BETHLEHEM, PA – Army West Point didn’t respond to Saturday’s loss at Navy with a shooting clinic.
They responded with pressure.
The Black Knights turned Stabler Arena into a 40-minute grind Wednesday night, forcing 23 turnovers and snapping a seven-game skid against Lehigh with a 64–55 win at Stabler Arena. Army improved to 16–4 overall and 7–2 in the Patriot League, and once again proved a season-long truth: this team doesn’t let one loss become two.
Army has yet to drop back-to-back games this season and is beating opponents by an average of 20.5 points in games following a loss.
The Identity Game: Defense That Travels
Army didn’t need perfection offensively — not after the way it guarded.
Lehigh came in 10–9 overall and 6–3 in league play, and it had owned this matchup recently. Army flipped that script by turning live-ball mistakes into points, finishing with a 26–18 edge in points off turnovers and a 12–10 advantage in fast-break scoring.
The tone was set by the guards.
Brooke Wilson finished with five steals, and Camryn Tade added four as Army’s pressure forced Lehigh into rushed decisions, bad angles, and empty possessions. Army finished with 11 steals and held Lehigh to 3-of-12 from three (25%).
Key Moment No. 1: The 9–0 Run That Changed the Feel
The first few minutes looked like a team still shaking off the Navy game.
Army fell behind 9–4 in the opening 4:30, struggling to find rhythm and clean looks. But the response came quickly — and it came in waves.
Army closed the first quarter on a 9–0 run that reset the game.
Tade kicked it off with a three, then attacked downhill to earn two free throws that tied it at 11–11. After a Kya Smith tip-in, Reganne Reardon beat the buzzer with a second-chance finish to give Army a 15–11 lead after one.
That sequence mattered because it wasn’t pretty offense — it was Army basketball: pressure, pace, and punishing mistakes.
Key Moment No. 2: A Second Quarter Clinic (19–9)
Army didn’t just win the second quarter — it controlled it.
The Black Knights opened the period on a 6–1 run to push the lead to 21–12, then kept stacking stops and converting on the other end. Army shot 50% in the quarter, outscored Lehigh 19–9, and took a 34–20 lead into halftime.
Lehigh, meanwhile, went 4-of-12 in the period and missed all three of its attempts from deep.
At the break:
- Army: 50% from the field, 40% from three
- Lehigh: 39.1% from the field, 1-of-8 from three
Army wasn’t just scoring — it was dictating where Lehigh could (and couldn’t) get comfortable.
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Key Moment No. 3: The Third-Quarter Swing — and the Answer
Army’s 14-point halftime cushion didn’t survive the third quarter.
Lehigh outscored Army 18–11 in the period, hitting 7-of-12 shots and knocking down a pair of threes. Army’s offense stalled, the game sped up, and the lead was cut to 45–38 entering the fourth.
Then the game tightened even more.
Army was held scoreless for the first 6:45 of the fourth quarter, and the lead shrank to three — the kind of moment where a bounce-back win can turn into a second straight loss.
Instead, Army found just enough offense to re-separate.
A Reese Ericson three pushed the lead back to eight, and from there the Black Knights closed the game at the line, finishing 17-of-21 on free throws.
Tade and Smith Carried the Load — in Different Ways
Camryn Tade delivered the headline performance, finishing with 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting and going 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. When Army needed points during the droughts, she was the one who could still manufacture them.
Kya Smith was the backbone.
Smith posted 17 points and 16 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season, controlling the glass and providing stability when Army’s offense went cold. She scored 7-of-12 from the field and was a constant second-chance threat.
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The Possession Battle: Where Army Won It
Lehigh actually shot a higher percentage from the field (44.7%) than Army (41.2%). That’s what makes this win so telling.
Army won anyway because it owned the possession game:
- Turnovers forced: 23
- Points off turnovers: 26
- Steals: 11
- Free throws: 17-of-21 (Lehigh 10-of-15)
- Time leading: 32:33
Army didn’t have to be the cleaner shooting team — it had to be the tougher, more disruptive team.
By the Numbers
- Final: Army 64, Lehigh 55
- Records: Army 16–4 (7–2), Lehigh 10–9 (6–3)
- Shooting: Army 21-of-51 (41.2%), Lehigh 21-of-47 (44.7%)
- Threes: Army 5-of-17 (29.4%), Lehigh 3-of-12 (25.0%)
- Free throws: Army 17-of-21 (81.0%), Lehigh 10-of-15 (66.7%)
- Rebounds: Lehigh 31, Army 30
- Turnovers: Army 16, Lehigh 23
- Points off turnovers: Army 26, Lehigh 18
- Fast break points: Army 12, Lehigh 10
- Largest lead: Army by 16
Game 20 Notables
This win wasn’t just a bounce-back — it was a breakthrough in a matchup that has been a problem.
- Army snapped a seven-game losing streak to Lehigh.
- It marked Army’s first win over the Mountain Hawks since 2022.
- Fiona Hastick made her first start of the season, replacing Taylor Wilson (did not play).
- Army is now 39–42 all-time against Lehigh after splitting the season series.
Up Next
Army heads to Massachusetts on Saturday to face Holy Cross. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
If Wednesday was the response after Navy, Saturday is the next test: can Army stack wins — and keep its identity intact when the shots aren’t falling?
Because this is what Army is building right now: a team that can survive ugly stretches, win with defense, and make sure one bad night never becomes two.
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