Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
12-9,6-3Patriot
Colgate
9-13,6-3Patriot
McCarthy’s Career-Night Propels Men’s Basketball Over Colgate
January 29, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (12-9, 6-3) returned to its winning ways on Wednesday, taking down the Colgate Raiders (9-13, 6-3), 84-72.
The Black Knights' win over Colgate on Wednesday night was the first time since January 3, 2021, that Army has been able to earn a win against the Raiders. Before the victory on Wednesday, the Raiders had won 10 straight games over Army.
Army finished the night shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from the three-point line. The Black Knights defensively were able to hold Colgate to 44.4 percent shooting from the floor and 27.6 percent from the three-point line. Army went on to outrebound the Raiders 34-30 and only had seven turnovers while causing Colgate to commit nine turnovers.
Another huge factor that contributed to the Black Knights' win came from roleplayers off the bench. Army's bench went on to score 44 out of the Black Knights' 84 points on the evening.
The scoring efforts for Army was led by freshman guard Kevin McCarthy, who finished the night with a game-high and personal best 14 points while 71.4 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from the three-point line. McCarthy scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half and also added one assist on the night.
Josh Scovens finished Wednesday with 13 points with two rebounds, and AJ Allenspach shot a perfect 5-5 from the floor to gain 10 points with four rebounds and three assists.
Jorn Everson, Tate Laczkowski and Jalen Rucker each finished the night with nine points, with Rucker adding five assists.
Ryan Curry led the passing efforts with nine assists alongside six points and five rebounds. Blake Barker led the rebounding efforts with seven rebounds. Isaiah Caldwell shot perfectly from the floor and free throw live for seven points and Jalen Holloway also added five points off the bench.
How It Happened
The Raiders initially threw the first punch, outscoring the Black Knights 5-2 in the first 90 seconds of action. Then, a hustle play by Ryan Curry turned into a steal, which in turn became an electric slam by AJ Allenspach, igniting a 9-0 run by the Black Knights.
Allenspach earned the first six points for Army, scoring the first four points of the run. Josh Scovens hit a hook shot and Jalen Rucker hit Army's first three-pointer of the game to help give Army an 11-5 lead with just under 16 minutes to play in the first half.
The two teams exchanged buckets for the next three minutes, featuring Kevin McCarthy's first three-pointer of the evening, then Colgate had a quick 7-0 burst to take an 18-16 lead with 11:05 left to play.
Colgate's lead quickly disappeared, with Army going on a 12-2 run. The run was led by five points from Kevin McCarthy and Jalen Holloway, and ended with a jumper from Ryan Curry, giving Army a 28-20 lead with 8:28 left in the first half.
Army then quickly went on a 9-0 run, outscoring Colgate 21-4 over a total of six and a half minutes. Ryan Curry started the run with a jumper, followed by Isaiah Caldwell adding five points and was capped off by a no-look pass from Jalen Rucker to Tate Laczkowski scoring on a reverse layup.
Army would take its biggest lead of the first half when Kevin McCarthy hit his third three-pointer of the first half, giving Army a 17-point lead. Colgate would go on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to nine, but the Black Knights ultimately took a 44-33 lead into the locker room.
The Raiders scored the first three points of the second half, then the Black Knights followed with four points of their own from Ryan Curry and Josh Scovens. Colgate then went on a 6-2 run to cut the lead to eight with just over 16 points to play.
Army would strike another blow starting at the 14-minute mark, outscoring the Raiders 7-2. All seven of those points in the run were scored by Jorn Everson, and alongside Kevin McCarthy's last three-pointer of the night, Army held a 63-51 lead with 10:28 left in the game.
The Black Knights were able to keep Colgate at arm's length with another run, this time being a 9-2 run. Josh Scovens bookended the run with two points to start and end it, then Tate Laczkowski hit a three-pointer and Blake Barker added a jumper to give Army a 15-point lead with five minutes left to play.
The two teams traded baskets to end the game, which eventually led Army to take a 12-point win over the reigning Patriot League champions.
Up Next
The Black Knights aim to take this momentum on the road on Saturday as they head to the Nation's Capitol to take on the top-ranked team in the Patriot League standings, American University.
This will be the first time the two teams face off this season, with the Eagles sweeping the Black Knights in the team's two matchups last season.
The game is slated for a 2 p.m. Saturday tip-off, with the matchup streaming on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.
