Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
17-16,10-8Patriot
Colgate University
25-8,17-1Patriot
Men's Basketball Eliminated in Patriot League Semifinal at Colgate
March 07, 2023 | Men's Basketball
HAMILTON, NY – Army West Point men's basketball (17-16, 10-8 PL) fell by a score of 91-74 in a Patriot League Semifinal matchup at top-seeded Colgate (25-8, 17-1 PL)
Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights with 26 points on 11-15 from the field to go along with four rebounds and seven assists. Coleton Benson also had a standout game, to the tune of 24 points on 4-8 shooting from downtown.
Army finishes the season with a 17-16 overall record, having finished fourth in the Patriot League regular season before eventually reaching the semifinals.
Colgate came out on fire from long distance, connecting on its first four looks from three-point range. The early onslaught from the Raiders put them at an 18-7 advantage less than five minutes into the game.
Army found its stroke from long distance early as well with Ethan Roberts, TJ Small and Chris Mann all connecting on triples within the first eight minutes. Colgate continued to convert on the offensive end, with Army's turnovers being the difference down the stretch in the half. Colgate was able to get out to a 19-point lead at 48-29 with 1:18 left in the half, after shooting 19-36 from the field and forcing 11 Army turnovers as the Raiders only turned the ball over twice in the half. Coleton Benson led Army with eight points and three assists as the Black Knights went into the break facing a 48-34 deficit.
Benson and Jalen Rucker put the ball in the basket throughout the second, but Army could not get the stops that it needed to get it within a few possessions. Benson and Rucker had 13 of the Black Knights 15 field goals after the break, as Rucker scored twenty points in the half behind 8-10 shooting from the field. Benson hit three triples to post sixteen points in the half.
Colgate shot 52.4-percent from the field for the game, as the Black Knights also shot at over a 50-percent clip at 50.9. The Raiders won the points off turnovers battle 25-2, which proved to be the difference in the game. Tucker Richardson led Colgate with 11 points, six rebounds and 12 assists.
