Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
2-2,0-0Patriot
St. Thomas
2-3,0-0Summit League
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (MN) | 39 | 38 | 77 |
| Army West Point | 35 | 44 | 79 |
November 14, 2026 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Behind a career-high performance from sophomore Dillon Watt and a team-high 18 points from junior Kevin McCarthy, the Army West Point men's basketball team (2-2) secured a thrilling 79-77 victory over St. Thomas (2-3) Saturday afternoon inside Christl Arena.
In a back-and-forth battle that featured 13 lead changes and 11 ties, the Black Knights overcame a four-point halftime deficit and relied on timely shooting down the stretch to secure their second victory of the 2026-27 campaign.
Watt delivered a career-best 16 points, shooting an efficient 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from behind the arc. The sophomore guard saved his biggest shot for the closing minutes, connecting on the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:11 remaining to give Army a 79-77 advantage it would not relinquish. Watt added three rebounds, two assists and a steal in just under 22 minutes of action.
McCarthy continued his strong start to the season, leading the Black Knights with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor and 4-for-8 from three-point range. The junior guard added four rebounds, one assist and a steal while delivering several crucial baskets throughout the second half, including a second-chance layup that put Army back in front with under two minutes remaining.
Saturday's contest also marked a significant career milestone for senior Ryan Curry, who appeared in his 100th career game for the Black Knights. The veteran guard finished with 11 points, five assists and two rebounds in nearly 36 minutes of action. Curry played a pivotal role in Army's second-half offensive success, dishing out the assist on Watt's game-winning three-pointer.
Tate Laczkowski joined Curry in double figures with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while pulling down a team-high seven rebounds, including three offensive boards.
Jaden Ellis provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Jacen Holloway added eight points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists, helping facilitate Army's offense throughout the afternoon.
The Black Knights finished shooting 51.7 percent (31-for-60) from the field and 46.7 percent (14-for-30) from three-point range. Army's 14 made three-pointers helped fuel the offensive effort, with the team connecting on six triples in the second half.
St. Thomas was led by Hayden Tibbits, who finished with a game-high 21 points and six assists. Jeremy Lorenz and Carter Bjerke each added 10 points for the Tommies.
Despite St. Thomas shooting 57.1 percent from the field, Army's balanced offensive attack and late defensive stops proved to be the difference. The Black Knights outscored the Tommies 44-38 in the second half to secure the two-point victory in front of 2,961 fans at Christl Arena.
How It Happened
St. Thomas opened the contest with a three-pointer from Hayden Tibbits, but the Black Knights quickly answered as Jacen Holloway connected from beyond the arc off an assist from Dillon Watt to even the score at 3-3.
After the Tommies regained the advantage, Kevin McCarthy converted a fast-break layup following a steal from Watt to tie the game at five.
The two teams continued trading baskets throughout the opening minutes, with Watt converting a driving layup through contact before completing the three-point play to bring Army within one, 9-8, with 16:26 remaining.
St. Thomas responded with a three-pointer, but Tate Laczkowski answered from deep off an assist from Deke Cooper Jr. to keep Army within striking distance.
Following a pair of baskets from the Tommies, Cooper Jr. converted a driving layup before Dylan Benner knocked down a three-pointer to even the contest at 16-16 with 14:02 remaining.
The Black Knights took their first lead of the afternoon shortly afterward, as Jaden Ellis connected on a three-pointer off an assist from Holloway to give Army a 19-18 advantage.
Ellis continued to provide an offensive spark, knocking down another three-pointer less than two minutes later, this time off an assist from Patrick McDonough, to extend Army's lead to 22-19 with 12:09 remaining.
St. Thomas responded with a 10-2 stretch over the next four minutes, taking a 29-24 advantage with just over eight minutes remaining in the opening half.
Ryan Curry helped halt the Tommies' momentum, connecting on a three-pointer off an assist from Holloway to bring Army within two points, 29-27, with 7:35 remaining.
After St. Thomas pushed its advantage back to five, McCarthy connected on his first three-pointer of the afternoon to cut the deficit to 32-30 with 4:19 left in the half.
The Tommies answered with four consecutive points, but McCarthy continued his strong shooting performance, knocking down another three-pointer off an assist from Holloway to bring Army within three, 36-33, with 2:04 remaining.
St. Thomas extended its lead to six points with a three-pointer from Tibbits, but Curry converted a layup following a McCarthy steal to bring the Black Knights within four, 39-35, heading into the locker room.
Army finished the opening half shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from behind the arc, connecting on eight three-pointers through the first 20 minutes.
The Black Knights wasted little time finding their offensive rhythm to begin the second half.
Watt opened the scoring with a three-pointer off an assist from McCarthy, cutting the Tommies' lead to one point, 39-38, just 42 seconds into the half.
After St. Thomas answered with a basket, McCarthy connected on a second-chance three-pointer off an offensive rebound and assist from Watt to even the contest at 41-41 with 18:44 remaining.
Laczkowski followed with a layup off an assist from Curry, giving Army its first lead of the second half, 43-41.
Watt continued his impressive performance, knocking down another three-pointer off an assist from Holloway to extend Army's advantage to four points, 46-42, with 17:30 remaining.
Following a St. Thomas three-pointer, Curry converted a driving layup before Holloway connected from behind the arc to give Army its largest lead of the afternoon, 51-45, with 16:03 remaining.
The Tommies responded with an 8-0 run to regain the lead, 53-51, with 12:34 left to play.
Ellis ended the St. Thomas run with a layup to tie the game at 53 before Holloway converted a driving layup to bring Army within one, 56-55, with 10:52 remaining.
The Black Knights regained the advantage shortly afterward, as Laczkowski converted a layup off an assist from Curry to put Army in front, 57-56.
Ellis followed with a fast-break layup to extend the lead to three, 59-56, with 9:28 remaining.
After St. Thomas cut the deficit to one, McCarthy collected an offensive rebound and converted a second-chance layup to give Army a 61-58 advantage.
Laczkowski added another layup through contact to push the lead back to three, 63-60, with just over eight minutes remaining.
The Tommies responded with seven unanswered points to regain a 67-63 advantage with 6:14 left in the contest.
Curry halted the St. Thomas run with a pair of free throws before McCarthy connected on a crucial three-pointer off an assist from Holloway, giving Army a 68-67 lead with 5:46 remaining.
Just 23 seconds later, Watt converted a fast-break layup off an assist from Curry to extend the Black Knights' lead to three, 70-67.
After St. Thomas tied the contest with another three-pointer, Watt answered with a layup off an assist from Holloway to put Army back in front, 72-70, with 4:04 remaining.
The Tommies continued to battle, connecting on a three-pointer to regain a one-point advantage before Laczkowski converted a fast-break layup off another Curry assist to give Army a 74-73 lead with 2:51 remaining.
St. Thomas answered with a layup to go back in front, but McCarthy collected another second-chance opportunity, converting a layup with 1:48 remaining to give Army a 76-75 advantage.
Following a pair of free throws from Tibbits, the Tommies regained a 77-76 lead with 1:31 left on the clock.
However, Watt delivered the biggest shot of his career-best afternoon.
With 1:11 remaining, Curry found Watt beyond the arc, where the sophomore connected on his third three-pointer of the contest to put Army ahead, 79-77.
The Black Knights held strong defensively in the closing minute, forcing St. Thomas into a missed three-pointer before the Tommies missed a pair of free throws with 58 seconds remaining.
Army collected the defensive rebound and maintained possession following an offensive rebound from Laczkowski. Although the Black Knights were unable to extend their advantage, St. Thomas missed a potential game-winning three-pointer as time expired.
The defensive stand secured Army's 79-77 victory, improving the Black Knights to 2-2 on the season.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Dillon Watt recorded a career-high 16 points, shooting 6-for-8 (75.0%) from the field and 3-for-5 (60.0%) from three-point range. The sophomore added three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 21:40 of action.
- Watt's go-ahead three-pointer with 1:11 remaining gave Army a 79-77 lead, marking the final points of the contest and securing the Black Knights' second victory of the season.
- Kevin McCarthy led Army with 18 points on 7-for-11 (63.6%) shooting from the field and 4-for-8 (50.0%) from three-point range. The junior added four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
- McCarthy and Watt combined for 34 points, accounting for 43.0 percent of Army's total offensive production. The duo shot a combined 13-for-19 (68.4%) from the field and 7-for-13 (53.8%) from behind the arc.
- Ryan Curry appeared in his 100th career game for the Black Knights, finishing with 11 points, a team-high-tying five assists and two rebounds in 35:48 of action.
- Curry assisted on Watt's game-winning three-pointer, capping off his milestone appearance with a crucial play in the closing minutes.
- Tate Laczkowski finished with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while collecting a team-high seven rebounds, including three offensive boards.
- Jaden Ellis provided an offensive spark off the bench, finishing with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and 2-for-3 from three-point range, while adding three rebounds.
- Jacen Holloway recorded eight points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists. The junior forward connected on two three-pointers and added a block.
- Army had five players score in double figures, with McCarthy, Watt, Curry, Laczkowski and Ellis all reaching the mark.
- The Black Knights shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) from the field, marking their highest shooting percentage through the first four games of the season.
- Army connected on 14 three-pointers, shooting 46.7 percent (14-for-30) from behind the arc. McCarthy led the team with four made triples, followed by Watt with three.
- The Black Knights outscored St. Thomas 44-38 in the second half, shooting 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the floor and 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from three-point range.
- Army recorded 17 assists on 31 made field goals, with Holloway leading the team with six and Curry adding five.
- The Black Knights committed just five turnovers, compared to four by St. Thomas, while recording two steals and one block.
- Army held a 28-25 advantage on the glass, including 11 offensive rebounds that helped generate seven second-chance points.
- The Black Knights finished with 10 fast-break points, compared to three for the Tommies, while both teams scored 34 points in the paint.
- Army's bench contributed 15 points, highlighted by Ellis' 10-point performance.
- The contest featured 13 lead changes and 11 ties, with neither team leading by more than six points throughout the afternoon.
Up Next
The Black Knights stay at home inside Christl Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 17, as they host the Marist University Red Foxes.
It will be the third time in three seasons and the fourth time in five season that the two teams have faced off. Marist has won the last three games, two in Poughkeepsie, plus one in Christl Arena, while Army aims for its first win against the Red Foxes since Nov. 27, 2021
The game, which is also tabbed as Hudson Valley Community Night, is scheduled for a 6 p.m. ET first tip, with the game also streaming live on ESPN+.
Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point men's basketball, follow the Black Knights on X and Instagram at @ArmyWP_MBB and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.
Army West Point Athletic Association, Inc. (AWPAA)
AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.
