Women’s Basketball Defeats Lafayette on Senior Day

Saturday, February 28

West Point, N.Y.

1 p.m.

Army West Point

22-6,13-4Patriot

Lafayette

10-18,6-11Patriot

Lafayette

Army West Point

Women’s Basketball Defeats Lafayette on Senior Day

February 28, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point women's basketball team got off to a strong start and never looked back, as it defeated Lafayette 61-42 on Saturday afternoon in the regular season home finale at Christl Arena.

Prior to tipoff, Army celebrated the three members of its 2026 senior class. Those being recognized was Reese Ercison, Soleil Montrose and manager Aba Quainoo. Montrose, who opened her collegiate career at UTEP and is a junior, is out of athletic eligibility.

Army (22-6, 13-4) led for 39:00 and never trailed Lafayette (10-18, 6-11). Head Coach Katie Kuester's 22 wins are the second most in program history for a head coach in their first year at West Point.

The Black Knights were fueled by Kya Smith, who recorded a team-high 18 points and 21 rebounds. It marked her 10^thdouble-double of the season and her second game this season with 21-plus rebounds (22 vs. Howard). She is one six players in Division I this season with multiple 21-plus rebound games.

How it Happened
Both teams started slow on the offensive side of the ball, as Army held a slim 5-4 lead at the first media timeout. Leading 7-6 with 3:55 left in the quarter, the Black Knights went on a 7-0 run and led 14-6 after the opening 10 minutes. Smith had five points and six rebounds in the period, while three other Black Knights got on the board.

Lafayette and Army traded buckets in the first few minutes of the second quarter, and the Leopards were able to cut their deficit to three with 5:55 before halftime. Taylor Wilson followed with a big three to give Army a 21-15 lead at the media timeout. However, the Leopards once again clawed themselves back into the game and cut the Army lead two.

With 2:54 left, Army led 22-20 and proceeded to close out the quarter on a 12-3 run and led 34-23 at the break, which was its largest lead of the game to that point. Ericson closed the half with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from just inside the logo. Smith had eight points and seven rebounds at half, while Camryn Tade also had eight points.

Six of the seven players who appeared in the first half for Army scored at least two points. Both teams were shooting under 40 percent through the opening two quarters. The difference in the game so far was free throws, as Army was 8-10 while Lafayette was 1-1.

The third quarter was the closest of the game, as the two teams were separated by just two points. Army opened the half with a quick bucket to push the lead to 13 and it wouldn't lead by fewer than that the rest of the game. Smith had eight rebounds in the period. The Black Knights continued to play stout defense, holding the Leopards to 25 percent shooting in the third.

The fourth quarter was all Army, as the Black Knights held Lafayette to just seven points. Like it's been all season, the Army defense was dominant in the closing 20 minutes. Lafayette made just six of its 26 attempts in the second half.

By the Numbers
Smith's dominant game was the headliner for Army, but multiple players also had major contributions. Tade finished the afternoon with 15 points on 5-10 shooting, while going a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. Ericson added eight points and a pair of assists in her final regular season game at Christl Arena. Montrose had seven points in just under 18 minutes.

Army finished the day shooting 34.4 percent from the field, while Lafayette shot 30.8 percent. The Black Knights were an efficient 12-15 from the charity stripe.

In points off turnovers, Army led 26-16. It also held the edge in points off turnover (17-3) and second chance points (8-5).

In addition to holding the Leopards to a poor shooting percentage, the Black Knight defense forced Lafayette into 19 turnovers. Smith and Taylor Wilson each had four steals to lead the way. On the other side, Army had just seven turnovers.

Led by Smith's 21, Army won the rebounding battle 40-37. The Black Knights had 16 offensive rebounds, 10 of which were courtesy of Smith.

Up Next
Army will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday, as it travels to Bucknell for a 6 p.m. tipoff. Following the conclusion of Wednesday's games, the Patriot League will release the full bracket for the conference tournament.

Notables
• Army moves to 50-29 all-time against Lafayette following Saturday's win. The Black Knights swept the regular season series.
• Kya Smith led the way with her 10^th double-double of the season with 18 points and 21 rebounds. She is one of six players in the country with multiple 21-plus rebound games this season (22 vs. Howard).
• Also scoring in double-digits was Camryn Tade with 15 points.
• Prior to the game, Army recognized Reese Ericson and Soleil Montrose for Senior Day. While a junior academically, this season marked Montrose's last year of athletic eligibility. She is expected to remain with the program in some capacity next season.
• Soleil Montrose made her second start of the season.
• Head Coach Katie Kuester's 22 wins are the second most in program history for a head coach in their first year at West Point. Dave Magarity had 24 wins in his first season at Army.