Army men's basketball erases 21-point deficit, beats Elon in CBI tourney opener
In Greek mythology, it's the Phoenix that rises from the ashes to new life.
The same can be said for Army men's basketball in its College Basketball Invitational opening-round matchup with the Elon Phoenix in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Down 21 points (51-30) only three minutes into the second half, Army went on a 29-8 scoring run over the next seven minutes and seized the lead for good with six minutes remaining on the way to an 83-78 victory
By virtue of the win, Army (17-15) assures itself a winning season in coach Kevin Kuwik's second year on the job. The Black Knights advance to the round of 16 and a Monday 2 p.m. meeting with Florida Gulf Coast. (18-14) — the Eagles last played March 3, losing to Queens in the Atlantic Sun quarterfinals. The game is available on subscription FloCollege.com.
Jalen Rucker showed why he is an NABC district first-team all-star. The senior hit a trio of 3-point buckets, a trio of twos and 12 of 15 free throws for 27 points, to go with six assists and two steals. Jon Everson came off the bench to score 22 points (fueling a 62-11 edge on bench points), aided by four threes, and Ryan Curry had 14 points. Army won despite shooting only 37 percent, a number boosted by a 15-for-31 effort after the break.
Elon got 23 points from Sam Sherry, 20 from Isaac Harrell and 18 from Andrew King. The Phoenix shot 48 percent and hit nine threes (six from Harrell). Elon won the paint battle, 32-22, but was outscored 16-10 on fast breaks and 21-13 on second-chance opportunities.
Jimmy Allen posted a 17-16 record in his seventh and final season as head coach in 2022-23. The previous winning mark was 19-14 in Zach Spiker's seventh and final season in 2015-16.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army beats Elon in 2025 CBI tourney opener
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