Army pulls away from St. Francis (NY) 79-70

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) Julian Simmons scored 24 points and Ella Ellis had 23 to lead Army past St. Francis (N.Y.) 79-70 on Saturday.

Ellis shot 50 percent (8 of 16) from the field and grabbed nine rebounds while Simmons knocked down 56.3 percent (9 of 16) of his shots. Simmons and Ellis combined to make seven 3-pointers.

Ellis has scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games.

Army (6-8) entered the second half trailing 40-32 before a Simmons layup sparked a 23-13 run. Simmons and Ellis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the run and give Army the lead for good.

The Black Knights shot over 50 percent from the field for the third time this season, making 29 of 55 shots.

Stefan Perunicic and Ben Mockford scored 17 points apiece for St. Francis, but the Terriers (4-9) struggled from the field, hitting just 38.1 percent (24 of 63) of their shots.

Updated December 31, 2011