Army-Navy Basketball: Doubleheader of both men’s and women’s teams

Both the women’s and men’s team of Army West Point and Navy will face off in their first meeting of the year on Saturday, January 25th. This Army-Navy Basketball doubleheader will take place in Alumni Hall on the campus of the United States Naval Academy.

First, we’ll preview the matchup between the women’s teams.

Ladies First

It’s been a rough road so far this season for both teams. The Midshipmen enter the game with a slightly better record than the Black Knights. Navy is coming off a 46-41 victory over Boston University, which improved their record to 6-12. Army, on the other hand, will be heading to Annapolis after a recent home-loss to Lafayette, dropping them to 5-13 overall on the year.

So, one could say the Midshipmen appear to be the favorites considering they have the better record, the momentum given they were victorious in their last game, and will have the home crowd supporting them in a “White Out” themed home match. However, as with any Army-Navy match, in any sport (except swimming, really), anything can happen.

The Black Knights are led by sophomore guard Alissa Fallon, who averages 13.1 points per game and has played in every game this season. She is supported by her fellow sophomore, forward counter-part Lindsey Scamman. Scammen has also played every game this year, averaging 11.9 points per game, and dominates on the boards, leading her team in rebounds. Fallon and Scamman are the one-two punch that will be the cause for concern for Navy.

The Midshipmen have demonstrated a much more “score-by-committee” approach to start their season. The one player that stands out above the rest is sophomore, Jennifer Coleman. Coleman showed glimpses of brilliance last year as a freshman. She is the only player on the squad to average double-digit points per game with 10.4. Although, Coleman has came off the bench in the majority of the games she’s played. It will be interesting to see if she starts against Army.

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Gentlemen to follow

Following the women’s game, the men will take the court. Army, like the women, are below .500 on the season, with a record of 8-10. Although, the Black Knight have won each of their last three games, suggesting they may be starting to find their rhythm in league play. Navy also enters the game with a 3-game win streak and an 11-7 record. The Navy Midshipmen have had the most exciting year out of these four teams.

Most notably, the Midshipmen were leading against the Virginia Cavaliers with less than 10 minutes left in the second half. Navy kept the game relatively close towards the end of the game before Virginia slowly pulled away.

Army is led by two veteran players who are very familiar to those who are fans of Army Basketball or this rivalry. Tommy Funk and Matt Wilson, both seniors, have been atop the Black Knight basketball program for what seems like forever. Funk and Wilson, are a classic guard and forward/center duo that facilitates an effective pick-and-roll game that is hard to defend.

As for Navy, it’s a young man’s game. The top three scorers for the Midshipmen include two sophomores and one junior. Cam Davis, John Carter Jr., and Greg Summers have started all 18 games for Navy and are the focal points of their teams. These three make Navy multi-dimensional on offense, making it difficult for opposing teams to stop all three players at the same time. Considering this, the Midshipmen appear to have the upper heading into Saturday’s game.