Patriot League Review: Army, BU, American Stay Perfect

The Black Knights of the Hudson have been an absolute force in the Patriot League this year, putting up ridiculous point totals and winning in a bunch of different ways. On Wednesday, they figured they would make it entertaining and managed to do so in hanging on to beat Lehigh on the road.

Kyle Wilson missed 1-of-2 from the free throw line with 24 seconds to play and a two-point lead, giving Lehigh the chance to tie the game on the following possession. Corey Schaefer elected to go the full-length of the court for two points, extending the game an extra few possessions. Wilson would make his next two foul shots, then Mackey McKnight made two of his own, followed by two more from Wilson to set up a game-tying opportunity for Lehigh. McKnight came up just short, however, and Army held on for the win.

Wilson finished with a game-high 23 and was supported by 14 points, six rebounds and six assists from Tanner Plomb. McKnight's 19 led a group of five Mountain Hawks to score in double figures.

Tony Wroblicky saw his reign of terror come to an end, but only a little bit. The American big man recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block as the Eagles cruised to a win over Loyola at home. Kyle Kager and Jesse Reed each added 16 while Darius Gardner had 11.

For the second straight game, American passed their opponents into submission. The Eagles recorded 21 assists on 25 made field goals, good for an 84 percent assist ratio.

Dylon Cormier had a rough night, connecting on just 3-of-13 shots and coming up empty from behind the three point arc, resulting in just 13 points for the league's leading scorer.

It hasn't been a fun year in the Patriot League for Colgate. The Raiders lost their third consecutive conference game despite a strong effort from Austin Tillotson. The Colgate guard made 7-of-10 from the field and finished with a game-high 20 points to go with six assists.

Holy Cross, however, got contributions from everyone on its roster in the form of six double-digit scorers. Dave Dudzinski finished with 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the way, while Justin Burrell (13), Malcolm Miller (11), Eric Green (10), Cullen Hamilton (10), and Anthony Thompson (10) each chipped in. If there was a negative, it was the play of Malachi Alexander. The freshman scored just a single point and has failed to find any semblance of form in conference play.

Other Patriot League Action

• Bucknell topped Lafayette, 96-86, on Wednesday night behind another strong offensive effort from Chris Haas. The Bison guard is averaging 21.6 points per game in conference and had been a bright spot in both games prior to this one. He got some help Wednesday as Cameron Ayers (18 points) and Ben Brackney (25 points) each had huge offensive games. Lafayette drops to 0-3, sharing the bottom of the league with Colgate.
• Navy's lone Patriot League win is over Lafayette, which doesn't bode well for the Leopards when they face Boston University. The Terriers blew out the Midshipmen in the lone game on Tuesday. Read all about that debacle in my recap from press row.

Patriot League Standings