USAFA, Colo. - Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights in scoring with 17 points as Army was defeated in the Silver Star game by service academy rival Air Force, 76-58, on Saturday.
GAME SUMMARY
The Black Knights, who had won five of the previous six meetings, outscored the Falcons, 45-31, in the second half but were unable to overcome a 33-point first-half deficit.
Aaron Duhart connected on consecutive 3-pointers to start the second half to jump-start Army's offense. The Black Knights continued to chip away at the deficit with a 14-0 run in four minutes. Trailing 55-23 with 13 minutes remaining, Army reeled off 14 straight points capped by a Matt Dove dunk at the 9:26 mark.
One minute later, Army started another run while holding Air Force scoreless for two minutes. Nine straight points by the Black Knights trimmed the Falcons' lead to 60-46 with six minutes remaining. However, it was the closest Army would get as Air Force followed with a 7-2 run over the next two minutes. Air Force scored the game's first nine points and never looked back en route to building a 33-point first-half lead.
CADETS CAPSULES
• Jalen Rucker scored a team-high 17 points, with 14 coming in the second half. He led the team in steals with a career-high four and grabbed four rebounds.
• Aaron Duhart scored 11 points to be in double figures for the first time this season.
• Caldwell had two steals to move into a tie for seventh place in career steals (117).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Army's 45 points are tied for most scored in the second half (Hartford) this season.
• The Black Knights had a season-high 11 steals.
• Army outscored Air Force in bench points (19-18) and fast-break points (10-8).
COACH'S CORNER (Jimmy Allen)
"They came out ready to go, and we were not. Air Force was comfortable, and we didn't put the d pressure on them that we needed to. Offensively we did a poor job sharing the ball and making them have to defend us.
"On team talk at halftime..."I told them that we need to play with more energy, more passion, more competitiveness, (and) more toughness. I thought we did that in the second half but we are not walking out of here feeling good about anything. What we did in the second half is what we expected to do at the beginning of the game.
"On lessons from the game..."We have to be a lot more mature and handle adversity a lot faster. We didn't respond when we got down. We were impatient (on offense) and didn't share the basketball."
UP NEXT
• Army returns home to host SUNY Purchase on Tuesday, December 7 at 6 p.m.
• Coverage will be provided by the ESPN+ and by the Army Sports Network via the Varsity Sports Network
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