Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
7-7,1-0Patriot
Lehigh
4-10,0-1Patriot
Men's Basketball Concludes 2025 with Overtime Victory Against Lehigh
December 31, 2025 | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Army West Point men's basketball (7-7, 1-0) ended 2025 extending its win streak and opening Patriot League play with a win, defeating the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks (4-10, 0-1) in overtime, 85-78.
With the win, the Black Knights earn their fourth straight win and have won six of their last seven games. They also finish the month of December 4-1 and are 3-0 in overtime games this season.
Army now leads the head-to-head series with Lehigh 71-48, and has won four straight games inside Stabler Arena, dating back to the 2020-21 season. The game also marks the first time since the 2022-23 season the Black Knights won their conference opener, defeating Lehigh inside Christl Arena 80-78 on Dec. 20, 2022.
Ryan Curry earned his first career double-double on New Year's Eve, finishing the game with a team-high 19 points alongside a career-high 14 rebounds. The junior also added three assists and two steals.
Alongside Curry, five other Black Knights finished the game in double figures, with six standing as the most players in double-digits this season.
Jackson Furman added 15 points and a team-high four assists, Jaxson Bell finished with 12 points, Jacen Holloway scored 13 points, Tate Laczkowski finished with a career-best 11 points alongside eight rebounds plus another four assists and Jorn Everson rounded out the group with 10 points.
How It Happened.
The Black Knights struck first after the opening sequence, as Tate Laczkowski scored on a layup at 19:16 to give Army a 2–0 lead following missed Lehigh free throws.
Ryan Curry followed with a layup of his own, pushing Army ahead 4–2, and the Black Knights continued to attack the paint while cleaning the defensive glass. After Lehigh briefly tied the game, Jorn Everson buried a 3-pointer at the 15:26 mark to extend Army's lead to 9–5.
Army maintained momentum through the middle portion of the half. Kevin McCarthy knocked down a 3-pointer at 12:42 to make it 15–11, then followed his own miss with a putback to stretch the advantage to 17–11. Jaxson Bell's steal helped ignite the run, while Curry and Laczkowski continued to facilitate efficient half-court offense.
Lehigh answered with transition baskets and free throws to close the gap, but Army responded with poise. Everson converted two free throws at 9:42 to give the Black Knights a 21–17 cushion, and moments later Jacen Holloway finished a layup at 7:36 to push the lead to 23–18. Curry added a 3-pointer at 6:31, extending the margin to 26–18, and Laczkowski followed with another finish inside to make it 28–18 with six minutes remaining.
Late in the half, Lehigh chipped away again behind perimeter shooting and second-chance points, trimming the deficit to 28–25 and later 31–28. Army answered in the final minutes as Curry knocked down two free throws at 3:10 to extend the lead to 31–25, and Laczkowski capped the half with a layup at 2:31, giving Army a 33–28 advantage.
Lehigh closed with a late 3-pointer, but Army defended the final possession to take a 33–31 lead into the locker room.
The Black Knights struck first out of the break, as Tate Laczkowski finished inside at 19:38 to extend Army's lead to 35–31. Army continued to control the glass early, but Lehigh responded with a 3-pointer and a dunk to pull ahead 36–35 at the 16:51 mark.
Army answered immediately, as Jackson Furman knocked down two free throws and Ryan Curry converted a steal into a layup, pushing the Black Knights back in front 39–36 with just under 16 minutes remaining.
After Lehigh trimmed the deficit again, Army leaned on interior scoring and ball movement. Jacen Holloway scored consecutive layups at 13:57 and 13:18, restoring a 45–42 Army lead, before Lehigh briefly regained momentum with back-to-back baskets to take a 46–45 edge at the 12-minute mark. Army responded with energy, as Furman buried a 3-pointer at 11:14 to put Army back on top, 48–46.
Midway through the half, Army's defense created opportunities. Jaxson Bell blocked a shot and followed with a layup in transition, then finished another fast-break opportunity off a Furman assist to stretch the lead to 52–46 with 9:31 remaining. Lehigh answered again, tying the game 52–52, but Curry's layup at 7:56 gave Army a 54–52 advantage.
The Black Knights regained momentum from the perimeter as Jorn Everson drilled a 3-pointer at 6:27, followed by another triple from Furman at 5:38, pushing Army's lead to 61–56. Lehigh continued to attack the rim, trimming the margin to 61–60, but Curry's free throw at 4:27 kept Army narrowly in front, 62–60.
In the closing minutes, Lehigh capitalized at the line and from beyond the arc to seize a 67–63 lead with 1:40 remaining. Army answered at the free-throw line through Furman, then Laczkowski finished a layup with 30 seconds left to make it 67–68. Moments later, Laczkowski calmly knocked down a free throw to tie the game at 68–68, and Army secured the final defensive rebound to force overtime.
Army opened overtime with confidence as Jaxson Bell drew a foul and converted both free throws to give the Black Knights a 70–68 lead with 4:50 remaining. Moments later, Ryan Curry forced a turnover, and Bell capitalized in transition with a layup to extend Army's advantage to 72–68 at the 4:39 mark.
Lehigh responded with a layup to cut the deficit to 72–70, but Army remained composed and continued to control the pace of play. Bell again delivered at the foul line, knocking down two free throws to push Army's lead to 74–70 with 2:56 left in overtime.
After Lehigh trimmed the margin to 74–72, Jacen Holloway answered with a strong finish at the rim off an assist from Jackson Furman, restoring a 76–74 Army lead with 1:56 remaining. The Black Knights seized momentum shortly after when Curry drilled a critical 3-pointer at the 1:37 mark, giving Army a 79–74 cushion.
Army continued to execute down the stretch as Holloway added a free throw following a Lehigh foul to make it 80–76 with 46 seconds remaining. Furman then hit a clutch free throw with 35 seconds left to extend the lead to 81–76, helping Army maintain separation.
Bell calmly sealed the outcome by converting two more free throws with 20 seconds remaining to push the lead to 83–76. Furman followed by knocking down two additional free throws with 11 seconds left, extending the advantage to 85–76, as Army closed overtime with disciplined defense and strong rebounding to secure an 85–78 victory.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Ryan Curry led Army with 19 points while adding 14 rebounds for his first career double-double. He also added three assists and two steals in an all-around performance.
- Jackson Furman scored 15 points off the bench and contributed seven rebounds, four assists and one steal.
- Jacen Holloway finished with 13 points, three assists and three rebounds while drawing multiple trips to the free-throw line.
- Jaxson Bell recorded 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, including key free throws in overtime.
- Tate Laczkowski posted 11 points and eight rebounds while adding four assists in the frontcourt.
- Jorn Everson added 10 points on efficient shooting and chipped in three rebounds.
- Army shot 45.6 percent from the field, connecting on 26 of 57 attempts, and made seven 3-pointers on 22 attempts for a 31.8 percent mark from beyond the arc.
- Army converted 26 of 37 free throws, shooting 70.3 percent at the line, including 10 made free throws in overtime.
- The Black Knights held a 46–26 rebounding advantage, a +20 rebounding margin, including 14 offensive rebounds. Army totaled 22 assists on 26 made field goals, showing strong ball movement.
- The Black Knights scored 38 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points.
- Army outscored Lehigh 17–10 in overtime to secure the 85–78 victory.
- With the win, the Black Knights earn their fourth straight win and have won six of their last seven games.
- Army finishes the month of December 4-1 and is 3-0 in overtime games this season.
- Army now leads the head-to-head series with Lehigh 71-48, and has now won four straight games inside Stabler Arena, dating back to the 2020-21 season.
- The game marks the first time since the 2022-23 season the Black Knights won their conference opener, defeating Lehigh inside Christl Arena 80-78 on Dec. 20, 2022.
Up Next
The Black Knights hope to continue their four-game win streak on Saturday, January 3, heading back to Christl Arena for their conference home opener against the Colgate University Raiders.
Army split the regular-season series with the Raiders last season, with both teams winning on their respective home courts. The two teams also faced off in the 2025 Patriot League Tournament, with Army as the sixth seed falling to the Raiders.
The game inside Christl Arena is set to tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. ET, with the game streaming live on ESPN+ and the Army Sports Network.
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.
