Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
11-17,5-10Patriot
Loyola Maryland
11-17,7-8Patriot
Men’s Basketball Wins Road Battle in Baltimore, Defeating Loyola Maryland
February 18, 2026 | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE — Army West Point men's basketball (11-17, 5-10) got back in the win column on Wednesday night, defeating the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (11-17, 7-8) inside Reitz Arena, 87-77.
With the win, the Black Knights split the regular season series with the Greyhounds and have now won two straight games inside Reitz Arena, dating back to last season when Army earned a 64-60 victory over the Greyhounds. They have also won two games in the city of Baltimore this season, earning a 63-60 win over the UMBC Retrievers on Dec. 12, 2025.
The Black Knights saw an offensive barrage, with five cadet-athletes scoring in double figures. Ryan Curry and Jacen Holloway led the way for Army, each scoring 17 points.
Jaxson Bell finished with 14 points, Kevin McCarthy added 12 points and Jackson Forman added 12 points off the bench for the Black Knights.
How It Happened
Loyola struck first on Emmett Adair's layup, but Army quickly answered and delivered the first decisive stretch of the game. Ryan Curry tied it with a jumper, then scored again on a driving layup after a Loyola turnover. Kevin McCarthy added a layup off an assist from Tate Laczkowski, and Curry capped the burst with a fast-break 3-pointer to give the Black Knights an 11-4 lead with 15:56 remaining. Army's defense fueled the run, forcing misses on four straight Loyola possessions while controlling the defensive glass.
After a brief scoreless stretch, Army extended the margin with second-chance points. Jackson Furman converted a putback layup after two offensive rebounds, and McCarthy later knocked down a 3-pointer off a Jacen Holloway assist to push the lead to 16-4. McCarthy followed with another layup, finishing a 14-0 Army surge that gave the Black Knights their largest lead of the half at 18-4.
Loyola responded midway through the period, cutting the deficit to 20-10 behind a dunk by Jordan Stiemke and a fast-break layup by Jacob Theodosiou. Army halted the momentum when Holloway scored inside off a Laczkowski assist, then Furman buried a 3-pointer from the wing to rebuild a double-digit advantage at 27-15 with 7:16 left.
The Greyhounds again chipped away, trimming the margin to nine after Theodosiou hit a 3-pointer, but Army answered immediately. McCarthy drained a 3 on the next possession, Holloway converted two free throws, and Army maintained control through strong rebounding by Joshua Eli, who grabbed several key boards on both ends.
In the final minutes, Loyola cut the lead to 35-27 on Tyson Commander's layup, but Army closed the half strong. Jorn Everson knocked down a midrange jumper, Curry scored on a drive, and Bell added a layup to push the margin back to double digits at 41-29 before Loyola made two late free throws to set the halftime score at 41-31.
The Black Knights wasted little time extending their halftime lead. Tate Laczkowski opened the half with a layup off a Ryan Curry assist, and Jaxson Bell followed with a 3-pointer to push the margin to 46-31. Kevin McCarthy then converted a steal into a fast-break layup, capping a quick 7-0 burst that gave Army its largest lead to that point at 48-31 just over two minutes into the half.
Loyola answered with a short run, cutting the deficit to 50-37 behind baskets from Braeden Speed and Tyson Commander. Army responded immediately when Curry buried a 3-pointer from the wing off a Bell assist, restoring a 16-point cushion at 53-37.
The Greyhounds gradually chipped away midway through the half. Free throws by Speed and Jacob Theodosiou, followed by a layup, pulled Loyola within 58-49 with about 11 minutes remaining. Bell halted the momentum with a midrange jumper, and Laczkowski later finished a layup in transition off Curry's assist to keep Army ahead 62-52.
Loyola stayed within striking distance, trimming the margin to seven on Troy Cicero Jr.'s 3-pointer. Army answered again with inside scoring, as Jacen Holloway drove for a layup and Joshua Eli added another finish in the paint after a steal to stretch the lead back to double digits at 66-55.
After Loyola cut the deficit to 69-60 on a Stiemke 3-pointer, Army delivered one of its decisive sequences. Bell knocked down a 3 off an offensive rebound by Holloway, and Curry followed with a pull-up jumper to make it 74-62 with just over four minutes left.
The Greyhounds made one final push, closing to 76-69 on layups and free throws, but Eli's tip-in off an offensive rebound sparked the closing run. Army then sealed the game at the foul line, where Jackson Furman, Holloway and Eli combined for six straight free throws in the final 90 seconds to push the lead to 84-73 then grew it to a final score of 87-77.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Ryan Curry scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and added two rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes.
- Jacen Holloway also had 17 points, hitting 9 of 11 free throws, and finished with three rebounds and a team-high four assists.
- Jaxson Bell added 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and three assists.
- Kevin McCarthy scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and had two assists.
- Jackson Furman scored 12 points off the bench, making two 3-pointers, and contributed three assists and two steals.
- Joshua Eli had eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
- Tate Laczkowski finished with four points, five rebounds and three assists.
- Army shot 48.4% from the field (31 for 64), including 9 of 28 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Loyola shot 45.6% from the field (26 for 57) and 7 of 25 from 3-point range.
- The Black Knights made 16 of 19 free throws (84.2%).
- Army outrebounded Loyola Maryland 36-31, including a 12-8 edge on the offensive glass.
- Army recorded 16 assists and committed 15 turnovers.
- The bench scored 37 points for the Black Knights. Army scored 40 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points.
- Army held a 40-36 advantage in points in the paint.
Up Next
The Black Knights return home to Christl Arena on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Navy Midshipmen for the Star Game presented by USAA.
The Midshipmen have won the last three games against the Black Knights, most recently earning an 84-56 victory inside Alumni Hall. The last Army win in the series history came inside Christl Arena, the last time the Star Game was held at West Point, with the Black Knights claiming a 69-67 overtime win against the Midshipmen.
The Star Game is set for a 1:30 p.m. ET first tip, with the game broadcasting live on the CBS Sports Network 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.
