Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
16-13,10-7Patriot
Lafayette
12-18,7-10Patriot
Men’s Basketball Suffers Second Straight Loss at Lafayette
February 25, 2025 | Men's Basketball
EASTON, Pa. — Army West Point men's basketball (16-13, 10-7) fell in a second straight road game, falling to the Lafayette College Leopards (12-18, 7-10), 65-81.
The Black Knights finished the game shooting 31.8 percent from the floor and 19.2 percent from the three-point line. On the other side, Lafayette shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from the three-point line. The Black Knights would hold a 38-37 advantage on the rebounding side, with 14 rebounds coming off the offensive glass.
AJ Allenspach led the way for Army with 18 points and a team-best 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season. Allenspach did that while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor and a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line.
Three other Black Knights finished the night in double digits. Jalen Rucker added 14 points while Ryan Curry added 10 points, with the pair each adding a team-high three assists. Jacen Holloway also added 10 points in his second start of his career, with that being becoming a new career best.
Jorn Everson and Tate Laczkowski each added five points, and Kevin McCarthy rounded out the scoring for the Black Knights with three points.
How It Happened
To start the game, the Leopards got out to a quick 10-3 start within the first three minutes of the game. Ryan Curry hit a three to start the scoring for Army.
Then in back-to-back possessions, Ryan Curry hit a three-pointer and AJ Allenspach slammed a dunk from a Ryan Curry dish to make the game 8-10 with 16:20 left in the first half.
Over the next three minutes, Lafayette went on a quick 8-1 spurt to extend the lead, then Army followed with a 8-0 run over three minutes to make it a 17-18 game with under eight minutes left to play. The run was led by Jalen Rucker, scoring six points in the run, with Ryan Curry adding a bucket as well.
The Leopards threw the next punch, going on a 15-2 run to take a 33-19 lead with 3:50 left in the first half. Jorn Everson had the lone bucket for the Black Knights in the run.
To end the half, the Black Knights outscored Lafayette 7-5. With Jalen Rucker having three points plus AJ Allenspach and Ryan Curry each adding two points. That made it a 26-38 game in Lafayette's favor heading into the locker room.
In the second half, the Leopards had a slight edge over Army, outscoring them 9-7. In the first three minutes of the second half, Jacen Holloway scored five points and Jalen Rucker added another two points.
With 16:48 left in the second half, the Black Knights went on an 11-4 run to make it a 44-51 game and only a seven-point deficit. Two of Army's forwards led the run.
AJ Allenspach scored the first six points of the run, courtesy of two free throws and perfect passes from Ryan Curry and Kendall Hailey. Then Tate Laczkowski got in on the action, scoring the next five points through perfect passing from Blake Barker and Jalen Rucker. The run gave Army some life with 13:18 left to play.
Lafayette went on a 7-0 run soon after, with the Black Knights following suit with a 7-0 run of their own to keep it a seven-point game with 9:03 left to play. AJ Allenspach had six of Army's seven points, with Jalen Rucker adding a free throw.
Over the next three and a half minutes, the Black Knights were held scoreless, meanwhile, the home team went on a 12-0 run to make it a 19-point deficit with 4:29 left to play.
In the final four minutes, the Black Knights would outscore Lafayette 14-11. Kevin McCarthy and Jorn Everson each added one three-pointer, while AJ Allenspach, Jalen Rucker, Jacen Holloway and Ryan Curry each added two points. But it was not enough, and the Black Knights saw a second straight loss, the first time since the beginning of league play, where Army was 0-2.
Up Next
The Black Knights return to Christl Arena for the final game of the regular season as they take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
Army will aim for the season sweep after taking down Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 74-69. In a game with 11 ties and 23 lead changes, the Black Knights were led by 22 points from Josh Scovens and 14 points from Jalen Rucker.
It will also be Senior Day in West Point, where Army will be celebrating their eight seniors, AJ Allenspach, Blake Barker, Luke Benson, Isaiah Caldwell, JT Dougherty, Griff Lamb, Blane St. Clair and Jalen Rucker.
The game is slated for a 1 p.m. Saturday tip-off, with the matchup streaming on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.
