Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Loyola Maryland
Men's Basketball Shoots for First League Win Against Loyola Maryland, Lehigh
January 07, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (6-8, 0-2) aims for its first win in Patriot League this week as they take on the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
The Black Knights will host their league-play home opener on Wednesday, January 8, against Loyola Maryland. The Greyhounds finished their first week of league play 1-1, with a loss on the road to Holy Cross and a win in Baltimore against Lehigh.
Then, Army will hit the road on Saturday, January 11, and head to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to take on Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks also opened league play 1-1, with an overtime win at home against Bucknell, then a loss on the road against Loyola Maryland.
The game between the Black Knights and the Greyhounds is slated to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup against the Mountain Hawks is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will stream live on ESPN+ and the Army Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST WEEK: The Black Knights opened league play with two straight road games, first at Colgate followed by a game at Boston U. Army finished the week 0-2, falling to Colgate 59-71 and then dropping a second game on the road at Boston U, 63-71. Josh Scovens led the team at Colgate with 16 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Jalen Rucker scored a game-high 17 points plus two rebounds, two assists and one steal against Boston U.
TOUGH START: Army finished its first week in Patriot Week play this season 0-2, the only team in the league to do so. Navy currently sits on top of the league at 2-0, while the rest of the league is 1-1 in league play. The Black Knights aim to get their first win this week either back in Christl Arena or at Lehigh.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Despite a tough start to league play, four Black Knights lead the Patriot League in five different categories. First, Jalen Rucker still leads the league with 18.0 points a game. AJ Allenspach leads the league with a 75 percent shooting percentage and averages a league-best 9.1 rebounds a game. Ryan Curry holds a league-best 4.1 assists a game and Josh Scovens leads the league with 1.3 blocks a game.
SCORING MACHINE: Jalen Rucker's 18 points per game is not only the best for the Black Knights and in the Patriot League but among one of the best in the country. As of January 6, Rucker is ranked 70th in the country at the NCAA DIV. I level in points per game. Eric Dixon from Villanova leads the country with 25.9 points a game.
REBOUNDING MASTER: AJ Allenspach has had an impressive senior campaign, nearly averaging a double-double with 10.9 points a game and 9.1 rebounds a game. Allenspach's rebounding is good for not only the best in the Patriot League but also among the best in the country. With his 9.1 rebounds a game, Allenspach currently sits tied in 26th for the most rebounds per game at the NCAA Div. I level.
SPECTACULAR SCOVENS: Josh Scovens currently leads the Black Knights in scoring during Patriot League play, averaging 14.5 points over the first two games. He also finished the week shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point line. Scovens had a team-best 16 points alongside five rebounds, three blocks and two steals against Colgate, then finished with 13 points against Boston U.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS: In all 14 games of the year this season, the Black Knights have had the same core five serving as the starting five. Those five include Jalen Rucker, Ryan Curry, Josh Scovens, Blake Barker and AJ Allenspach. The 14-consecutive starts from the five streak is the longest active streak in the Patriot League this season. Rucker, Curry, Scovens and Allenspach all average double-digit scoring for the Black Knights.
History with Loyola Maryland
- Loyola leads the series, 12-11
- Current Streak: Loyola, 2 wins
- Last Army win: Feb. 8, 2023, 76-70
- Last Loyola win: March 2, 2024, 69-68
- Last Five Meetings: Loyola leads 3-2
- March 2, 2024 (Baltimore): ARMY 68, LOYOLA 69
- Jan. 10, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 65, LOYOLA 71
- Feb. 8, 2023 (West Point): ARMY 76, LOYOLA 70
- Jan. 5, 2023 (Baltimore): ARMY 78, LOYOLA 55
- Feb. 2, 2022 (Baltimore): ARMY 57, LOYOLA 61
Scouting the Greyhounds
- Loyola Maryland is 6-7 overall and 1-1 in league play. Some key non-league play wins for the Greyhounds include wins over Lancaster Bible, NJIT, VMI, Coppin State and Mount Saint Mary's.
- Head coach Josh Loeffler is in his first season at Loyola and his ninth season overall with a 166-47 overall record. Before his time at Loyola, Loeffler coached at the Div. III level making two Sweet Sixteen appearances.
- Milos Ilic leads the team averaging 14.8 points a game alongside a team-best 8.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He earned the Patriot League Player of the Week award on December 2.
- Jordan Stiemke and Jacob Theodosiou also average double digits for the Greyhounds, with Stiemke averaging 13.3 points and Theodosiou averaging 12 points a game. Braeden Speed also adds 2.8 assists a game.
History with Lehigh
- Army leads the series, 69-48
- Current Streak: Lehigh, 1 win
- Last Army win: Feb. 7, 2024, 68-57
- Last Lehigh win: Feb. 21, 2024, 85-54
- Last Five Meetings: Army leads 3-2
- Feb. 21, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 54, LEHIGH 85
- Feb. 7, 2024 (Bethlehem): ARMY 68, LEHIGH 57
- Feb. 1, 2023 (Bethlehem): ARMY 71, LEHIGH 69
- Dec. 30, 2022 (West Point): ARMY 80, LEHIGH 78
- March 3, 2022 (Bethlehem): ARMY 77, LEHIGH 91
Scouting the Mountain Hawks
- Lehigh currently holds a 6-7 overall record alongside its 1-1 league play record. Key non-league play wins include wins over Valley Forge, Marist, Monmouth, LIU and Neumann.
- Head coach Brett Reed is in his 18th year with the Mountain Hawks, holding a 282-242 overall record. Through his career, Reed has earned two Patriot League championships, alongside two NCAA appearances and one CBI appearance.
- Keith Higgins Jr. leads the way for the Mountain Hawks averaging 17.9 points a game. He also averages a team-best 5.0 rebounds a game.
- Two other Mountain Hawks average double figures, with Tyler Whitney-Sidney averaging 13 points a game and Cam Gillus averaging 10.8 points and a team-best 1.2 steals a game. Ben Knostman averages a team-best 3.7 assists a game.
