Courtesy of GoArmyWestPoint.com
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point men’s basketball team used a massive second-half surge to take down St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday afternoon, 76-56.
The Terriers knotted the score at 34-34 two and a half minutes into the second period, but a quick 11-0 run over the next four minutes began a 36-8 Black Knights rally. That handed the home team a comfortable 70-42 advantage with just under eight minutes to play.
From that point on, Army maintained its double-digit edge to secure the 20-point win and its fourth victory of the year.
The Black Knights saw six players reach double figures for the first time this season. Jacob Kessler posted a career-high 16 points after going nearly perfect on the night. The sophomore finished 7-of-7 from the floor, 2-of-2 from behind-the-arc and 0-1 from the charity stripe. He added four rebounds, which was one shy of matching his career best effort. The Richmond, Va., native compiled two assists and two steals on the night as well.
Joining Kessler in double digits was Tommy Funk, Jordan Fox, John Emezie, Kennedy Edwards and Matt Wilson, who all notched 10 points in the game. Funk’s final point total matched his career high, while Emezie and Wilson have both now extended their double-figure scoring streaks to five games.
Wilson and Mac Hoffman were tops on the team with eight rebounds each, while Fox dished out a career-high eight assists to lead all players.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
· For the second-straight game, Army finished with a shooting percentage of over 50 percent.
· The Black Knights went 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) from the floor and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from behind-the-arc. Army also converted on five of its seven attempts from the free throw line.
· Bench points were tied at 28-28, but Army held the advantage on points in the paint at 38-22.
· St. Francis Brooklyn never led in the contest. Army was in front for 38:42. The game was tied for 1:18.
· Army held its largest edge in the game at 28 on two different occasions with the last one coming after Wilson finished off a layup with 6:43 remaining to make it a 72-44 ballgame.
· The Black Knights converted on 15 of their opening 17 shots from the floor to start the second half to push the lead to a comfortable 66-42 advantage.
· Army held St. Francis Brooklyn to a shooting percentage of just 29.2 percent from the floor. That was the Black Knights’ best defensive effort all season.
TURNING POINT
· The Terriers quickly erased a seven-point halftime deficit, thanks in part to a 17-2 run, to tie the game at 34-all just two and half minutes into the second half. Army answered with a big rally of its own, scoring 11-0 straight to break the game open at 45-34. The Black Knights used that momentum and finished the rally to complete a 36-8 overall run with two makes from Hoffman at the charity stripe. That Army run lasted exactly 10 minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
· Army kept the Terriers scoreless for the opening four minutes, taking an early 6-0 lead. The visitors cut the deficit down to 10-7 but a 13-4 run for the Black Knights created a double digit lead between the teams at 23-11.
· A massive dunk from John Miller extended Army’s advantage to 32-17 with 2:23 remaining in the first half. That would be the last time the Black Knights would score before the break though as the Terriers answered with eight straight to pull within 32-25 at the break.
· St. Francis Brooklyn continued that rally into the second half, finishing off a 17-2 run to make things all square at 34-34 with 17:28 left to play.
· The Black Knights would not waiver though, using an impressive 36-8 run over the next 10 minutes to ultimately put the game out of reach at 70-42.
UP NEXT
· The Black Knights remain at home for one more contest on Wednesday against academy-rival Air Force. That game is slated for a 7:02 p.m. tip and will be a Campus Insiders exclusive broadcast with Rich DeMarco and Pat O’Keefe on the call.
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