and bench points (21-15).
Army had a 38-22 rebound advantage.
The Black Knights set a couple of season-highs at the charity stripe with 18 made free throws and a 78.3 free throw percent.
Army improved to 6-1 at Christl Arena for the 2021-22 season.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

UP NEXT

Army is back on the road to play defending Patriot League champion Colgate on Monday, January 10 at 6 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 complete coverage of Army West Point men's basketball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter, Instagram, and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.