Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
6-4,0-0Patriot
New Jersey Institute of Technology
5-4,0-0America East
Black Knights Lock Down Highlanders
December 10, 2021 | Men's Basketball
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Game 10 |
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SCORE |
Army Black Knights 66, NJIT Highlanders 49 |
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RECORDS |
Army (6-4) | NJIT (5-4) |
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LEADING SCORERS |
Army – Jalen Rucker (12) | NJIT – Dylan O'Hearn (16) |
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LOCATION |
WEC |
NEWARK, N.J. – Three Black Knights scored in double figures as Army never trailed en route to a 66-49 win over the NJIT Highlanders on Friday night.
GAME SUMMARY
The Black Knights played one of their best defensive games of the season, while holding the host to season-lows in points and field goal percentage. Offensively, Army got contributions from several Black Knights with Jalen Rucker, Chris Mann and Josh Caldwell all scoring in double figures.
The Black Knights, who never trailed and led for over 38 minutes, closed each half with game-turning runs. Army West Point led 9-2 after five minutes. The Highlanders cut the Army's lead to 21-20 with 7:33 remaining in the first half. However, the Black Knights closed the half on a 9-3 including holding NJIT without a field goal.
Army led 50-37 with nine minutes remaining before the Highlanders went on a 10-2 run in two minutes. Though, the Black Knights were unfazed and outscored NJIT 14-2 to end the game. Army held NJIT to 1 of 7 shooting from the field while the Black Knights made 3 of 5 shots from the field and went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line.
"Fight on to victory" #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/kzqMqPYKoJ
— Army M.Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) December 11, 2021
CADETS CAPSULES
- Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights in scoring with 12 points to be in double figures for the sixth straight game. He shared game-high marks in assists with three and tied a career-high in rebounds with seven.
- Chris Mann scored a season-high 11 points and tied a career-high in rebounds with nine.
- Josh Caldwell netted 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and had two steals.
- Matt Dove and Charlie Peterson each had nine rebounds and seven points.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Black Knights improved to 3-0 when three Cadets score in double figures
- Army won its first true road win in four attempts.
- Army had a substantial advantage on the glass, outrebounding NJIT 53-32, including 19 offensive rebounds. The 53 rebounds are the most against an NCAA Division I team this season.
COACH'S CORNER
"I thought this was a tremendous win for us just coming off of two disappointing games against Siena and Air Force. I thought we put together 40 minutes tonight of consistent effort on both ends of the floor. I thought we were physical and didn't settle offensively. We got the ball to the basket, and we did things that we really emphasized on like rebounded, especially on the offensive glass. I was really proud of our guys today and I thought they were locked in, and they competed in every second." - Jimmy Allen
CADET'S CORNER
"We definitely came out the way we needed to. We played together and moved the ball well, so it's definitely a good thing." - Matt Dove
UP NEXT
- Army continues its three-game road trip at LIU on Sunday, December 19 at 2 p.m.
- Coverage will be provided by the ESPN+ and by the Army Sports Network via the Varsity Sports Network and www.GoArmyWestPoint.com.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point men's basketball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter, Instagram, and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
