Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
0-1,0-0Patriot
Duke
1-0,0-0ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army West Point | 18 | 32 | 50 |
| Duke | 33 | 51 | 84 |
November 02, 2026 | Men's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. — Army West Point men's basketball (0-1) opened its 2026-27 campaign on the road Monday night, falling to the No. 2 ranked Duke University Blue Devils (1-0), 84-50, inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Black Knights faced a tough test in their season opener, with Duke jumping out to an early lead and maintaining its advantage throughout the contest. Despite the loss, Army found more offensive success in the second half, scoring 32 points after being held to 18 in the opening 20 minutes.
Kevin McCarthy led the Black Knights offensively, finishing with a team-high 17 points while shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-9 from behind the arc. McCarthy also added five rebounds and two assists, leading Army's efforts from deep.
Dillon Watt provided a spark off the bench, finishing with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting, including two three-pointers. Watt also contributed three rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes of action.
Ryan Curry finished with seven points, a team-high seven assists and three steals, while Tate Laczkowski added six points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks.
How It Happened
Duke came out firing in the opening minutes, scoring the first 12 points of the contest to take a 12-0 lead with 16:09 remaining in the first half.
Ryan Curry got Army on the board with a pair of free throws at the 15:34 mark, while Dillon Watt added the Black Knights' first field goal with a floating jumper in the paint to make it a 16-4 game with 14:11 remaining.
The Blue Devils continued to maintain their double-digit advantage, but the Black Knights began to find some offensive rhythm midway through the first half.
Jacen Holloway converted a second-chance layup to bring Army within 12 points, then Kevin McCarthy knocked down Army's first three-pointer of the season off an assist from Dillon Watt, cutting the deficit to 18-9 with 10:45 remaining.
Duke responded with four consecutive points, but Tate Laczkowski added a jumper in the paint off a pass from Ryan Curry, bringing the score to 22-11 with 8:58 left in the half.
The Blue Devils extended their lead to 26-11 before Army put together a quick five-point stretch, with Kevin McCarthy knocking down his second three-pointer of the game following a steal from Tate Laczkowski.
Laczkowski then added another jumper off an assist from Ryan Curry, cutting Duke's lead to 26-16 with 6:04 remaining in the opening half.
Duke responded with a 7-0 run over the next four minutes, extending its advantage to 33-16 with 1:49 remaining.
Jacen Holloway ended the scoring drought for the Black Knights, converting a layup off an assist from Kevin McCarthy to make it a 33-18 game with 1:39 left in the half.
Neither team scored in the final minute, sending Army into the locker room trailing 33-18.
The Blue Devils opened the second half with another strong offensive stretch, scoring 11 unanswered points to extend their lead to 44-18 with 16:54 remaining.
Dillon Watt got the Black Knights going offensively in the second half, knocking down a three-pointer off an assist from Jacen Holloway with 16:17 on the clock.
Kevin McCarthy followed with another shot from deep at the 15:24 mark, bringing his total to nine points and cutting Duke's lead to 44-24.
Army continued to find success from behind the arc, with Dylan Benner connecting on his first three-pointer of the game off an assist from Ryan Curry.
Dillon Watt then knocked down another three-pointer, this time off an assist from Kevin McCarthy, completing a 12-0 scoring run for the Black Knights and making it a 44-30 game with 13:19 remaining.
Duke answered with a three-pointer of its own, but Kevin McCarthy added a free throw before Ryan Curry converted a driving layup to bring the score to 50-33 with 11:43 left to play.
Nnaemeka Ikechi added his first points of the game with a layup off an assist from Ryan Curry, while Jaden Ellis followed with a fast-break layup to make it a 54-37 game with 10:42 remaining.
The Blue Devils continued to extend their lead over the next several minutes, outscoring Army 14-3 to make it a 68-40 contest with 7:15 left on the clock.
Kevin McCarthy had Army's lone field goal during the stretch, converting a fast-break layup off an assist from Ryan Curry, while Dillon Watt added a free throw.
Duke continued to control the pace down the stretch, but Kevin McCarthy added another three-pointer with 2:51 remaining, bringing his total to a team-high 17 points.
Tate Laczkowski added two points from the free-throw line, while Ryan Curry connected on his first three-pointer of the game with 32 seconds remaining, bringing Army's final point total to 50.
The Blue Devils held their advantage through the final buzzer, handing the Black Knights an 84-50 loss in their season opener.
Black Knight Bullet Points
- Kevin McCarthy led the Black Knights with 17 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-9 from three-point range, while adding five rebounds and two assists.
- Dillon Watt finished with nine points off the bench, shooting 3-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-4 from behind the arc, while adding three rebounds and one assist.
- Ryan Curry added seven points, a team-high seven assists and three steals, while also recording one rebound.
- Tate Laczkowski finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a team-high three blocks.
- Jacen Holloway contributed four points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
- Dylan Benner added three points on a three-pointer, while Jaden Ellis and Nnaemeka Ikechi each finished with two points.
- Army finished the contest shooting 18-for-52 (34.6%) from the field and 8-for-30 (26.7%) from three-point range, while converting 6-of-9 free throws (66.7%).
- The Black Knights improved their shooting in the second half, going 11-for-26 (42.3%) from the field and 6-for-15 (40%) from behind the arc after shooting 26.9% from the field in the first half.
- Army put together a 12-0 scoring run in the second half, cutting Duke's lead to 44-30 with 13:19 remaining.
- The Black Knights finished with 28 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, while Duke held a 37-28 advantage on the glass.
- The Black Knights held an 18-17 advantage in rebounds at halftime, including six offensive boards, outrebounding the Blue Devils despite trailing 33-18 heading into the locker room.
- Army recorded 13 assists, five steals and three blocks, while finishing with 14 bench points and 20 points in the paint.
- The Black Knights committed 24 turnovers, with Duke converting those opportunities into 29 points.
- Duke finished shooting 29-for-59 (49.2%) from the field and 4-for-22 (18.2%) from three-point range, while converting 22-of-26 free throws (84.6%).
- Army trailed 33-18 at halftime before scoring 32 points in the second half, ultimately falling to Duke, 84-50.
- The contest marked the opening game of the 2026-27 season for both programs, with Army moving to 0-1 and Duke improving to 1-0.
Coach's Corner
Up Next
The Black Knights will return home to Christl Arena on November 5 for their home opener, hosting Mount Saint Mary.
The two teams face off for the first time since the 2024-25 season, with Army earning a 101-48 inside Christl Arena.
The game is for a 6 p.m. ET first tip, and will air 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.
