Advertisement
football Edit

Army loses to Delaware 89-74

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army sophomore Kevin Ferguson posted his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and classmate Dylan Cox matched his career high with 14 points, but a 23-5 second-half run spurred Delaware (2-2) to a 89-74 victory over the Black Knights (1-3) Tuesday night at Christl Arena. Ferguson also blocked four shots to move into sixth place on Army's all-time list (48).
 
Advertisement
Army was down by double figures in the first half, but trimmed their deficit to eight at intermission. The Black Knights scored five of the first seven points of the second half to pull within five, but the Blue Hens quickly struck back with their decisive run over the next six minutes, 22 seconds. Army suffered a three-minute, 29-second field goal drought during that span.
 
Cox, Ferguson and Kyle Wilson each scored 14 points. Both Ferguson's point and rebound totals were career highs. Wilson has scored in double figures in each of Army's first four games. Plebe Tanner Omlid chipped in 11 points and three steals. Sophomore Larry Toomey dished out a team-high three assists.
 
Army struggled all game from three-point range, connecting on just two of their 21 attempts (.095). Freshman Scott Mammel, snapped Army's 0-for-15 start from behind the arc with his first career triple. He finished with a career-high six points.  The Black Knights were 27-for-43 (.628) from inside the three-point line, finishing at 45.3 percent overall.
 
All five Delaware starters scored in double figures, led by Jarvis Threatt's game-high 21 points. He just missed a double-double with a game-high eight assists. Davon Usher and Kyle Anderson each scored 16, while Carl Baptiste and Marvin King-Davis tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively. King-Davis grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
 
The Blue Hens held a 44-35 rebounding advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds that turned into 20 second-chance points. Delaware shot 47.3 percent for the game.
 
Delaware scored on the game's opening possession, but the Black Knights reeled off six straight points, capped by a basket by Wilson with 18:08 left in the first half. The Blue Hens were able to recover and score the next seven points as the Black Knights missed seven straight shots.
 
After a putback by Ferguson pulled Army within one at 9-8 with 13:29 to go, Delaware scored went on a 20-11 spurt to claim its largest lead of the period at 29-17 with 7:17 to go. Threatt scored eight points during the run, and the Blue Hens knocked down all five of their first-half three-pointers in that stretch.
 
Delaware led by 11 when Mammel scored his first career points, converting a three-point play with 4:38 left. UD pushed its edge back to 10 points, but the Black Knights were able to close within six on two occasions. Threatt converted an offensive rebound off his own miss in the closing seconds to make it 38-30, and Army's 12th straight missed three ended the half.
 
The Black Knights outshot the Blue Hens in the first half, 41.2 percent to 38.9 percent, but Army went 0-for-12 from distance, while Delaware grabbed 10 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second-chance points.
 
Army started the second half on a high note when Cox converted a three-point play on the opening possession to pull the Black Knights within five. The two teams then traded baskets before the Blue Hens went on their decisive run.
 
Back-to-back baskets by Cox trimmed the deficit to 19 points, but the Blue Hens scored 11 of the next 15 points to take a 74-48 lead, their largest of the game. The run was capped by an Anderson three-pointer with 9:15 to go. Army was able to close the gap to 15, the final margin.
 
Army heads back out on the road for a Sunday matinee at Notre Dame. Tip-off at the Joyce Center in South Bend is set for 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live online by ESPN3.
 
Game Notes: Dylan Cox made his team-leading 35th consecutive start … Army went with an all-sophomore starting five … Matt Gramling made his first career start … Larry Toomey also made his season debut in the starting lineup … Toomey started 16 games as a plebe … Tuesday's game was the first meeting between Army and Delaware since Dec. 8, 1987 and the Blue Hens' first trip to West Point since Dec. 5, 1984 … Army's two three-pointers were its fewest since making two in the first game against Navy last season … the Black Knights' 21 three-point attempts were a season low … Ferguson has blocked four shots in three of Army's first four games … Army is making its first trip to Notre Dame since the 2006-07 season.
** GoBlackKnights.com presents the Army team store where you can buy jerseys, hats, hoodies, t-shirts, jackets, and more, which make great Holiday gifts. CLICK HERE to start your shopping. **
Advertisement