Black Knights Drop Road Tilt to Loyola Greyhounds

BALTIMORE, MD – A late second-half run gave Loyola a lead that it held the rest of the way to defeat the Army West Point men’s basketball team, 66-64, in a Patriot League contest on Saturday afternoon at Reitz Arena.

Matt Wilson logged a double-double for the Black Knights (7-10, 2-2 Patriot League) opposite the Greyhounds (5-12, 1-3 Patriot League). The junior went for a team-high 14 points and 10 boards. Jordan Fox also came up with double-figures in the scoring column after putting up 12 points.

Tucker Blackwell and Jacob Kessler added to the scoring production, finishing the game with nine and eight points, respectively. Kessler was resilient on the glass, reeling in a season-best seven rebounds.

The Black Knights, who over their past three outings have kept the opposition in check in the first half, were unable to contain a Loyola offense that went 50 percent from the field and from long range in the opening stanza. T­­­­­he Greyhounds compiled 39 points while keeping the Army attack at bay.

The first half featured 10 lead changes as neither side was able to build an advantage larger than three for much of the frame. However, the Black Knights fell out of rhythm offensively and only managed one made field goal over the final 6:18. On the other end, the Greyhounds used a 16-4 run to build an 11-point lead, 39-28, heading into the second half.

Loyola maintained its double-digit lead, but Army began to chip away. A 9-3 run pulled the Cadets within five, 49-44, with 10:14 left to play. The Greyhounds brought the lead back to double-figures, but once again the Black Knights countered. This time, Army used an 11-2 run to make it a one-point game, 56-55, with 3:39 remaining.

That would be as close as the Black Knights would get though as the Greyhounds were able to ward off the Cadets in the closing minutes and secure their first league victory.

The Black Knights will eye a bounce-back opportunity when they return to Christl Arena and play host to Colgate on Wednesday for a Patriot League game scheduled for 7 p.m.

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