Air Force 68, The Citadel 55
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Air Force's Max Yon scored a team-high 16 points and led 10 players in scoring as the Falcons completed a 68-55 victory over The Citadel in the consolation game of the All-Military Classic on Saturday afternoon.
Yon, who converted 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point range, was joined in scoring in the well-balanced Falcons lineup by Justin Hammonds (nine) and Hayden Graham (nine). Collectively, Air Force hit 24-of-43 from the floor and 9-of-20 from beyond the arc.
One of the keys to Air Force's success was the ability to control the glass as it edged The Citadel 34-22 in total rebounds. The biggest disparity came on the defensive boards where the Falcons (1-1) held a 22-9 advantage, due in large part to Mark Olesinski (five defensive rebounds) and Hammonds (four).
The primary source of offense for The Citadel (0-2) was the backcourt tandem of Marshall Harris III and Ashton Moore who finished with 16 and 10 points, respectively. Harris rebounded from a scoreless season opener to hit 6-of-10 from the floor, including three from long distance, and lead the team in scoring for the fourth time in his Bulldog career.
The Cadets also got a solid offensive showing from reserve C.J. Bray, who contributed eight points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. The Citadel finished the game 21-of-51 from the floor, hitting four 3-pointers in the process, but managed to convert only 9-of-19 at the charity stripe.
Entering the second half with a five-point lead, Air Force used eight points from Kamryn Williams and three each from Yon and Graham to extend its lead to 45-32 with 13:32 on the clock.
Harris energized The Citadel offense with a three-point play, converting a layup and a free throw following a foul by Matt Mooney, as the Dogs pulled within 10. However, a quick 6-0 run by the Falcons, which included a series of layups by Yon and Olesinski, made for a 51-37 contest with just under 10 minutes left.
The Citadel offense began chipping away at the double-digit deficit with a layup from P.J. Horgan and a series of scores by Bray. The Bulldogs capitalized on five points from Harris and three from Moore during a 4:28 stretch of the second half as they cut the deficit to 61-54. However, scoring just one point over the final 1:43 of the contest allowed Air Force to register consecutive wins for the first time in the in the all-time series.
After a sluggish first half start by The Citadel allowed Air Force to establish a 27-12 lead, the Bulldogs combined their aggressive defense with the sharpshooting skills of Harris to close out the final 5:01 of the half on a 12-2 run.
The Citadel returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19 when it hosts Toccoa Falls in the home opener at McAlister Field House.
Army 92, VMI 86
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The VMI Keydets rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to take a six-point lead with four minutes to go, but the Army Black Knights finished the game on a 15-3 run and went on to win the All-Military Classic, 92-86, Saturday night at Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y.
After Maxwell Lenox had scored to cut Army’s (2-0) deficit to four, the Keydets (1-1) committed a turnover on the ensuing possession. Army’s Kyle Wilson, the tournament MVP, then had a three-point play to make it a one-point game. Army took the lead on its next possession and the score was tied just once the rest of the way as the Black Knights won the tournament title for the first time.
Julian Eleby led the way for the Keydets, finishing with a career-high 20 points, while QJ Peterson chipped in 19. Phillip Anglade notched 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting and added seven rebounds, while Army was led by Wilson’s 19 points. Tanner Plomb added 18 for the victorious Black Knights, who had four players in double figures.
Army jumped ahead early in front of its home crowd, going up 9-2 in the opening minutes, but the Keydets immediately answered with a 17-5 run that Anglade capped with a basket at the 14:47 mark. That gave VMI a 19-14 edge, a lead that grew to as many as six in the first half. Army did not lead again until a basket by Plomb with 7:38 on the clock, a hoop that gave them a 34-33 lead.
That basket set up several minutes of back and forth action that saw neither team lead by more than four until Fred Iruafemi scored his first collegiate basket with 1:44 remaining in the half. That gave VMI a six point lead, 51-45, but the home team scored the seven of the last nine points of the half to cut the Keydets’ halftime lead to one, 53-52.
The Keydets forced 12 turnovers in the first half, when they were led by Eleby’s 11 points, but it was the Black Knights who were electric to start the second half. A 19-4 run gave Army its biggest lead of the night, 71-57, with 13:53 to play.
VMI’s defense then fueled a massive comeback, limiting the home team to just one field goal over the next seven-plus minutes. The Keydet offense, meanwhile, launched a 20-4 run that culminated with a Trey Chapman basket with 6:40 left, giving the visitors a 77-75 lead.
Army would score the next time down the floor, tying the game, but a 6-0 run gave the Keydets the lead with 4:16 left, 83-77. Lenox then scored with 4:05 left, setting up the final dramatic stretch, but the game was very much in doubt until the final seconds.
Jordan Weethee tied the score with a three-point play in traffic with 90 seconds remaining, but after Plomb made a contested jumper and the Keydets missed two free throws, Dylan Cox made a driving layup to cap Army’s run. Wilson sealed the win with two free throws with 14 seconds left, accounting for the final margin.
Army finished the night 36 of 65 from the floor, but was held to 5 of 19 from distance one night after hitting over 50 percent from long range. The Keydets held the Black Knights without a three-point field goal in the second half and forced 18 turnovers for the contest.
VMI, meanwhile, was 33 of 75 from the floor and 9 of 24 from long range. The major difference came at the line, where Army was 15 of 29 and the Keydets went 11 of 15.
In addition to Wilson and Plomb, Peterson, Max Yon of Air Force and Ashton Moore of The Citadel were named to the All-Tournament Team.
VMI basketball will return to action Tuesday, taking on Johnson University in the team’s home opener at Cameron Hall. Game time is set for 7 p.m.