Men's basketball: Army makes plays down stretch to beat Lafayette, keep division lead

WEST POINT – Coach Jimmy Allen says Army is going to have to find ways to win basketball games when the offense is struggling.

A 60-56 win over Lafayette at Christl Arena on Saturday proved just that.

The Black Knights struggled against Lafayette’s switching defenses, shot just 37 percent, missed 20 shot attempts beyond the 3-point arc and gave up 20 points to the Leopards off 14 turnovers. Still, Army held Lafayette to under 60 points for the sixth time this season and made critical plays in the closing minutes to secure the win and stay atop the Patriot League standings heading into the final month of play.

Army (13-9 overall) and Navy (14-7) are each 7-3 and Loyola (12-8) is 6-3. Lafayette fell to 5-13, 2-5.

“I think winning basketball games when you don't play great is a sign of a mature basketball team or a team that's maturing, a team that has a chance to have success down the stretch,’’ Allen said.

“I think (a win like this) just helps the confidence of our guys. It continues to show that our basketball program is moving in the right direction and I think our guys believe that they can compete for a championship.’’

The lead changed hands 15 times, including six times in the final eight minutes. A Tyrone Perry shot from in the lane staked Lafayette to a 56-53 lead with 2:54 left. Army’s Chris Mann scored on a tough layup 30 seconds later off an unselfish dish by Charlie Peterson.

Aaron Duhart thought of passing the ball on a break but at the last moment he finished his drive through the lane for a 57-56 lead with 46 seconds remaining.

“I try to appreciate everything, every moment out on the court,’’ said Duhart, who has battled through three serious injuries in the recent four years. “Coach said after the game, ‘Just remember to smell the popcorn, just enjoy being out there playing’ and so being able to make plays at the end of the game is just a bonus on top of it all.’’

Lafayette missed its final four shots and Jon Brantley had a costly turnover with 24 seconds remaining. Duhart was fouled immediately on the inbounds and sank two foul shots to finish with a team-high 18 points. Two potential game-tying 3-pointers from the top of the key went awry, Josh Caldwell rebounded the second miss, was fouled and hit a foul shot with two seconds left.

Army avoided losing consecutive Patriot games for the first time.

“That definitely means a lot to us,’’ said Jalen Rucker, who scored 14 points. “This is a big statement game for us: We lost to Lafayette a couple weeks ago, a game we thought we should have won.’’

This was Army’s first win in six games when it scored 60 points or fewer. The Black Knights moved to 9-1 at home, including all five league contests.

Duhart and Rucker both hit four 3-pointers. Mann and Isaiah Caldwell each tallied eight points.

“Aaron is a guy that we've really pushed to try and be more aggressive offensively,’’ Allen said. “He's a guy that's so talented but he also really defers to his teammates a lot and we want him to be aggressive.’’

Neal Quinn scored 16 points and Brantley added 15 off the bench for the Leopards, who were outrebounded 45-33.

Army travels to Loyola (Md.) for a Wednesday game. Like Army, Loyola is strong on its home floor of Reitz Arena with the Greyhounds winning eight of nine. Army beat Loyola, 77-74 in overtime, on New Year’s Day.

“We have to continue to improve in every area of the game,’’ Allen said. “I don't think there's one area that really sticks out for us. I think we're a capable defensive basketball team. We have to make sure we stay consistent. I think part of that goes to use our depth – I think when we play a lot of guys, we're good defensive basketball team – and then we got to take care of the basketball offensively … I thought we struggled to do that today.’’

kmcmillan@th-record.com

Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army beats Lafayette to maintain first place in Patriot League