Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
2-4,0-0Patriot
Princeton University
3-2,0-0Ivy League
Men’s Basketball Falls to Princeton in Game One of London Basketball Classic
November 24, 2022 | Men's Basketball
LONDON, ENGLAND – Army West Point men's basketball (2-5, 0-0 PL) was taken down by Princeton (3-2, 0-0 Ivy) 74-66 in its first game of the London Basketball Classic. Army was led by Chris Mann, who logged 19 points (8-14 FG) and nine rebounds.
The Black Knights will take on Manhattan on Saturday at 9:30 AM EST while the Tigers will battle Northeastern for the inaugural London Basketball Classic trophy.
Army jumped out a 5-0 lead with Chris Mann connecting on each of his first two shots, a two and three-pointer. Mann would score again before Jalen Rucker connected on a three and jump shot as Army took a 12-8 lead into the first media timeout.
The two teams would go cold for the next stretch, including a combined 0-14 stretch. After a Jared Cross basket and pair of free throws from Matt Dove, the Black Knights boasted a 24-16 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the half. The Tigers caught fire in the closing minutes from their bench, ending the half on a 17-8 run to take a 33-32 lead into the break.
The teams went back and forth to begin the half, as a Rucker basket with 13:19 remaining made it a 44-42 lead for the Tigers. However, Princeton caught fire with three straight buckets including a pair of looks from downtown to jump out to a 52-42 advantage.
Blake Peters and Caleb Pierce would quickly knock down two more looks from beyond the arc, giving Princeton a commanding 60-43 lead with 9:04 to play. Army went on the comeback trail, with an and-one from Charlie Peterson and three-ball from Ethan Roberts making it a single digit affair with six minutes to play. Army was only able to cut it to as low as seven, with the Tigers seeing out the victory through 14-28 shooting in the second half.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Chris Mann led the Black Knights with 19 points and seven rebounds. Mann currently ranks third in the Patriot League with 17.5 points per game and has scored at least 15 points in every game this season.
- Charlie Peterson posted a season-high 16 points on 6-11 from the field. The junior added six boards and two dimes.
- Jalen Rucker recorded 15 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Rucker has posted at least four rebounds and scored in double-figures in all six games to start the campaign.
- Princeton tabbed 28 points off the bench compared to Army's eight.
- The Tigers won the turnover battle, forcing 11 while turning it over just three times.
UP NEXT
Army will close out the London Basketball Classic on Saturday, taking on Manhattan at 9:30 a.m. EST from Copper Box Arena.
