Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
UTSA
Men’s Basketball to Close Out 2024 in Christl Arena Against Roadrunners
December 28, 2024 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point (5-6) will close out the 2024 calendar year on Sunday in Christl Arena on Sunday, taking on the UTSA Roadrunners (6-5).
UTSA comes to West Point for the first time to return the home-and-home series started with the Black Knights last season. In 2023, Army made the trip to San Antonio, Texas, where they earned the first win in the series, 63-53.
The game between the Black Knights and the Roadrunners is slated to begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Christl Arena. It'll be the second half of a doubleheader, with women's basketball taking on Mount Saint Mary College at 12 p.m. The game will also stream live on ESPN+ and the Army Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: The Black Knights saw a third straight loss last Sunday, falling to the Binghamton Bearcats, 78-68. Army finished the game shooting 38.7 percent from the field and 32 percent from the three-point line, while the Bearcats finished shooting 49 percent from the field and 60 percent from the three-point line. Josh Scovens led the way for the second straight game with 16 points alongside three rebounds and two blocks. Jalen Rucker finished with 14 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ryan Curry rounded out the ground with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
HOLIDAY HIATUS: The matchup on Sunday afternoon will be the first game for Army since Dec. 22 against Binghamton. Following that game, the Black Knights begin league play on the road at Colgate. Before the seven-day break, the Black Knights had a nine-day break between their matchups between George Washington and Binghamton.
BEST OF THE PATRIOT: Army has three cadet-athletes who are at the top of the Patriot League in four different categories. First, Jalen Rucker leads the league with 18.2 points a game. AJ Allenspach leads the Patriot League with 9.3 rebounds a game and a 75.4 field goal percentage. Ryan Curry is the best playmaker in the league with 4.4 assists per game.
CAUSING A RUCKUS: Senior Jalen Rucker has had an impressive senior campaign. Apart from leading the team and the league in scoring, the one-time Patriot League Player of the Week, Rucker is averaging career-best in points per game, three-point shooting and rebounding.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: Senior AJ Allenspach averages 11.1 points and 9.3 rebounds a game, nearly averaging a double-double. He had earned four double-doubles in six games.
SCOVENS SHINING: Sophomore Josh Scovens has led the Black Knights in scoring over the past two games, with 20 points against GW and 16 points against Binghamton. He is second on the team in scoring, averaging 17.7 points a game.
PLAYERS MAKING PLAYS: Army is one of the top teams in the country in playmaking, averaging 17.5 assists per game, good for being ranked 29th in the country and first in the Patriot League. Ryan Curry spearheads the playmaking with 4.4 assists a game, a team and league-best.
BOARD GAMES: The Black Knights are also one of the best in the Patriot League and in the country in rebounding. The program averages 40.18 rebounds a game, good for 36th in the country and best in the league. AJ Allenspach leads the efforts with 9.3 rebounds every game.
History with UTSA
- Army leads the series, 1-0
- Current Streak: Army, 1 win
- Last Army win: Dec. 21, 2023, 63-53
- Last UTSA win: n/a
- Last Meeting: Army leads 1-0
- Dec. 21, 2023 (San Antonio): ARMY 63, UTSA 53
Scouting the Roadrunners
- The UTSA Roadrunners are 6-5 so far this season and they head to West Point on a three-game winning streak. The three straight wins include a home and road win against North Dakota, plus a win against Southwest Adventist.
- Head coach Austin Claunch is in his first year as the head coach of the Roadrunners and his sixth season overall. Before his time in the Alamo City, Claunch was the head coach at Nicholls, where he held a 90-61 record.
- Primo Spears leads the Roadrunners in scoring this season, averaging 22.3 points a game alongside a team-best 3.5 assists a game. Spears averages 45 percent from the floor and 30 percent from the three-point line.
- Jonnivius Smith leads the team in rebounding, averaging 9.4 rebounds a game and shooting a team-best 53 percent from the floor.
- Alongside Spears, three more Roadrunners average double-digit scoring every game. Tai'Reon Joseph scores 12.7 points a game, while Marcus Millender and Damari Monsanto both average 11.4 points a game.
