Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
2-3,0-0Patriot
Radford University
3-2,0-0Big South
Men's Basketball Taken Down by Radford, 90-75
November 20, 2022 | Men's Basketball
WILLIAMSBURG, VA - Army West Point men's basketball (2-3, 0-0 PL) fell to Radford (3-2, 0-0 Big South) by a score of 90-75 in a neutral site contest to close out the William & Mary MTE on Sunday afternoon.
The game was a tale of two halves, with Army scoring 47 points in the first half to take a double-digit lead into the break before Radford exploded for 53 points in the second half to secure the victory.
Chris Mann led all scorers with a career-high 23 points on 8-14 from the field while Jalen Rucker registered 18 points and a team-high six rebounds.
GAME SYNOPSIS
With the game tied at 14 in the early stages, Army used an 11-3 run to jump out to a 25-17 lead. Jalen Rucker knocked down a pair of triples on consecutive possessions, before Nolan Naess scored his lone basket of the game and Coleton Benson connected from downtown to account for the stretch.
Army shot 63-percent (17-27) from the field in the first half including 5-of-9 from long range and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. The Black Knights led by as many as 15, following a three-ball from Benson and layup from Charlie Peterson with 2:37 remaining in the half. The Cadets took a 47-37 lead into the break.
After an Ethan Roberts three to begin the half, Radford promptly used a 12-0 run to make it a brand new game with 16:25 to play. Rucker and Benson weathered the storm with baskets on Army's next two possessions, but the Highlanders continued to score at high clip in the ensuing minutes.
After a jumper from Mann at 10:09 made it a 61-60 lead for the Highlanders, Radford used a 14-2 spurt to take a commanding 75-62 lead with 5:34 remaining. Josiah Jeffers and DaQuan Smith led the comeback for the Highlanders, each recording 17 points while Bryan Antoine posted 15 points and six boards. Radford ultimately shot 15-27 from the field and outscored Army 53-28 in the second half to secure the neutral site victory, 90-75.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Chris Mann scored a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers to go along with four rebounds. Mann has scored at least 15 points in every game this season for the Black Knights.
- Jalen Rucker recorded 18 points behind 6-of-9 shooting to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Rucker has knocked down multiple three-pointers in four of five games to start the season.
- Freshman Coleton Benson netted 15 points on 5-of-8 from the field. Benson has tabbed at least 15 points in each of his last four contests.
- Abe Johnson and Charlie Peterson each collected three assists to lead Army on the afternoon.
Up Next
The Black Knights will travel across the pond to England and compete in the London Basketball Classic. Army will take on Princeton on Thursday, Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m. EST and either Northeastern or Manhattan on Saturday, Nov. 26 (time TBD) from Copper Box Arena.
