Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Holy Cross
Men’s Basketball Seeks Fifth Straight Win on the Road at Holy Cross
January 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (10-8, 4-2) hits the road for the final time in January on Wednesday, hoping to earn a fifth straight win in the Hart Center against the Holy Cross Crusaders(10-9, 2-4).
Wednesday's matchup marks the first time that the Black Knights and the Crusaders have faced off this season. The two teams met each other three times last season, with Army having a 2-1 edge. But in their last matchup, the Crusaders defeated the Black Knights in the first round of the Patriot League tournament.
Wednesday night's game against Holy Cross in Worcester is slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off, with the game also streaming live on ESPN+ and the Varsity Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: The Black Knights saw their fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon, taking a 68-62 win over Boston University. One of the biggest aspects that fueled the Black Knights' win over the Terriers was a dominant first half offensively and defensively. Army finished the first half shooting 64 percent from the field and 46 percent from the three-point line while holding the Terriers to 35 percent and 18 percent respectively. Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights for the second straight game with 23 points while shooting 67 percent from the floor and 75 percent from behind the arch.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jalen Rucker was named Patriot League Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. He becomes the first player in the Patriot League to earn the award for two consecutive weeks, with this being the fourth time he has been given the honor in his senior season. Rucker helped lead the Black Knights to a second straight 2-0 week in Patriot League play. Rucker finished the week averaging 26 points a game while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the three-point line.
WINNING STREAK: With the win on Saturday afternoon, the Black Knights are now on a four-game winning streak. The fourth straight win gives Army its longest winning streak of the season and tied for the longest win streak in Kevin Kuwik's tenure.
NATIONAL ATTENTION: The fans in attendance in Christl Arena on Wednesday in Army's matchup against Lafayette were not the only people who saw Rucker's buzzer-beater to win the game. The shot blew up on social media and earned a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 on January 16.
MAKING HISTORY: Along with being the hero and gaining national attention in Army's win over Lafayette, Rucker also hit a career milestone. With his 29 points, he was able to surpass Matt Wilson and is now sixth in scoring in Army West Point Men's Basketball program history.
AMONG THE BEST: Two Black Knights rank at the top of the Patriot League in two stats categories, while several sit in the top two. Jalen Rucker leads the league with 19.1 points a game and AJ Allenspach leads the league with his 70.6 shooting percentage. Allenspach is also second in rebounding with 8.5 rebounds a game. Josh Scovens is second in the league with 1.3 blocks a game and Rucker is also second with 1.7 steals a game.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following Wednesday's game, the Black Knights receive three days of rest before their next matchup on Sunday before they face off with their biggest rival, the Navy Midshipmen. The two teams will renew their rivalry on Sunday in West Point at 3:30 p.m. in the second half of a doubleheader with women's basketball. This game will not be the star game, with that game taking place on February 15 in Annapolis.
History with Holy Cross
- Holy Cross leads the series, 71-33
- Current Streak: Holy Cross, 1 win
- Last Army win: Feb. 17, 2024, 59-53
- Last Holy Cross win: March 5, 2024, 84–68
- Last Five Meetings: Loyola leads 3-2
- March 5, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 68, HC 84
- Feb. 17, 2024 (Worcester): ARMY 59, HC 53
- Jan. 6, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 70, HC 57
- Feb. 25, 2023 (Worcester): ARMY 80, HC 65
- Jan. 28, 2023 (West Point): ARMY 66, HC 55
Scouting the Crusaders
- Holy Cross is 10-9 so far this season, holding a 2-4 record in league play. The Crusaders have taken wins over Loyola Maryland and Navy while seeing losses to American, Lafayette and Bucknell so far in league play.
- The Crusaders are hoping to snap a three-game losing skid, with losses at Lafayette and Bucknell plus a home loss against American.
- Freshman standout Max Green leads the Crusaders scoring 13.9 points per game. He averages 41.4 percent from the field and 37.5 from the three-point line. He also averages 5.3 rebounds a game and 71 assists through this point of the season.
- Joe Nugent and Caleb Kinney both average double-digits with 12.8 points and 11.7 points per game. Jaiden Feroah grabs a team-high 6.1 rebounds a game, and alongside Kenney, holds a team-high 16 blocks.
