Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
11-8,5-2Patriot
Holy Cross
10-10,2-5Patriot
Scovens Season-High Fuels Men’s Basketball to Fifth Straight Win
January 22, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. — Army West Point men's basketball (11-8, 5-2) gained a fifth straight win, extending their win streak in a victory against the Holy Cross Crusaders (10-9, 2-5), 76-71.
The win marked the second-largest winning streak in league play for the men's basketball program since the 2019-20 season with six consecutive wins.
Army finished the game shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from the three-point line. The Black Knights were able to hold the Crusaders to shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 29.2 percent from behind the arch. The Black Knights also won the turnover battle, forcing Holy Cross to commit 14 turnovers as opposed to their 11, with Army scoring 20 points off the Crusaders' turnovers.
Josh Scovens led the way for the Black Knights with a season-high 25 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. He also added four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Ryan Curry was just behind Scovens with 24 points, making a career-high seven three-points. Curry also added six rebounds, a team-high four assists and one steal.
Blake Barker earned his first career double-double on Wednesday night, scoring 11 points with a game-high and career-high 12 rebounds, while also adding a team-high three steals.
AJ Allenspach rounded out the double-digit scorers adding 14 points with four rebounds and one assist.
How It Happened
The Black Knights took control of the game early, going on a 9-2 run in the first four and a half minutes.
AJ Allenspach started the scoring from Army, with Josh Scovens following with a jumper of his own. Allenspach hit another jumper and then Ryan Curry hit his first lead of the game to cap off the 9-2 run.
It stayed a low-scoring affair when the Crusaders were able to cut Army's lead to 17-16 with 8:23 left in the first half. The Black Knights then went on a 7-2 run, with Scovens scoring four points and Curry hitting another three-pointer to bring the lead to 24-18.
Kendall Hailey and Ryan Curry would spark a quick 4-0 burst to extend Army's lead to eight points. Then over the last three minutes, a layup from Blake Barker, a three-pointer from Josh Scovens and then a steal and slam from Scovens helped give Army a 35-29 lead heading into the locker room.
The Crusaders were the first team to score in the first half, but Army went on their first run of the second half, outscoring the Crusaders 10-2. Josh Scovens scored the first five points of the run, then Ryan Curry hit another three-point with AJ Allenspach adding another two points.
Army soon extended their lead by going on a 7-0 run in 90 seconds. It started with another jumper from AJ Allenspach, then a three-pointer from Blake Barker and finally a jumper from Josh Scovens. This gave Army its biggest lead of the game at 15 points, holding a 52-37 lead with 13:51 left in the game.
Over the next four minutes, the Crusaders heated up, going on a 15-3 run to cut Army's lead to three points. Layups from AJ Allenspach and Blake Barker helped keep the lead at five points. The Crusaders were then able to cut the lead to two points, but a free throw from Josh Scovens and a layup from Black Barker pushed the lead back to five points.
Then, over the last five minutes, Ryan Curry heated up. Every time the Crusaders scored, Curry was able to stop the momentum with a three-pointer. That happened three times, giving Army a 71-64 lead with 2:44 left in the game.
In the final minute, the Black Knights kept Holy Cross at arm's length with a jumper from Josh Scovens, a free throw from Ryan Curry and two free throws from Blake Barker. The Crusaders scored with 13 seconds left, but Army was able to leave Worcester with a 76-71 game.
Up Next
The Black Knights return home to Christl Arena on Sunday afternoon for one of their biggest home games of the year. Army will renew its rivalry with the Navy Midshipmen.
The two teams split the series 1-1 last season, with Army winning the last matchup, earning the coveted Star Game and the bragging rights that came with it.
The game on Sunday against Navy will not be the annual Star Game, with that game taking place on February 15 at Navy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Tip-off is set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. with the game will stream live on the CBS Sports Network and The Varsity Network.
