Army Black Nights Bested by Powerhouse Duke

DURHAM, NC – The Army West Point men’s basketball team went into Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday afternoon and ultimately fell to a nationally-ranked Duke squad, 94-72.
Four Cadets (1-1) reached the double-digit scoring mark against the No. 4 Blue Devils (2-0), led by Matt Wilson’s team-best 15 points. The junior big went 6-for-11 from the field and reeled in nine boards.

Tommy Funk facilitated the Army offense for much of the game and capped his afternoon with 12 points and a game-high 10 assists. Alex King and Jordan Fox chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Army brought the fight to Duke in the opening half, using a matchup zone and high-tempo offense to counter any attack put forth by the Blue Devils. The Black Knights utilized the long ball effectively, connecting on seven of their 15 tries from deep.

With 8:51 remaining in the stanza, Duke went up by 11 to grab its first double-digit lead of the afternoon. However, back-to-back steals and scores by the Black Knights sparked a 12-4 run and pulled the Cadets within three, 43-40. The two sides traded baskets and the Duke lead was down to two with just over two minutes to go in the half.

Heading into the break, Army trailed by eight, 50-42, but two quick scores in the second half knocked the Duke lead down to three.

The Blue Devils extended their advantage back to double-digits until back-to-back 3-pointers by Funk with 12:14 left to play made it a six-point contest, 67-61.

From that point forward, Duke caught fire and used a 14-2 run to push the lead back to double-figures before never looking back.

Army will head to providence, R.I., this weekend to play three games in three days at the Brown Bears Tip-Off Classic. The Black Knights will open against Sacred Heart on Friday with tip slated for 5 p.m.