Army West Point needed a response after getting punched in the mouth at Navy.
It got one.
The Black Knights held off Lehigh 67–64 on Wednesday night inside Christl Arena for their first Patriot League home win of the season. It mattered. It also wasn’t pretty, wasn’t clean, and didn’t magically erase what a young roster still has to learn.
That’s the point.
This was a bounce-back win, not a breakthrough — the kind you take, appreciate, and then immediately use as evidence that the work isn’t done.
Kuwik Was Blunt — and He Was Right
Head coach Kevin Kuwik didn’t try to sell the performance as art.
“It was not a masterpiece by any stretch,” Kuwik said.
But after the Navy loss, he credited what mattered most.
“The incredible toughness, resiliency — great response after we got knocked pretty good… We had tough guys. I’m proud. We’re young, we’re learning, but I’m proud of how they fought today.”
That’s the honest framing of this game: a win that counts, and a performance that still leaves a long list.
Tate Laczkowski’s Career Night Came With a Message: Share It, Then Raise the Standard
Tate Laczkowski delivered a career night — 17 points and nine rebounds — but his postgame takeaway wasn’t about the box score.
“I think we just shared the ball really well today, played within our offense,” Laczkowski said. “That’s what I’ve been stressing… Those second half zones will get away from what’s working in our offense and sharing the ball. That’s something that we actually continued today.”
Laczkowski pointed to the assist total as the clearest evidence of the response.
“I think we ended with like 20 assists, something like that,” he said. “So it’s a full team effort all around. That’s really what I think was the biggest difference tonight.”
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And when asked about backing up a performance like this on a nightly basis, Laczkowski didn’t hesitate.
“Just consistency, man,” he said. “Consistency in my preparation, coming into the game locked in as much as I can, preparing for my matchup.”
He credited Lehigh’s Albie as a real test — and then made the point that matters for a young team trying to climb.
“Albie’s a really good player, so… just taking up that level,” Laczkowski said. “But can’t take it up a level just for him. Got to take it up a level for every matchup I have out there.”
Army Found Multiple Scorers — and That Has to Be the Blueprint
Army’s path forward can’t be a one-option offense. Against Lehigh, it wasn’t.
- Tate Laczkowski: 17 points, 9 rebounds (career night)
- Ryan Curry: 16 points, 6 assists
- Jaxson Bell: 15 points, 9 rebounds
- Kevin McCarthy: 12 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
Four double-figure scorers in a one-possession game is a real step for a team still building consistency.
Laczkowski set the tone — efficient (8-of-12), physical, and active on the glass. Curry ran the offense, created shots, and hit the late free throws that kept the win from slipping away. Bell provided a punch off the bench and went 3-of-4 from deep. McCarthy spaced the floor and made plays on both ends.
Kuwik was especially encouraged to see two players step into bigger moments.
“I think they’re both capable of that. We haven’t seen it a ton,” he said of Laczkowski and McCarthy. “We’re growing, we’re figuring out little by little, and I know they have more to offer. You saw it tonight, and I’m really, really happy for those guys in particular, but for the whole team.”
First Half: A Plan, a Run, and Control
The opening minutes were slow, but once Army found its rhythm, the ball started moving and the threes started falling.
A 9–0 run built on three straight triples flipped the game early and gave Army control. McCarthy was perfect from deep in the first half (3-for-3), and Curry consistently found Laczkowski in the paint.
Army went into the locker room up 34–29 — not dominant, but in control.
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Second Half: The Lesson Part
Then came the stretch that explains why Kuwik stayed blunt.
Lehigh tied it at 45–45 after a 9–2 run. Army answered with a 7–0 push to reclaim the lead. Then it got tight late — and it shouldn’t have.
Army led 63–59 with under a minute left. Curry hit three free throws to make it 66–59 with 36 seconds to go.
Lehigh still made it 66–64 in 12 seconds.
That’s the difference between “we won” and “we’re learning how to win.”
Army survived the final possession. The win counts. But the closing sequence is a reminder: young teams don’t get to relax just because the clock is low.
The Quiet Difference: Possessions
This game wasn’t decided by one hot shooter. It was decided by the possession battle.
Army:
- Outrebounded Lehigh 40–38
- Grabbed 11 offensive boards
- Won second-chance points 10–7
- Forced 12 turnovers and turned them into 10 points
- Hit 10 threes (10-for-26) to Lehigh’s 7-for-19
Army didn’t dominate any one category. It won enough of them.
That’s how you win an “ugly” game.
A Real Positive: Tougher in the Paint
One of Kuwik’s clearest takeaways wasn’t about shooting. It was about surviving the physical areas.
“I thought we were much tougher in the paint,” he said. “They’re big at the four and the five. We’re not — we’re the smallest team in the league, probably. And we’ve been kind of bulldozed in some of these games.”
Army didn’t fix that problem in one night, but it took a step.
“I thought today our guys held their ground and stood their ground. It wasn’t perfect, but we made it a lot harder for them around the rim, so that was a good step in the right direction for us.”
Why This Win Matters More Than It Looked
This was Army’s first Patriot League home win of the season. It also completed a regular-season sweep of Lehigh for the first time since 2022–23.
For a young roster, those are markers — proof the team can respond, protect home court, and finish a series.
But the bigger value is psychological. After Navy, Army didn’t spiral. It steadied itself.
That’s growth.
Why It Still Isn’t Enough
The blunt truth is the same one Kuwik keeps circling: this team is young, and youth shows up in the details.
Those details turned a potential comfortable finish into a 67–64 scramble.
Army can’t afford to treat late-game execution like a coin flip. It has to become routine — the same way rebounding, defensive communication, and shot selection have to become routine.
Because in the Patriot League, “good enough” is usually one possession away from “not enough.”
Next Up: Holy Cross, and a Chance to Prove It’s Real
Army stays home Saturday against Holy Cross, a team that beat the Black Knights 82–75 earlier this month.
If Wednesday was the bounce-back, Saturday is the test:
- Can Army stack wins?
- Can it be sharper?
- Can it close cleaner?
Kuwik put it plainly when asked what it’ll take to climb back in the league.
“We just gotta keep getting better. We have a lot to work on,” he said. “A lot of these guys are going through a lot of this stuff for the first time — the ups, the downs. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to getting experience.”
And that’s the throughline.
The win over Lehigh was huge — not because it was perfect, but because it wasn’t, and Army still found a way.
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