Men’s Basketball Sees Sunday Afternoon Loss Against American

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Christl Arena — Army West Point men’s basketball played with fight, answered every surge with one of its own, and still walked off its home floor with another Patriot League loss.

American University left West Point with a 78–67 win on Sunday afternoon, dropping the Black Knights to 7–12 (1–5 Patriot League) and extending a frustrating reality: Army is still searching for its first win since the calendar flipped to 2026. For American, now 11–8 (4–2), it was another chapter in a recent stretch of control in this matchup—five wins in the last six meetings, with Army’s lone victory in that span coming last season at home.

And yet, the story of this game wasn’t that Army didn’t compete.

It was that Army kept climbing back—only to watch American hit the next shot, win the next possession, and turn the next mistake into points.

The Spark: Holloway’s Best Stretch, McCarthy’s Shooting, and a Team That Wouldn’t Fold

Jacen Holloway was the engine all afternoon, pouring in 21 points—one shy of his career-high—on 8-of-12 shooting. He added four rebounds, three assists, and a career-high three steals, and he was often the reason Army stayed within reach when the game threatened to break.

Kevin McCarthy was the other steady flame, finishing with 12 points and drilling 4-of-6 from three. Tate Laczkowskiled the glass with seven rebounds (including four offensive boards) and added eight points, while Ryan Curry chipped in six points and a team-high six assists.

Army got meaningful bench production too: Jaxson Bell scored eight with two threes, and Jorn Everson delivered seven—all in the second half—during one of Army’s most important runs.

But the numbers that decided the afternoon were the ones that usually decide close league games:

• American scored 17 second-chance points to Army’s 9. 
• American scored 15 points off turnovers (Army had 17 giveaways). 
• And when Army finally made it a game late, American owned the last three minutes.

How It Happened

First Half: American’s Early Barrage, Army’s Answer, and a Halftime Gap That Felt Bigger Than Seven

American didn’t ease into the afternoon. The Eagles came out firing, hitting 5-of-7 from three in the opening four minutes and jumping to a 15–4 lead.

Army’s first bucket came from Laczkowski on a cross-court feed from Curry, and Curry followed with a driving layup—but the early tone was clear: American was comfortable, confident, and ready to shoot.

Then Army steadied.

Over the next seven minutes, the Black Knights ripped off a 14–3 run to tie the game 18–18 with 9:22 left in the half.

The run had everything Army needed:

• Jaxson Bell hit a three off a McCarthy assist. 
• Holloway finished a layup off Curry’s dish. 
• Laczkowski floated one in as the shot clock expired—one of those “we needed that” possessions that changes the air in the building. 
• Jackson Furman knocked down a three off a Laczkowski pass. 
• Bell scored through contact. 
• And Holloway tied it on a clean inbounds set—Curry’s third assist of the afternoon.

For a moment, Christl Arena felt like it was about to tilt.

American didn’t let it.

The Eagles responded with a 6–0 run to reclaim control at 24–18 with 4:04 left, and while Army kept stride late, the gap held.

Army scored eight points in the final four minutes to make it 33–26 at the break, highlighted by Curry’s buzzer-beater—threading through three defenders for a finish that deserved a louder roar than the scoreboard allowed.

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Second Half: A Familiar Start, a Furious Rally, and the Punch That Finally Stuck

American opened the second half the same way it opened the game: fast, confident, and raining points.

The Eagles outscored Army 11–3 to push their biggest lead to 44–29 with 16:05 left. McCarthy’s three—set up by Holloway—was Army’s only scoring in that early stretch.

Then Army did it again.

Just like the first half, the Black Knights stormed back—this time with a 19–8 run that pulled Army within 52–48 with 11:21 to play.

Holloway started it with back-to-back layups, one assisted by Curry and another by McCarthy. Everson added five straight points, finishing a three-point play off McCarthy’s pass. Bell hit a three off an Everson assist. Holloway got another layup. McCarthy splashed another three. Everson capped his burst with a jumper.

Army had cut a 15-point deficit down to four.

That’s the part that will sting.

Because the next four minutes were where American won the game.

The Eagles answered with a 15–6 run to stretch the lead to 67–54 with 8:04 left. Holloway scored four during that span, and Laczkowski finished a bucket off Curry, but the momentum had shifted back to American—and this time, it didn’t swing again.

Late Push: One Last Rally, Then the Door Closes

Army still had one more surge in it.

The Black Knights went on a 10–4 run, including a 7–0 burst in about a minute, to cut the deficit to 71–64 with 3:31remaining.

McCarthy led the charge with six points, drilling two threes. Alex Engro scored his first points on a layup off Curry’s assist. Holloway added two free throws.

Army had the building back.

But in the final three minutes, American took control for good, outscoring Army 7–3 to close it out.

Holloway scored all three of Army’s points in the final stretch: a tip-in after his own miss at 2:46 to make it 71–66, and one last free throw to finish with 21.

The effort was there.

The margin wasn’t.

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Black Knight Bullet Points

• Jacen Holloway: 21 points (8-of-12 FG), 5-of-6 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, career-high 3 steals 
• Kevin McCarthy: 12 points, 4-of-6 from three, 3 assists 
• Tate Laczkowski: 8 points, team-high 7 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 steals 
• Jaxson Bell: 8 points off the bench, 2-of-4 from three 
• Ryan Curry: 6 points, team-high 6 assists, 4 rebounds 
• Jorn Everson: 7 points (all in 2nd half), 2 assists in 20 minutes 
• Army shot 44.1% (26-of-59) overall, 28.0% (7-of-25) from three, and 88.9% (8-of-9) at the line 
• Rebounds: American 32, Army 29; Army won offensive boards 12–10 but lost second-chance points 9–17
• Turnovers: Army 17, American 14; points off turnovers: American 15, Army 14

Up Next

Army heads back on the road for two straight games, starting with a trip to Lewisburg to face Bucknell for the first time this season.

The Black Knights split the 2024–25 regular-season series with the Bison, highlighted by Army’s 116–110 triple-overtime win—the highest-scoring game in program history—before falling 84–53 at Bucknell.

Tipoff at Sojka Pavilion is set for Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., streaming on ESPN+.

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