Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
5-7,0-0Patriot
UMBC
6-5,0-0America East
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 36 | 27 | 63 |
| UMBC | 30 | 30 | 60 |
Men's Basketball Retrieves Gritty, Defensive Road Win at UMBC
December 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE — Army West Point men's basketball (5-7) earned its second straight win, their fourth win in five games on Friday, knocking off the UMBC Retrievers (6-5), 63-60.
The game marked the second meeting of these two programs. The two programs first met on Dec. 1, 2017, with Army getting the 81-70 win against the Retrievers at the Papa John's Bulldog Bash in Charleston, South Carolina. Now, Army's record sits at 2-0 against UMBC.
In a game hallmarked by gritty defense, the Black Knights finished the game with three players scoring in double digits. Jaxson Bell finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, his first career double-double. Jacen Holloway matched Bell with 12 and Jorn Everson added 11 points.
How It Happened.
The Black Knights got out to a quick start, converting on their first possession with a three-pointer from Kevin McCarthy from a pass from Jorn Everson. Jacen Holloway added a layup to give Army a quick 5-0 lead.
UMBC responded with seven straight points to gain a 5-7 lead, then Tate Laczkowski added his first bucket of the game to tie the game back up. The Retrievers added another two buckets to make in a 7-11 deficit at 15:24.
Over the next two minutes, the Black Knights would outscore UMBC 8-3 to take a 15-14 lead with 12:05 left on the clock in the first half.
During the run, Jorn Everson led Army with four points, with Jacen Holloway and Joshua Eli each adding two points each.
The Black Knights extended the run over the next three and a half minutes, outpacing the Retrievers 13-3 to take a 28-17 lead with 7:06 left on the clock.
Jacen Holloway started the run with a layup, then Jackson Furman and Ryan Curry hit back-to-back three-pointers. Joshua Eli added another two points and Jaxson Bell hit a three-pointer to cap the run.
The two teams went scoreless for two minutes, then UMBC outscored Army 7-4 to cut into the lead. During the stretch, Jorn Everson and Jaxson Bell each added two points.
The Black Knights responded with a small 4-0 spurt to bring the lead back to double-digits, with Jacen Holloway adding another two points to give himself eight points in the first half, and Jaxson Bell hit a pair of free throws.
The Retrievers then responded with a run of their own, outscoring Army 6-0 in the final two minutes of the first half. The Black Knights still took the lead into the locker room, finished the half with a 36-30 advantage.
Heading out of the locker room, the Black Knights and the Retrievers kept the scoring small, with the two teams combining for seven total points in four minutes.
Jorn Everson scored all five of Army's points during that stretch, adding one jumper and one three-pointer.
Over the next four minutes, the Retrievers continued to chip away at Army's lead, cutting the lead to 45-42 with 12:21 left to play. During the four-minute stretch, Jacen Holloway added two points from the free throw line, and Tate Laczkowski added a putback layup.
After a media timeout, the Black Knights came out swinging, outscoring UMBC 13-5, including an 11-0 run, to take a 58-47 lead with 6:47 left to play.
Jackson Furman, the Maryland native, led the scoring efforts during the span with six points, both coming from behind the arc. Ryan Curry converted the three-point play, and Jacen Holloway and Jaxson Bell each added another two points.
The Retrievers cut back into Army's lead with a 7-0 run in under 90 seconds, but Jaxson Bell stopped the bleeding with two made free throws to make it a 60-54 lead with under four minutes left to play.
Both teams were held scoreless for the first two minutes of the final four minutes to play, until UMBC earned five straight points to make it a 60-59 game down the final stretch with 1:47 left to play.
Then it became a battle at the free-throw line, where the Black Knights continued to win. Jaxson Bell and Ryan Curry both hit crucial free throws down the stretch, then UMBC came up short on their final possession, giving Army the 63-60 road win.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Jacen Holloway finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, added four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 34 minutes.
- Jaxson Bell scored 12 points off the bench, went 7-of-8 at the free-throw line and led the team with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double in 30 minutes.
- Jorn Everson contributed 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including one three-pointer, and added three assists.
- Jackson Furman chipped in nine points, knocking down three three-pointers, while also recording six rebounds and two assists.
- Ryan Curry totaled eight points, four rebounds and three assists while shooting 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
- Army shot 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the field and 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from three-point range.
- The Black Knights went 16-of-20 (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line, while UMBC shot just 37.5 percent (6-of-16)
- Army outrebounded UMBC 43–37, including a 10–8 edge in offensive rebounds.
- Army scored 25 bench points and 11 points off turnovers while holding UMBC to 60 points in a three-point road victory.
Up Next
The Black Knights return to Christl Arena on December 23 for their final nonconference game of the 2025-26 regular season, hosting the Binghamton University Bearcats.
Army currently holds a 9-6 advantage in the series history between the two teams, but the Bearcats have bested the Black Knights in the past three games. Binghamton most recently earned a 78-68 win over the Black Knights last season inside Christl Arena on Dec. 22, 2024.
The Black Knights hope to snap their losing streak against the Bearcats on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 12 p.m. ET, with the game also streaming live on ESPN+.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point men's basketball, follow the Black Knights on X and Instagram at @ArmyWP_MBB and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
