Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Binghamton
Men's Basketball Aims for Fifth Home Win Against Binghamton
December 20, 2024 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point (5-5) returns to Christl Arena on Sunday for a matchup against the Binghamton Bearcats (7-6).
Binghamton comes to West Point for the first time since 2018, to return the home-and-home series started with the Black Knights last season. In 2023, Army made the trip to Vestal New York, where they fell in a tightly contested game, 68-75.
The game between the Black Knights and the Bearcats is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Christl Arena. The game also stream live on ESPN+ and the Army Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: Army West Point ultimately fell on the road at George Washington, 75-60. The Black Knights finished the game shooting 37 percent from the floor, ultimately struggling from the three-point line, finishing the night shooting 17 percent from behind the arch. Josh Scovens led the way from Army, scoring a team-high 20 points with six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block. AJ Allenspach earned his second straight double-double, his fourth of the season, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Rucker rounded out the Black Knights with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
BREAK IN PLAY: The Black Knights and the Bearcats game on Sunday afternoon will be the first game for Army since Dec. 13 against George Washington. Following that game, the Black Knights have a seven-day break until their next game at home against UTSA on Dec. 29.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Senior forward AJ Allenspach has poised himself as one of the top forwards in the Patriot League. Allenspach has recorded four double-doubles in the past five games, where he recorded career highs in both points (20 against Maritime) and rebounds (13 against Manhattan and George Washington). He nearly averages a double-double, scoring 11.4 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds (second in the Patriot) every game.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Three Black Knights lead the Patriot League in four categories. Jalen Rucker leads the league with 18.6 points and 2.0 steals a game. Ryan Curry boasts a Patriot League best 4.5 assists per game. AJ Allenspach holds a 76.6 shooting percentage from the floor, also a league-best.
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Sophomore Josh Scovens had a stellar performance in Army's last game against George Washington on Dec. 13. Scovens led the way from Army, scoring a team-high 20 points with six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block. The performance also led to him earning an honorable mention in the Patriot League Player of the Week race on Monday.
THE EXTRA PASS: The Black Knights have positioned themselves as one of the top teams in the nation in offensive playmaking. Army currently averages 18.0 assists a game, good for best in the Patriot League. With those numbers, the Black Knights also sit in 18th in all Div. I in assists per game.
GRABBING BOARDS: Along with leading the nation in assists, Army has also placed itself as one of the top rebounding teams at the Div. I level. The Black Knights grab an average of 40.8 rebounds a game, good to be ranked 32nd in the country and the best in the Patriot League.
History with Binghamton
- Army leads the series, 9-5
- Current Streak: BU, 2 wins
- Last Army win: Nov. 28, 2018, 67-56
- Last BU win: Nov. 25, 2023, 75-68
- Last Five Meetings: BU leads 3-2
- Nov. 25, 2023 (Vestal): ARMY 68, BU 75
- Nov. 23, 2019 (Vestal): ARMY 73, BU 88
- Nov. 28, 2018 (West Point): ARMY 67, BU 56
- Dec. 6, 2017 (Vestal): ARMY 66, BU 71
- Dec. 21, 2016 (West Point): ARMY 71, BU 60
Scouting the Bearcats
- The Bearcats are 7-6 in their first 13 games of the season. Binghamton has won five straight games, including wins over LIU, Lafayette, Le Moyne and Lancaster Bible College.
- Levell Sanders is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Bearcats, currently holding a 47-56 record in his career. Before becoming head coach, Sanders served as an assistant coach for the Bearcats from 2019 to 2021.
- Time Chenery leads the Bearcats in many areas. Chenery averages a team-best 13.9 points and 3.1 assists a game. He also adds 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
- Three other Bearcats average double digits. Chris Walker scores 12.2 points per game, Ben Callahan-Gold adds 11.1 points and Nehemiah Benson averages 10.2 points a game.
- Gavin Walsh nearly averages a double-double, scoring 9.6 points a game and grabbing a team-best 9.6 rebounds a game.
