Late Comeback Falls Short At Army 67-64

Wednesday, January 28

West Point, N.Y.

6:00 PM

Lehigh University

9-13,5-4Patriot

Army

9-13,3-6Patriot

Lehigh

Army West Point

Photo by: Clark Boinis

1/28/2026 8:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Patriot League play rolled on for Lehigh men's basketball on Wednesday evening on the road from Christl Arena against the Army West Point Black Knights. The Mountain Hawks threatened with a comeback effort late in the game, but ultimately the Black Knights held on to win 67-64.

"I want to give Army credit because I thought they played with a great offensive tempo in the beginning of the game," said Murray H. Goodman '48 head coach Brett Reed. "Our communication was not strong enough, and our determination to guard the three-point line wasn't strong enough as well."

Lehigh (9-13, 5-4 PL) had won five of its past six games entering Wednesday's contest. Army (9-13, 3-6 PL) has now swept the season series against Lehigh after defeating the Mountain Hawks in overtime in the Patriot League opener on December 31.

The Black Knights gained an early 11-6 lead on an efficient 3-4 from distance in the opening five minutes, but the Mountain Hawks responded with a 7-0 run capped off by a Nasir Whitlock three to lead 12-11 at the 13:10 mark. Both Army and Lehigh shot the ball effectively from distance, changing the lead six times through the first twelve minutes of the half. Buckets from Tate Laczkowski and Ryan Curry gave the Black Knights a 27-23 advantage with 7:40 to play in the first half.

Army's defense stifled Lehigh after the under eight media timeout, limiting the Mountain Hawks to 1-5 shooting for nearly four minutes to lead 32-25. Two late buckets from Joshua Ingram helped the Mountain Hawks pull within five at 34-29 entering the locker room.

The Mountain Hawks cut Army's lead to two early in the second half on a Jalen Vazquez triple, but Curry put the Black Knights back up five with a three-pointer of his own. Trailing by seven, Lehigh conducted a 7-0 run to tie the game at 43-43 with 13:44 to play. Army responded with their own 7-0 run that gave the Black Knights a 52-45 lead with just over ten minutes remaining in the game.

Trailing by seven, two triples from Peter Kramer and Ingram brought the Mountain Hawks within one at 52-51. The Black Knights once again had a response, outscoring Lehigh 9-2 over the next four minutes to lead by eight with five minutes to play. Whitlock chopped the deficit in half, hitting two free throws and a fadeaway jumper to trail 61-57 with 2:25 to play.

Down by four with under a minute to play, the Mountain Hawks began to foul. Curry went 3-4 on two trips to the line, extending Army's lead to seven. Edouard Benoit drilled a three for Lehigh with 27.7 on the clock, cutting the deficit to four. After Jaxson Bell missed the front end of a one-and-one, Whitlock scored inside with 14.8 seconds on the clock to bring Lehigh within two. The Mountain Hawks had an opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer, but the Black Knights ultimately survived the late comeback.

Lehigh posted shooting splits of 41.1% (23-56) from the field, 36.8% (7-19) from three, and 64.7% (11-17) from the free throw line. Army shot 41.3% (26-63) from the floor, 38.5% (10-26) from three, and 62.5% (5-8) from the charity stripe. The Black Knights earned a slight 40-38 edge on the glass.

Whitlock paced the Mountain Hawks offensively with 15 points. Ingram stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals. Alvey registered nine points and nine rebounds while Benoit also scored nine points. Vazquez finished the night with seven points, a career-high eight rebounds, and three steals. Alfredo Addesa added seven points in ten minutes off the bench.

Laczkowski led the Black Knights offensively with 17 points while Curry (16p), Bell (15p), and Kevin McCarthy (12p) also reached double-figures for Army.

The Mountain Hawks return to Stabler Arena on Saturday, January 31 at 2 p.m. for a date with the Colgate Raiders.

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