Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
3-9,0-2Patriot
Holy Cross
8-5,2-0Patriot
Women's Basketball Falls to Holy Cross, Despite Late Push
January 06, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Worcester, MA – The Army West Point women's basketball team (3-8) dropped their conference opener Wednesday night against Lafayette (6-6) by a score of 42-68. Freshman Kya Smith led all scorers with ten points while pulling down seven rebounds of which four were offensive, giving the Black Knights several second-chance scoring opportunities. Six of the nine total scorers for Army were freshmen as this new class continues to grow and gain confidence.
How it Happened
Senior Sam McNaughton opened up the scoring in the first minute to give Army a quick jump. Holy Cross hit their first five of six including two threes to take an eleven-point lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. The two teams would swap baskets and Army would go into the second quarter still trailing eleven.
Action to open up the second quarter had a similar look to the end of the first. Both squads traded buckets until the Crusaders put together small four-point swings to extend their lead to fifteen headed into the break. Sam McNaughton led all Army scorers through the first twenty minutes with eight while shooting 44% from the field.
Army came out ready to play in the third quarter. The Black Knights outscored Holy Cross 13 to nine and outrebounded the Crusaders on the defensive boards. Junior Trinity Hardy recorded a stat in almost every category. She had five points, four rebounds, a steal, and an assist all in the third quarter. Army saw a 12-2 run that cut the Holy Cross lead down to eight.
The Black Knights kept battling through the final ten minutes as Freshman Kya Smith was a force in the post, putting up six fourth-quarter points and shooting a perfect 100% from the free-throw line. Unfortunately for Army time ran out on the comeback and the Crusaders were able to hold onto the lead and the win.
Army's next game will be on the road again as they travel to Loyola to take on the Greyhounds on January 10th at 7:00 PM.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Women's Basketball, follow the Black Knights on:
Twitter: @ArmyWP_WBB
Instagram: @armywp_wbb, and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
