Army Sees Second League Play Loss at Boston U

BOSTON, Ma. – Army West Point men’s basketball (6-8, 0-2) saw a second loss in Patriot play on Sunday afternoon, falling on the road to the Boston University Terriers (7-8, 1-1), 71-63.

The Black Knights finished the game shooting 41 percent from the field and 42 percent from the three-point line. Boston U on the other hand, finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arch. The Terriers outmatched the Black Knights in the paint, outscoring Army 32 to 24, an eight-point deficit. Boston U also outrebounded the Black Knights, 37 to 27.

Jalen Rucker scored a game-high 17 points for Army, adding two rebounds, two assists and one steal. Ryan Curry and Josh Scovens also finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds each. Curry also heard a team-high three assists.

AJ Allenspach led the team with 10 rebounds in the game. Jorn Everson added eight points, an assist and a steal, while Tate Laczkowski added four points in his first action since November 12 against Mount Saint Mary.

Army jumped out to a small lead in the first three minutes of the first half, earning an 8-2 lead by the 17:13 mark. Josh Scovens started the scoring for the Black Knights, beating the shot clock on the first possession. Then, Ryan Curry added a three-pointer, with Scovens adding another three-pointer on Army’s next possession.

The Terriers responded with a 7-0 run to take a brief, but then Army quickly responded with a 13-2 run to extend the lead to 21-11.

The run started with a three-pointer from Jorn Everson, followed by another three-pointer from Josh Scovens. Tate Laczkowski added a putback layup in his return to action, AJ Allenspach added a layup then Kendall Hailey capped off the run with a three-pointer.

The two teams exchanged baskets up until the end of the first half when Boston U went on a run of its own. The Terriers went on a 12-0 run to take back the lead for the first time since the beginning of the first half. Tate Laczkowski ended the run at the end of the half, with the Black Knights trailing 35-40 at halftime. The Black Knights finished the first half shooting 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from the three-point line.

Boston U carried its hot shooting into the start of the second half, outscoring Army 10-3 in the first four and a half minutes. The Terriers took their biggest lead of the game due to the run, leading 50-38 with 15:30 left.

Army cut into the lead going on a 9-0 run in less than a minute. Jalen Rucker started the run with a three-pointer and followed it with a three-point play. Ryan Curry followed with a three-pointer allowing the Black Knights to cut the lead to 50-47 with 14:06 left.

Both teams were quiet scoring-wise for a few minutes, but the Black Knights went on a 6-0 run in 30 seconds to cut the lead to one point. The run was started by a three-pointer from Ryan Curry followed by a three-pointer by Jalen Rucker. The run made the game 53-54 with seven minutes left.

The Terriers struck back with a quick 7-0 run, taking a 61-53 lead with 4:26 left on the clock. The Black Knights tried to make their way back, but ultimately, the home team was able to hold Army off down the stretch.