Army men's basketball takeaways: Knights roll up triple digits on Keystone
WEST POINT – Jalen Rucker didn’t want to disparage Army’s opponent in the season opener on Monday evening but the Black Knights had way more depth and firepower than Division III Keystone College and posted a 110-65 victory at Christl Arena.
“I thought it was a pretty solid effort for us,’’ said Army head coach Jimmy Allen.
Eighteen Army players saw action and 15 scored. More than half (23) of Army’s 45 field goals had a helping hand. The Black Knights outscored the Giants 62-30 in the paint and 25-6 on second-chance opportunities. Army shot 56.3 percent and hit 14 3-pointers.
“We try to respect every team,’’ Rucker said. “I think in this game we just wanted to stick to our habits, especially on defense. It’s kind of like the fundamentals we’ve been working on all preseason, playing the right way, sharing the ball and making sure everybody gets a touch and get in the best shot for our team.’’
Senior Chris Mann and freshman Ethan Roberts scored 15 points. Rucker tacked on 13 and Isaiah Caldwell added 11.
“I love our team,’’ Mann said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are really talented. … We’ve also got a pretty young team so the future looks good. … I think we'll just keep getting better playing together.’’
Army shot 37.8 percent on an unusually high 37 attempts from beyond the arc and an incredible 72.1 percent inside of it.
“When we're moving the ball like that and going inside-out, it's kind of hard to stop,’’ Rucker said. “So that's how we want to play.’’
Season preview:Experienced Army men's basketball team feeling confident
The 110 points was the most Army has scored since posting 103 in an overtime win over Gardner-Webb in 2015-16.
It was a homecoming of sorts for a local pair. Kingston High School and SUNY Sullivan grad Daivel Jackson made his Keystone debut, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 18. The Giants are coached by Monticello High School and SUNY Fredonia graduate Brad Cooper and a sizable contingent from the Sullivan County village was on hand to celebrate the 2006 grad.
Keystone was led by freshman Javen Flowers-Smith. Throwing caution to the wind, Flowers-Smith attacked from all angles, shot 8-for-23, got to the foul line eight times, scored 23 points, dished six assists and turned the ball over seven times.
Women's basketball:Army uses deep ball to sink Emmanuel in opener
New Division I member Stonehill – located in Easton, Mass. – visits Christl Arena at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Hawks lost to Connecticut 85-54 on Monday and host Quinnipiac on Thursday before facing the cadets.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army men's basketball: Defeat West Keystone College in Patriot League
