Army Black Knights Fall to Rival Air Force 76-58

USAFA, CO – Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights in scoring with 17 points as Army was defeated in the Silver Star game by service academy rival Air Force, 76-58, on Saturday.
The Black Knights, who had won five of the previous six meetings, outscored the Falcons, 45-31, in the second half but were unable to overcome a 33-point first-half deficit.

Aaron Duhart connected on consecutive 3-pointers to start the second half to jump-start Army’s offense. The Black Knights continued to chip away at the deficit with a 14-0 run in four minutes. Trailing 55-23 with 13 minutes remaining, Army reeled off 14 straight points capped by a Matt Dove dunk at the 9:26 mark.

One minute later, Army started another run while holding Air Force scoreless for two minutes. Nine straight points by the Black Knights trimmed the Falcons’ lead to 60-46 with six minutes remaining. However, it was the closest Army would get as Air Force followed with a 7-2 run over the next two minutes. Air Force scored the game’s first nine points and never looked back en route to building a 33-point first-half lead.