Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
7-8,1-2Patriot
Loyola Maryland
6-8,1-2Patriot
Men’s Basketball Wins First Game in Patriot League Play Over Loyola Maryland
January 08, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (7-8, 1-2) saw its first win in 2025 and in Patriot League play at Christl Arena on Wednesday as they defeated the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (6-8, 1-2), 71-63.
The Black Knights finished the game shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from the three-point line. Though Loyola Maryland ultimately shot 52.7 from the field, Army held the Greyhounds to 27.8 percent shooting from behind the arch.
It was the first half where the Black Knights excelled, finishing the first 20 minutes shooting 60.6 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the three-point line to help build a massive 17-point lead heading into halftime.
Jalen Rucker led all scorers on Wednesday night, finishing with 26 points, while adding three rebounds and assists, two assists and one block. AJ Allenspach also finished with 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Josh Scovens finished with nine points while adding a team-high three assists, with Rya Curry also adding three assists of his own.
How It Happened
Over the first four minutes of the game, the two teams were neck and neck, with both teams knotted at nine points each.
Josh Scovens started the scoring for the Black Knights with a layup, followed by a three-pointer from Black Barker. Scovens scored on another driving layup, then AJ Allenspach got his first points of the game from a cross-court pass from Ryan Curry.
Then, Army stepped on the gas and went on their first run of the game. The 11-0 run gave Army a 20-9 lead with 12:37 in the first half.
Five players were involved in the run, starting with a layup from Isaiah Caldwell. Ryan Curry followed it with a three-pointer, Jorn Everson and Kevin McCarthy added layups of their own, then Jalen Rucker ended the run with a fadeaway jumper.
The Black Knights were able to grow their lead in the final few minutes of the game, going on a 10-0 run. The run started with a three-pointer from Kevin McCarthy, then a deep three-pointer from Jalen Rucker. AJ Allenspach added four points of his own with back-to-back layups, giving Army a 39-24 lead with 2:20 left in the first half.
The Black Knights took their biggest lead into the locker room, leading the Greyhounds 47-30.
In the second half, Army and Loyola Maryland both started matching each other bucket for bucket. Then, the Greyhounds went on a quick 7-0 run to cut Army's lead to 11 points with 12:28 left. Then Loyola Maryland outscored Army 10-5 to cut the lead to single digits with 6:31 left in the game.
The single-digit deficit did not last long, with Jalen Rucker going on a personal 4-0 run to help the Black Knights gain back a 12-point lead.
The Greyhounds continued to catch up with the Black Knights, but some late clutch shots from Jalen Rucker and AJ Allenspach helped keep Loyola at arm's reach.
In the final two minutes, the Greyhounds went on an 8-0 run to cut Army lead to two points, but the Black Knights were able to hold them off to earn their first win in Patriot League play.
Up Next
Army hits the road for the third time over four games to close out the second week of league play. The Black Knights will head to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and the game will stream live on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.
