ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Army West Point men's basketball team rallied past Navy with a second half comeback to win 71-68 at Alumni Hall.
The Black Knights rallied from 25-points down with 13 minutes remaining to register a 71-68 victory over their archrival. The outcome handed Army its first Star Game win in three tries and brings the Alumni Trophy back to West Point. The Cadets finished the regular season 2-1 against their service-academy foes including a 79-71 triumph over Air Force back on Dec. 7.
The impressive win ties for the largest comeback in NCAA Division I play this year. Nevada also rallied from 25 points down to beat North Mexico on Jan. 9. It was also the largest comeback in the Army-Navy Game series history.
With Navy's lead up to a game-high 25 points, senior Mac Hoffman sparked a quick 6-0 run for Army with 12:40 remaining following a jumper to make it a 54-35 ballgame. The Mids then saw Tom Lacey hit a jumper with nine minutes to play but Army answered with another 27-6 rally to knot the score at 62-62. That last run closed out Army's 33-8 overall rally from 12:40 to 2:38. During that stretch the Cadets drained five 3-pointers, including two very important ones back-to-back from Jordan Fox. Army also made 12 straight field goals at one point during the epic comeback.
Navy quickly broke the tie with a trey of their own but a 7-2 run from the Black Knights handed the visitors their first lead since the 12:17 mark of the opening period. That small rally was highlighted by another make from downtown by Fox with 19 ticks on the clock.
Strong defense by the Cadets in the final 10 seconds then secured them their fifth win in Patriot League play. Army shifts to 11-17 overall, while Navy falls to 15-13.
Fox earned his fifth career 20-plus point outing with a game-high 22 points. The sophomore finished 8-of-15 from the floor, 5-of-9 from downtown and 1-of-3 at the free throw line. His five treys were a career best. The Jackson County, Ky., native also led all players with seven assists and two steals.
Joining him in double-digit scoring was rookie Tommy Funk and Hoffman, who posted 14 and 11 points, respectively. Hoffman notched his second career double-double after adding a game-high 10 rebounds.
HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
- Army finished the contest shooting 48 percent (24-of-50) from the floor and 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from behind-the-arc. The Black Knights also converted on 13-of-20 shots from the free throw line for 65 percent shooting.
- Navy went 42.4 percent (28-of-66), 17.6 percent (3-of-17), and 64.3 percent (9-of-14), respectively.
- The Black Knights shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half alone.
- After scoring just 29 points in the opening 27 minutes, Army rallied for 42 points over the course of the final 12:51 of the game.
- Navy scored 44 points from inside the paint compared to Army's 28 points. The Mids also held the edge on points off turnovers at 20-15.
- Both teams recorded nine second-chance points, but the Black Knights notched nine points to the Mids' two on fast break opportunities.
- Navy slightly outrebounded Army 37-35 and held the 17-11 edge on the offensive glass.
- Army committed 18 turnovers, including 13 in the opening period.
- Army's bench outscored Navy's, 15-11.
- Hoffman went a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, while Funk matched his career high from long range with three treys.
- Funk also finished 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and handed out six helpers to go along with his two steals.
- Army led for just 2:24 in the game. Navy was in front for 36:02. The game was tied for 1:34.
- There were four tie scores and five lead changes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was a tie ballgame at 13-13 with 10:23 left in the opening period.
- Navy then closed out the half on a 20-11 run to take a nine-point lead into the break.
- The Mids continued that strong play with 10 straight to kick off the second half, extending their lead to double digits.
- A few minutes later, Navy had built a game-high 25-point lead following a layup from Bryce Dulin with 12:51 remaining.
- Army responded though with six-consecutive points which jump-started a 33-8 overall run to knot the score at 62-62.
- The Black Knights then closed out the comeback by ultimately hitting a key 3-pointer with 19 ticks left. That bucket handed the Cadets a 69-67 edge.