Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Lehigh
Men's Basketball Returns to Christl Arena for Two Straight Games, Hosting Lehigh, Holy Cross
January 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (8-13, 2-6) returns to Christl Arena for two consecutive games, hosting the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks (9-12, 5-3), followed by the Holy Cross Crusaders (8-13, 3-5).
First, Army will take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks for the second time this season on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. ET.
The Black Knights proved victorious in the first match between the two teams this season on Dec. 31, 2025, earning an 85-78 overtime win inside Stabler Arena. Ryan Curry earned his first career double-double in the matchup, finishing the game with a team-high 19 points alongside a career-high 14 rebounds. The Black Knights will aim to sweep Lehigh in the regular season for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
Then, the Black Knights will host the Holy Cross Crusaders on Saturday, Dec. 31, at 1 p.m. ET.
The Crusaders bested the Black Knights in the first matchup this season, taking an 82-75 win inside the Hart Center on Jan. 14. Jaxson Bell led the way in scoring for Army, finishing with 20 points, the second 20+ point performance of his career. He also added eight rebounds and three assists off the bench. It was also a historic night for Ryan Curry, finishing with 14 points, allowing him to reach over 1,000 career points at Army.
For fans who cannot attend either game at Christl Arena on Wednesday or Saturday, both games will stream live on ESPN+ and the Army Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED LAST GAME – Army played in a road battle on Saturday afternoon, ultimately falling to the Navy, 56-84. With the loss, the Black Knights have dropped their last three matchups against the Midshipmen, with their last win coming in the 2024 Star Game presented by USAA. Army earned a 69-67 win in overtime against Navy to secure the Star inside Christl Arena, where the Star Game will be played this season on Feb. 21.
CURRY IN THE KITCHEN – Ryan Curry leads the Black Knights' offense, averaging 14.9 points a game, 4.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds a game. During league play, Curry has averaged 16.9 points a game, finishing six games in double figures. Curry finished with 24 points and eight assists against Boston U and added 19 points, three assists and two rebounds against Loyola. Against Colgate, Curry finished with a game-high 24 points with six made three-pointers. He also added 14 points in the team's matchups against Holy Cross and Bucknell, plus 15 in his most recent appearance against Navy. In Army's win against Lehigh, Curry earned his first career double-double, finishing the game with a team-high 19 points alongside a career-high 14 rebounds. The junior has scored in double digits in 17 games this season and has reached 20+ points in four games, while also adding 5+ assists in 10 games this season.
BELL TOLLING – Sophomore guard Jaxson Bell played a crucial role off the bench for Army this season, now averaging 11.4 points a game, second-most on the team, while only playing 22.7 minutes per game. He scored team-highs with 18 points in Army's overtime win at Bucknell and 20 points at Holy Cross, his second 20+ point performance of his career. Bell also added 14 points in his debut in the Army-Navy rivalry on Saturday. In Army's game against Binghamton, Bell earned a career-high 24 points while tying his career-best with six made field goals and five made three-pointers. Against Lehigh, Bell finished with 12 points, eight coming in overtime. Bell has finished 11 games in double figures and earned a double-double in Army's win at UMBC.
PLEBE PHENOM – Freshman guard Jackson Furman has made an immediate impact for the Black Knights, averaging 10.8 points while averaging 25.0 minutes a game. Furman has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, scoring 14 at Bucknell—including the game-winning three-pointer in overtime—18 at Holy Cross, and 20 points, tying his career-high, at Boston U. He earned his first career double-double in his second career start, scoring 12 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds against Loyola. Against Lehigh, the plebe scored 15 points while earning career-highs in made free throws (7), rebounds (7) and assists (4). The plebe earned a career-high and game-high 20 points against Duke, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 55.5 percent from the three-point line. He also earned 17 points in his first collegiate game against SUNY Maritime.
THE BOOGEYMAN – Sophomore forward Jacen Holloway is currently fourth on the team in scoring efforts for Army, averaging 10.7 points a game while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor. Holloway finished with 17 points in Army's win over Bucknell. In the game before, the sophomore earned a team-high 21 points with a career-high three steals against American. The game marked the second time in his young career that Holloway earned 20+ points in a single game. Holloway finished with 13 points in Army's win against Lehigh, 12 points against Loyola Maryland and 11 points at Holy Cross. On November 18, Holloway had a career performance, earning a career-best 22 points on the road against Cornell. He also added career-highs in field goals made (9) and three-pointers made (2). He has scored in double-digits in 12 games, the second most on the team, only behind Ryan Curry (16).
PAINT PRESENCE – Junior forward Tate Laczkowski, the tallest player on Army's roster, averages a team-best 51.7 shooting percentage, plus adds a team-high 5.6 rebounds a game. Against Holy Cross, Laczkowski grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and added two blocks, matching his career-best. The junior added a team-high seven rebounds at Bucknell, then another seven rebounds and eight points against American. He earned nine rebounds in his first career start versus Maritime, eight rebounds against St. Thomas, seven rebounds at Cornell, plus another eight rebounds each against Marist, Lehigh and Colgate. To open league play at Lehigh, Laczkowski earned a career-high 11 points with eight rebounds and four assists. He matched two career-bests against Colgate, adding 11 points and two blocks.
THE WALLET – A key role player for Army, Kevin McCarthy averages7.5 points a game. The sophomore sharpshooter finished with 16 points on a career-high four made three-pointers against Loyola Maryland. McCarthy also added 12 points, matching his career-high of four made three-pointers. In Army's game against Gallaudet, he matched several career-highs, which encompassed points (18) with field goals made (7), three-pointers made (4) and assists (4). Now, he has scored 4+ three-pointers in six games this season, which also includes Army's matchups between Maritime, St. Thomas and East Texas A&M. He also earned a season-high six rebounds at Cornell. He has finished eight games scoring in double-digits.
JORNADO WARNING – Jorn Everson played a key role off Army's bench last season and now serves as a primary member of Army's lineup and currently averages 8.2 points a game. His most recent double-digit performance was 13 points at Boston U. The senior had a strong showing against Cornell on the road, finishing with a career-best and game-high 24 points, while tying his career-highs in made field goals (8) and three-pointers made (4). He also had a career-high four made free throws. The game marked the second game Everson has scored 20+ points in a single game.
HELD IN HIGH REGARD – Team captain, Jackson Mayo, was named USMA's Deputy Brigade Commander, the second-highest-ranked position in the Corps of Cadets, over the summer. The senior scored a career-high nine points off a career-best three made three-pointers, while also adding career-highs in assists (5) and rebounds (3) against Gallaudet, and serves as a scoring threat off the bench for the Black Knights. Mayo joined the team in his freshman year as a walk-on.
FOR THE YOUNG GUNS – The Black Knights' roster has looked very different compared to last season. Now on the 18-man roster, there are five upperclassmen and 13 underclassmen, with nine sophomores and four freshmen. The new freshmen joining Army include Jackson Furman, Dillon Watt, Dylan Benner and Jahaan Green. Before joining the Academy, Furman, Benner and Green each played a year at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS). Of the returners, only one Army player averaged 10+ minutes last season (Ryan Curry).
History with Lehigh
- The Black Knights lead the series, 71-48
- Current Streak: Army, 1 win
- Last Army win: Dec. 31, 2025, 85-78
- Last Lehigh win: March 1, 2025, 89-67
Scouting the Mountain Hawks
- After dropping its first game in league play to the Black Knights, Lehigh holds a 5-2 record since the first matchup, totaling a 5-3 league play record. The Mountain Hawks have won five of their last six, with wins at home against Holy Cross, Loyola Maryland and Lafayette, plus road wins at Colgate and Boston U.
- Nasir Whitlock leads Lehigh and the Patriot League in points per game, averaging 19.8 every contest. He also averages 3.6 rebounds and a team-high 2.8 assists a game.
- Edouard Benoit is second on the team in scoring with 13.5 points a game, also adding 5.9 rebounds a contest.
- Hank Alvey plays another crucial role for Lehigh, averaging 13.2 points a game and a team-high 7.1 rebounds a game. He also averages 1.7 assists a game.
- Joshua Ingram adds a team-high 1.4 steals a game and rounds out the double-digit scorers, adding 10.8 points a game.
History with Holy Cross
- The Crusaders lead the series, 72-35
- Current Streak: Holy Cross, 1 win
- Last Army win: Feb. 5, 2025, 68-65
- Last Holy Cross win: Jan. 14, 2026, 82-75
Scouting the Crusaders
- Holy Cross is 3-5 through the first month of Patriot League play, with its last win being against the Black Knights. They have dropped three straight games, falling to Lafayette and Navy on the road and, most recently, dropping a home matchup against American.
- Tyler Boston leads the way for the Crusaders, averaging 13.9 points a game while also adding a team-high 2.9 assists a game and 1.2 steals a game.
- Joe Nugent is the second player to average double figures, adding 12.2 points a game and 3.6 rebounds a game.
- Gabe Warren is the third Crusader who averages double figures, adding 10.6 points a game alongside 3.9 rebounds a game. Warren also adds 1.6 assists a game.
- Aiden Disu leads the rebounding efforts with 4.6 rebounds a game while adding 9.0 points a game.
Follow Along
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