Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
9-8,3-2Patriot
Lafayette
7-11,2-3Patriot
Rucker Beats the Buzzer to Lift Men’s Basketball Over Lafayette
January 15, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — With 3.8 seconds on the clock, the game between the Army West Point men's basketball (9-8, 3-2) and the Lafayette College Leopards (7-11, 2-3) were both knotted up at 68 points each.
Ryan Curry inbounded the ball to a cutting Jalen Rucker, who took the ball first to his right, then crossed to the left, beating his man. Then Rucker pulled up halfway between the three-point line and free throw line.
The shot went up, and it was nothing but net, and Christl Arena erupted as Army earned a 70-68 win over Lafayette. The victory marked the third straight win for the Black Knights, their longest winning streak of the season.
Alongside his 29 points, 67 percent shooting percentage, four rebounds, two steals and one block, senior guard Jalen Rucker also made history. After scoring his first six points in the first half, Rucker passed Matt Wilson and now sits in sixth place overall in the all-time career scoring list in Army West Point men's basketball program history.
Ryan Curry also had a strong performance, finishing the night with 14 points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals. Josh Scovens also scored 11 points while adding four rebounds, a team-high three assists, three steals and two blocks. AJ Allenspach led the team with six rebounds.
How It Happened
In the early goings of the first half, it was Lafayette who struck first. In the first three minutes, the Leopards jumped out to an early 8-2 lead. Then in two minutes, Blake Barker hit a three-pointer and Jalen Rucker hit two jumpers to take a brief 9-8 lead with 15:09 left in the first half.
Lafayette then came roaring back on a 10-0 run in a minute and a half to take an 18-9 lead. The run was stopped briefly by a Ryan Curry three-pointer. Then with 11:01 left, Jalen Rucker stole the ball and scored a driving layup to officially overtake sixth place in scoring from Matt Wilson.
The two teams exchanged buckets until the final two and a half minutes of the first half. The Leopards would outscore the Black Knights 9-3 to end the half with a 35-26 lead. The three points came courtesy of a wide-open three-pointer from Tate Laczkowski.
In the second half, the Leopards started with a three-pointer to gain their biggest lead of the game. But after that three-pointer, the Black Knights took over.
Army would then go on a 15-2 run to work their way back into the game and take the lead. The run started with a Ryan Curry three-pointer assisted by Blake Barker.
Josh Scovens would convert on a jumper, followed by Jalen Rucker and Jorn Everson hitting back-to-back three-pointers. Another jumper from Jalen Rucker brought the Black Knights to being only down one point, then an electrifying dunk by Josh Scovens assisted by Isaiah Caldwell gave Army its first lead of the game since 15:09 left in the first half.
The Black Knights were not done, eventually stretching the run to a 28-8 run in just under 10 minutes to take a 54-46 lead.
The run was extended by a steal and a driving layup by Isaiah Caldwell. Jalen Rucker followed with another three-pointer with Ryan Curry quickly following. Then Jalen Rucker went on a quick 5-0 burst courtesy of a jumper and a three-pointer to cap off the run.
After a dominant 10 minutes, Lafayette began to work their way back into the game. The Leopards went on an 8-3 run to cut the lead to three, then Jalen Rucker had his own personal 6-0 run to extend the lead back to nine points.
The Leopards would not go away quietly, going on a 12-3 run to eventually tie the game. Lafayette had a chance to take the lead, but a missed free throw caused the game to be tied.
Army gained possession, and Rucker's heroics helped the Black Knights overcome a 12-point deficit in the second half to take the 70-68 win.
Up Next
Army plays its second-straight game at home on Saturday in a rematch against Boston University. The two teams already faced off earlier this season, with the Terriers taking a 71-63 win over the Black Knights on January 5.
Tip-off is set for Saturday at 12 p.m., with the game streaming live on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.
