WEST POINT - Freshman Kyle Wilson led a season-high five Army players in double figures with 18 points as the Black Knights (5-5) scored a 96-67 win over Maine (3-7) at Christl Arena on Friday. Army improved to 3-0 at home this season and has won seven straight non-conference home games.
Wilson knocked down seven of his nine shots, including a 3-for-5 showing from three-point range. Senior Ella Ellis netted 17 points, including a team-high four three-pointers, while freshman Larry Toomey scored a career-high 11 points. Rookie Kyle Toth and junior Josh Herbeck added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Kevin Ferguson scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds, both career highs, while rookie Tanner Plomb led Army with eight rebounds.
Justin Edwards led Maine with 18 points. Alasdair Fraser grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Army used a 30-6 run to end the first half, breaking open a two-point game. Wilson led all scorers with 13 points, including a three-point play with less than three seconds left in the half. Herbeck also reached double figures in the opening stanza. The Black Knights shot 20-for-32 (.625) in the half, going 10-for-16 both inside and outside the three-point line.
The Black Knights scored the first basket of the second half and quickly opened up a 30-point lead at 58-28. Maine cut the deficit to 25 points on two occasions, but Army scored the next eight points to push their lead to 33 with 16:19 remaining. Maine cut the lead to 29, ending a three-minute, 38-second stretch without a field goal on a dunk by Edwards.
Army answered back to open its largest lead of the half at 80-44, but the Black Bears scored 15 of the next 18 points, including 10 in a row, to get back within 24 at 83-59. That was as close as the score would get, as Army cruised to the 96-67 victory.
Army will take a week off from competition before taking a two-game road swing through Texas, facing Texas A&M on December 29th and Houston Baptist on December 31st.
