Women’s Basketball Takes Down Pace, Kuester Records First Win

Monday, November 3

West Point, N.Y.

5 p.m.

Army West Point

1-0,0-0Patriot

Pace

0-0,0-0NE10

Pace

Army West Point

Women’s Basketball Takes Down Pace, Kuester Records First Win

November 03, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point women's basketball team opened its 2025-26 campaign with a dominant 86-50 win over Pace on Monday night in Christl Arena, as Katie Kuester picked up her first win as head coach.

Army (1-0) never trailed en route to one of its best offensive games in recent years, as it shot 49.3 percent from the field and scored its most points since it had 87 against Five Towns on Dec. 12, 2023. Kuester is the first Army coach to win her debut since Maggie Dixon during the 2005-06 season.

The Black Knights got scoring from nine players and were led by Taylor Wilson's career-high 20 points on 8-14 shooting. Her eight made baskets are also a career best for the junior forward. Also joining Wilson in double-digit scoring was Reese Ericson (18), Kya Smith (14) and freshman Reganne Reardon (11).

Ericson wasted no time in showing everyone why she is one of the premier shooters in the country as she was 6-9 from distance. The Black Knights made 14 threes, their most since they had 15 against American on Feb. 1 of last season. Wilson was 4-7 from beyond the arc, while four other players made one.

In addition to the strong shooting performance, much of Monday's offense was generated by impressive ball movement. Army had 28 assists on 35 made baskets, which is tied for the second most assists in the Black Knights' Division I history. On Dec. 16, 2017, Army had 29 against St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, while also recording 28 against Colgate during the 2020 season. Brooke Wilson led the passing charge as she had a career-high nine assists. Camryn Tade added six. In total, eight players dished out an assist.

The Black Knights and Setters each shot the ball well in the first quarter, as Army sat at 56.3 percent and Pace at 50.0 percent. It was back and forth for much of the opening 10 minutes, but Army took a 20-16 lead into the second frame. The defense settled down as the first half progressed, as the Black Knights held Pace to 38.5 percent in the second 10 minutes.

Thanks to good shooting from Ericson, Army was able to take a 38-29 lead into halftime. Ericson had nine of her 18 points in the second quarter. In the first 20 minutes of the season, Army shot 51.6 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from distance.

Army looked completely settled in during the third frame as it shot lights out, burying 10-19 shots, including 6-13 3-pointers. The defense also held Pace to 5-13 shooting en route to a 26-12 third quarter. Taylor Wilson had nine of her points in the third on 3-4 shooting from deep.

The dominant play from the third quarter carried into the final frame as Army outscored Pace 22-9 in the fourth. The Setters were 2-8 from the field while the Black Knights were 9-21. Sophomore guard Stella Chartrand scored seven points in the quarter.

Army's defense finished the night holding Pace to 39.6 percent from the field and completely controlled the tempo of the game. The Black Knights also led in points off turnovers (13-7), points in the paint (34-20), fast break points (14-2) and bench points (28-11).

The Black Knights also led the rebounding effort 43-22, while also grabbing 15 offensive rebounds compared Pace's 1. Brooke Wilson led the way with a career-high 10 rebounds and finished the night just one assist shy of a double-double.

Quotable – Head coach Katie Kuester
"From the first call about West Point, it became something I wanted more than anything in my life. A lot of that was just hearing about the culture, the unity and knowing the kind of team we would be able to take over. This place is obviously really, really special, but it's the people. Starting with administration down and all the way down. I say it a lot but I am really lucky to be here.

"I think about our girls. They deserve so much. They work so hard every single day. I have never been around a group that has worked harder than them… I'm just so happy for them, happy for our program and excited to build on it."

Up Next
The Black Knights hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday, as it travels to St. Paul, Minn., to take on St. Thomas at 3 p.m. Live stats and a broadcast can be found at goarmywestpoint.com/wbbstats and goarmywestpoint.com/wbbwatch.

Game 1 Notables
• Taylor Wilson scored a career-high 20 points on 8-14 shooting. Her eight made field goals is also a career best.
• Reese Ericson scored 18 points on 6-9 shooting, with all her attempts coming from distance. It marked the 37^th game of her career with 10-plus points.
• Brooke Wilson nearly recorded a double-double as she had a team-high nine assists and 10 rebounds. Both were also career-highs for the sophomore guard.
• The Black Knights recorded 28 assists on 35 made baskets. That number is tied for the second most assists in the Black Knights' Division I history. On Dec. 16, 2017, Army had 29 against St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, while also recording 28 against Colgate during the 2020 season.
• Freshman Reganne Reardon scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in her collegiate debut. She was 5-9 from the field while also dishing out eight assists.
• Four players scored in double figures for the Black Knights.
• Kya Smith finished the night with 14 points and eight rebounds. She has scored in double figures in 24 games.
• The Army defense held Pace to 39.6 percent from the field.
• The Black Knights led in points off turnovers (13-7), points in the paint (34-20), fast break points (14-2) and bench points (28-11).
• Army won the rebounding battle 43-22, while also grabbing 15 offensive boards.
• With the victory, Army moves to 4-14 all-time against Pace and 1-0 while playing at the Division I level.