Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
15-10,9-4Patriot
Loyola Maryland
10-14,5-8Patriot
Men’s Basketball Steals Win in Baltimore Against Loyola Maryland
February 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE, Md. — Army West Point men's basketball (15-10, 9-4) earned a third straight win on Wednesday night, taking down the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (10-14, 5-8), 64-60.
The Black Knights finished the night shooting 43.6 percent from the floor while holding the Greyhounds to 34.9 percent shooting from the floor. Army did see struggles shooting from the three-point line, only making three shots from behind the arch. The Black Knights made up ground from the free-throw line, shooting 13-17 from the charity stripe while Loyola Maryland shot 9-17, a four-shot difference.
Army's defense shined as well, with the Black Knights finishing the night with five blocks to the Greyhounds two, causing 12 turnovers while only having eight and adding seven steals and 10 points off turnovers.
Josh Scovens led the way for the Black Knights with 22 points, also a game-high. Scovens also finishes the game shooting 75 percent from the floor, while adding four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal.
Jalen Rucker also had a strong night in his homecoming. The Baltimore native finished the night with 19 points, scoring the Black Knight's last six points down the stretch to secure the win. Rucker also added five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Ryan Curry finished the game with a team-high eight rebounds and a team-best four assists. AJ Allenspach also added nine points. Isaiah Caldwell, Blake Barker, Kendall Hailey and Jorn Everson also made point contributions.
How It Happened
Through the first 90 seconds of the game, both teams were held scoreless until the Greyhounds struck first. Then AJ Allenspach hit a pair of two free throws to tie the game.
The first five minutes remained low scoring, with Loyola Maryland taking an 11-6 lead with 14:34 left in the first half. Josh Scovens broke up scoring with a three-pointer until the Greyhounds went on a quick 6-0 swing to take a 17-9 lead with 12:53 left in the first half.
The tide turned in the Black Knights's favor midway through the first half, going on a 13-0 run over five and a half minutes that later extended to a 19-4 run over nine and a half minutes to take a 28-21 lead.
The initial run was started by a driving layup from Kendall Hailey, followed by a layup from Josh Scovens. Jorn Everson went on a quick 5-0 burst off the bench, then Jalen Rucker and AJ Allenspach scored to make it 22-17 lead for the Black Knights with 6:34 left in the first half.
Jalen Rucker added two points while Josh Scovens added four points to give Army its biggest lead of the half at 28-21 with 2:29 left in the first half. Jalen Rucker added another layup to close out the half, but not before the Greyhounds scored six points to make it a 30-27 game at halftime.
To open the second half Loyola Maryland went on a 6-2 run to take back the lead at 33-32 in the opening minute and fifteen seconds, with AJ ALlenspach opening the the half with scoring just like the first half.
Army followed with a 9-4 run to take back the lead of 41-37 with 15:18 left in the game. Josh Scovens led the run with four points with Isaiah Caldwell and Jalen Rucker each adding two points and AJ ALlenspach adding a made free throw.
The momentum swung back to the home team, with the Greyhounds going on an 11-2 run to take a five-point lead with 12:33 left in the game. Blake Barker followed the run with a three-pointer from Josh Scovens with Scovens adding two emphatic dunks from cross-court dishes from Ryan Curry to help tie the game at 50 points with 10:46 left.
Over the next six minutes, the Greyhounds and the Black Knights exchanged blow for blow, but Loyola Maryland held a slight 9-7 edge in scoring down that stretch. Jalen Rucker scored a crucial five points in that stretch with Isaiah Caldwell using his elevation for a dunk with a pass from Josh Scovens.
Ultimately, the Greyhounds had a 60-57 lead with 3:28 left in the game, but then Jalen Rucker took control of the game. The Black Knights went on a 7-0 run in the last three minutes to clinch the win on the road, with Jalen Rucker scoring not only the Black Knights', but also scoring the final six points of the game on both sides.
The win gave Army its third straight win, with the Black Knights now winning eight of their last 10 games. They also completed the season sweep over the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds.
Up Next
The Black Knights will stay in Maryland for the second straight game, this time, facing off against the Navy Midshipmen in the annual Star Game.
In the first matchup against Navy this season the Black Knights saw a 53-66 loss to the Midshipmen. The Black Knights not only search for redemption but also aim to secure the Alumni Trophy for the second straight season after winning bragging rights last season in West Point.
The game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. Saturday tip-off, with the matchup streaming on CBS Sports Network and the Varsity Network.
