Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Lehigh
Men's Basketball to Face Lehigh in Regular Season Finale
February 28, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (16-13, 10-7) returns to Christl Arena for the final game of the regular season on Saturday against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (10-18, 5-12).
Saturday's matchup marks the final game of the regular season, and the second time the two teams will face off this season. Their last matchup dates back to January 11, when the Black Knights earned their first Patriot League win on the road in a 74-69 win.
It will also be Senior Day for the Black Knights, where eight seniors will be honored before the game's start. Those eight seniors include AJ Allenspach, Blake Barker, Luke Benson, Isaiah Caldwell, JT Dougherty, Griff Lamb, Blane St. Clair and Jalen Rucker.
The Saturday afternoon matchup against Lehigh is slated for a 1 p.m. start and will stream on ESPN+ and the Varsity Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: Army fell in a second straight road game, falling to Lafayette, 65-81. The Black Knights finished the game shooting 31.8 percent from the floor and 19.2 percent from the three-point line. On the other side, Lafayette shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from the three-point line. AJ Allenspach led the way for Army with 18 points and a team-best 10 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season.
A CHANCE AT HISTORY: With one more win in Patriot League play, the Black Knights will officially break the record for most wins in league play in program history. The program's record currently sits at ten wins in Patriot League play, which including this season, has happened four times in program history (2013-14, 2019-20, 2022-23, 2024-25).
PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS: With the Patriot League Tournament starting in less than a month, every league game matters more than ever. Currently, the Black Knights are tied for second in the Patriot League standings with Colgate, both teams being two games back from Bucknell and American, who are tied for first place. With a win on Saturday, the Black Knights would host a home game in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
SENIOR DAY FESTIVITIES: It's Senior Day on Saturday, and the Black Knights will be honoring their eight seniors in the program. Those seniors include AJ Allenspach, Blake Barker, Luke Benson, Isaiah Caldwell, JT Dougherty, Griff Lamb, Blane St. Clair and Jalen Rucker.
OFFENSIVE FORCE: The Black Knights still have one of the top offenses in the Patriot League, holding the best scoring offense in the Patriot League (74.0 ppg). The Black Knights also average a league-high in assists every game (14.5 apg).
HANDLE WITH CARE: In terms of turnovers, the Black Knights are among the best in limiting their turnovers and forcing other teams to commit turnovers. Army leads the league in turnover margin (+1.21), least turnovers per game (10.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.41).
PAINT PRESENCE: AJ Allenspach has had a strong senior campaign. In his first year as a starter, Allenspach averages 10.9 points a game and a team-high 7.3 rebounds a game, also good for second in the Patriot League. Allenspach also averages a league-high 70.9 percent shooting percentage. Last game, Allenspach earned his fifth career-high of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Lafayette.
SENIOR STATUS: Jalen Rucker has had a historic senior season. Rucker now sits sixth all-time on Army's scoring list, as well as sits in 30th on the NCAA Div. I active career scoring list (15.6 ppg). Rucker is also second in the league in scoring with 17.5 points a game.
CURRY COOKING: Ryan Curry is first on the team and sixth in the league in assists a game, averaging 3.5 assists per game. He is also third on the team and 13th in the league in points per game, averaging 12.4 points a game.
FAST START: The Black Knights are 14-1 when they take a lead into the locker room. Their only loss when having a lead was at Navy, when they held a 28-26 lead at the half.
History with Lehigh
- Army leads the series, 70-48
- Current Streak: Army, 1 win
- Last Army win: Jan. 11, 2025, 74-69
- Last Lehigh win: Feb. 21, 2024, 85–54
- Last Five Meetings: Army leads, 4-1
- Jan. 11, 2025 (Bethlehem): ARMY 74, LEHIGH 69
- Feb. 21, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 54, LEHIGH 85
- Feb. 7, 2024 (Bethlehem): ARMY 68, LEHIGH 57
- Feb. 1, 2023 (Bethlehem): ARMY 71, LEHIGH 69
- Dec. 30, 2022 (West Point): ARMY 80, LEHIGH 78
Scouting the Mountain Hawks
- Lehigh is 10-18 overall last season, and half a 5-12 record in Patriot League play.
- The Mountain Hawks have suffered three straight losses, those being against Bucknell, Lafayette and Boston U.
- Tyler Whitney-Sydney leads the way with 14.4 points a game and five rebounds a game. Most recently, he is coming off a career-high 32-point performance against Boston U.
- Nasir Whitlock also adds 10.2 points a game and Ben Knostman averages a team-best 2.7 assists a game.
