WEST POINT, N.Y.-  Freshman Josh Rivera recorded his second career double-double with Lafayette men's hoops in a 53-43 defeat at Army on Saturday at Christl Arena.

Sophomore Justin Vander Baan totaled 13 points and grabbed three rebounds to pace the Leopards. Rivera followed his teammate with his second double-double featuring 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Maroon and White shot a chilly 25.4 percent from the floor and 20 percent from beyond the arc overall.

The Leopards had the advantage of a 5-4 stretch over the opening five minutes of play thanks to Vander Baan and Rivera.

The Black Knights began to pull away with back-to-back 3-pointers at 14:30 and 13:52, kickstarting a 17-0 run that lasted until 8:25 and featured a trio of 3-pointers.

CJ Fulton ended the drought with a jumper at 7:50 to inch closer, trailing 23-10.

Only one bucket found the net from the seven-minute mark to 2:32: a layup by Army's Abe Johnson at 5:43. Jalen Rucker followed it with a jumper for a 27-10 Black Knight lead.

Leo O'Boyle knocked down a shot from beyond the arc at 1:27 to combat the deficit. A Rivera dunk just 30 seconds later shortened the gap to 12, 27-15, at halftime.

Vander Baan opened the second half with a pair of free throws at 19:39, prior to a Fulton layup at 18:54, which set the Leopards less than 10 behind, 27-19.

Army added a Rucker jumper at 17:42 during a period of cold shooting for both teams. The streak was stopped as Vander Baan recorded four points around the 14-minute mark to hold cut the lead to seven, 30-23.

The conference foes fought back and forth down to 8:26, when Rivera and O'Boyle sank 3-pointers for a five-point difference of 38-35 in favor of Army.

The hosts piled on a 9-5 stretch for a 45-38 lead over the next five minutes. Army kept out of reach for the remainder of the contest, 51-40, with a pair of free throws by Ethan Roberts and Rucker at 1:43 and 0:48, respectively.

TJ Berger knocked down a 3-pointer with six seconds left to play for a 53-43 final.

The Leopards host Colgate on Wednesday for the final-regular season contest in Kirby Sports Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.