WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (14-10, 8-4) gained a second straight win in historic fashion on Saturday afternoon, outlasting the Bucknell Bison (11-14, 7-5) in a double-overtime thriller, 116-110.
With 116 points in the game, the Black Knight broke the program record for scoring in a single game, which was once a 113-point performance against Bethany in the 2000-01 season. The game also marked the fifth time in Patriot League history two teams passed the 100-point mark in a single game.
The Black Knights shot a season-high 58.2 percent from the floor as well as a season-best 58.6 percent from the three-point line to help get the win over Bucknell. On the other hand, the Bison finished the game shooting 56.2 percent from the floor, while Army was able to hold Bucknell to 39.2 percent shooting from the three-point line.
Ryan Curry led the way for the with a career-high 30 points in 34 minutes of play. Curry earned his career-high while shooting 76.9 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from the three-point line.
Jalen Rucker finished right behind Curry with 25 points, while adding a team-high four steals plus two assists. Josh Scovens also shined with 23 points while adding a team-high six assists and five rebounds, all while shooting 85.7 percent from the floor and a perfect 100 percent from behind the arch with four three-pointers made.
AJ Allenspach also had a strong showing, adding 13 points, a team-high seven rebounds and five assists. Kevin McCarthy also added nine points off the bench in the first half.
How It Happened
The Black Knights took control of the game early in the first half, starting the game on a 15-4 to take a double-digit lead in the first four and a half minutes.
Scoring started with a Ryan Curry jumper, with Josh Scovens adding his first three-pointer of the game. Ryan Curryadded his first three-pointer, then AJ Allenspach scored on a layup and Jalen Rucker added a step back. Curry capped off the run with another three-pointer to finish off the run.
Over the next eight minutes, Bucknell gained a slight scoring edge, but only outscored Army 16-15, allowing Army to keep a 30-20 lead. In the stretch, Jalen Rucker led Army with four points and Kevin McCarthy hit his first three-pointer of the game, plus AJ Allenspach, Blake Barker, Josh Scovens and Isaiah Caldwell each added two points.
Bucknell would cut into Army lead from the six-minute mark to the two-minute mark of the first half, going on a 16-7 run, making it a one-point game with two minutes left. Then the Black Knights went on a quick 9-4 spurt to take control heading into the locker room. Jalen Rucker would hit a three, then Kevin McCarthy hit two three-pointers back-to-back to help Army take a 46-40 lead into the locker room.
The Black Knights and Bison held each other steady at the start of the second half, both teams scoring 10 points in the first four minutes. Bucknell would then go on a 9-6 run to cut Army's lead to three points. They followed with a 7-0 run, giving Bucknell its first lead of the game at 66-62 with 12 minutes left in the second half.
Army took back control in the next two minutes, outscoring the Bison 12-2. The run game courtesy of two three-pointers from Jorn Everson, plus three-pointers from Jalen Rucker and Josh Scovens, giving Army the lead back and a six-point advantage.
Bucknell would cut the lead back to one point, then the Black Knights went on a 13-1 run to build an 87-74 lead with 3:16 left. The run was spearheaded by four points from Jalen Rucker, a three-pointer from Josh Scovens and two points each from Isaiah Caldwell, Ryan Curry and AJ Allenspach.
But at the end of regulation, the Bison came roaring back, ending regulation on a 13-0 run to send the game to overtime.
In the first overtime, the two teams exchanged buckets back and forth, with neither team gaining an edge over the other. Ryan Curry led Army in the first overtime with six points, with Jalen Rucker adding four and AJ Allenspach.
In the second overtime, Bucknell stroked first with a three-pointer, but Ryan Curry responded with a three-pointer of his own. Bucknell would score three more points but then Army outscored Bucknell 8-0 over two minutes to help clinch the game.
Jalen Rucker would hit a driving layup to cut the game to one point, then off a heads-up steal from Isaiah Caldwell, Ryan Curry hit a driving layup to give Army the lead back. Then the foul game began, with Ryan Curry being victim first and hitting both free throws, then Josh Scovens hit two free throws of his own to make it a five-point game.
Bucknell would get possession of the ball three more times and score, but fouled Army on each possession, allowing Ryan Curry to sink four clutch free throws and Scovens to hit two more. Ryan Curry finished the two overtime periods with 17 points, helping the Black Knights survive and gain with win over Bucknell.
Up Next
The Black Knights will hit the road for four of their next five games, first starting with two games in Maryland, first heading to Baltimore to take on Loyola Maryland.
In the first matchup against Loyola Maryland on January 8, the Black Knights earned a 74-72 win led by 26 points from Jalen Rucker to help gain their first win in Patriot League play.
The game is slated for a 7 p.m. Wednesday tip-off, with the matchup streaming on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.
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