Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
13-10,7-4Patriot
Holy Cross
11-13,3-8Patriot
Men’s Basketball Completes Regular Season Sweep of Holy Cross
February 05, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (13-10, 7-4) saw its seventh win in Patriot League play on Wednesday as they took down the Holy Cross Crusaders (11-13, 3-8), 68-65.
With the win, the Black Knights have surpassed their win total in league play last season, with the Army finishing the 2023-24 with a total of six wins.
The Black Knights shined in the first half, finishing the half shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 31 percent from the three-point line, scoring 42 points in the first 20 minutes. Army went on to finish the night shooting 40.8 percent from the floor and 25 percent from the three-point line.
Two other areas where the Black Knights excelled were in the turnover battle and the rebounding battle. The Black Knights forced Holy Cross to commit six turnovers, generating 12 points off the Crusaders' turnovers. In rebounding, Army held a 48-39 rebounding advantage with 17 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points.
Senior guard Jalen Rucker led all scorers with 19 points while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor, also adding a team-high five assists and three rebounds.
Sophomore forward Josh Scovens had a strong showing himself, finishing the night with 16 points with a 43.8 shooting percentage. Scovens also added six rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
Ryan Curry added six points and also added a team-high five assists, AJ Allenspach led all players with a game-high 11 rebounds and Blake Barker finished the night with six rebounds, three assists and one block.
How It Happened
After the first two minutes going by with neither team scoring, Ryan Curry scored the first bucket of the night, launching a 17-4 run that lasted until the 13:06 mark of the first half to start the game for the Black Knights.
Josh Scovens hit his first shot of the game with a hook shot. Then Jalen Rucker got it on the scoring action with a layup. Josh Scovens and Ryan Curry each added two more points of their own and Kevin McCarthy finished out the run with a three-pointer. Josh Scovens and Tate Laczkowski each added points in the paint to finish out the run.
The Black Knights then would score 12 points in the next four minutes. During that stretch, Jacen Holloway scored four points, Isaiah Caldwell and Jalen Rucker each added three-pointers and AJ Allenspach scored his first points of the game.
Both teams held each other scoreless for two minutes, then a thunderous dunk from Josh Scovens with the assist from Isaiah Caldwell gave the Black Knights a 31-17 lead with under five minutes left in the first half.
The Crusaders would score on back-to-back three-pointers, but then the Black Knights went on an 11-2 run in just under five minutes to grow their lead.
Josh Scovens started the run with a layup, the Tate Laczkowski was on the receiving end of a lob from Ryan Curry. Jalen Rucker then added five points with a spinning driving lap and a three-pointer with Josh Scovens ending the run he started with a dunk courtesy of a Jalen Rucker assist to give the Black Knights their biggest lead of the first half at 17 points. The Crusaders ended the half with a three-pointer, cutting the lead to an Army 42-28 lead at halftime.
The second half started with three points from Holy Cross, but then Army went on a 14-3 over four minutes, giving them a 56-34 lead with 14 minutes left in the game.
The run was launched by five straight points from AJ Allenspach on a three-point play and a jumper from a Ryan Curry assist. Josh Scovens, Jalen Rucker and Ryan Curry each added a jumper, then Isaiah Caldwell sank a three-pointer to give Army a 22-point lead, their biggest of the game.
Holy Cross then began to make its way back into the game. It first started with a 6-1 run in one minute, which was quickly followed by a 13-0 run to cut the Army lead to five points with under six minutes left to play.
Ryan Curry scored a three-pointer to break the drought and extend the lead back to eight points, but a quick 5-0 run from the Crusaders made it a three-point game with just under five minutes left to play.
Then Jalen Rucker took over for the Black Knights, scoring the team's last seven points in the game. It started with a made free throw, but then a clutch driving layup, step back and pull up helped keep the Crusaders at arm's length, giving Army the win and regular season sweep over the Crusaders.
Up Next
The Black Knights will remain home at Christl Arena on Saturday as they take on the Bucknell Bison for the first time this season.
Army hopes to gain its first win against the Bison since 2022, with Bucknell taking the last four games, most recently a 54-41 win over Army on February 25, 2024.
The game is slated for a 1 p.m. Saturday tip-off, with the matchup streaming on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.
