WEST POINT – The Army West Point men’s basketball team dropped its non-conference regular season finale to Niagara, 78-66, on Saturday afternoon at Christl Arena.
The Black Knights (5-8), a team that typically scores around 50 percent of their points from inside the paint, relied on the long ball against the Purple Eagles (6-5). Army knocked down 14 treys in the game and were led in the scoring column by Jordan Fox and Alex King, who put up 12 points apiece.
Tommy Funk and Lonnie Grayson combined to shoot 50 percent from the field and were responsible for five 3-pointers and 10 points each.
It was an even matchup in the first half despite the Black Knights jumping out to a 12-4 lead in the early going. Niagara battled back and took its first lead of the afternoon following an and-1 by Keleaf Tate with 1:08 remaining in the half. The Purple Eagles’ lead did not stick for long though as Fox drained a 3-pointer to put Army on top, 29-27, heading into the break.
The two sides continued to trade baskets and a Dominic Raab layup for Niagara made it a 43-43 game with 14:42 on the clock. That score sparked a 13-3 run by the Purple Eagles to give them an eight-point advantage. Army countered with a 6-0 run to pull within two, 54-52, but Niagara answered right back by going 8-of-12 from the field for a 18-3 run.
That Niagara run helped the Purple Eagles pull away before securing the 78-66 non-conference victory.
The Black Knights will return to action in the new year and begin Patriot League play against Bucknell on Jan. 2 at Christl Arena with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.
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