Army West Point Athletics

Men’s Basketball Postseason Comes to Close on the Road at Bucknell

March 03, 2026 | Men's Basketball

**LEWISBURG, Pa. — **Army West Point men's basketball (11-21, 5-13) postseason run in the Patriot League Tournament, falling to Bucknell University Bison (10-22, 6-12) inside Sojka Pavilion, 55-65.

The Black Knights struggled offensively in the matchup, finishing the game shooting 31.3 percent from the floor, the second-lowest shooting percentage the team has seen this season. Army also saw its lowest 3-point percentage of the season, shooting only 11.9 percent from behind the arc.

Jaxson Bell led Army with 14 points, shooting 4-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, while adding six rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.

Ryan Curry recorded nine points while contributing six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jacen Holloway finished with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, adding three rebounds and three assists across 35 minutes.

Jackson Mayo totaled six points in his second career start, knocking down 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, while pulling down six rebounds. Jorn Everson also provided eight points off the bench on 4-of-10 shooting, while adding three rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes.

How It Happened

Army opened the game by creating early defensive pressure but struggled to find a rhythm offensively, missing its first few shots from the field. The Black Knights forced a turnover on Bucknell's second possession, and Ryan Curry converted a fast-break layup at the 18:36 mark after a steal to give Army the game's first points and a 2–0 lead.

Army's defense remained active in the early minutes. Dylan Benner recorded back-to-back blocks in the paint, while Jackson Mayo and Curry helped secure key defensive rebounds to keep Bucknell from building momentum. After a media timeout and a change in the lineup, Tate Laczkowski knocked down a jumper off an assist from Jorn Everson to put Army ahead 4–2. Moments later, Everson finished a layup and then delivered an emphatic dunk, pushing the Black Knights to an 8–6 advantage midway through the half.

As the half progressed, Army continued to rely on defensive stops and timely scoring. Joshua Eli knocked down a three-pointer off a pass from Jaxson Bell with 9:48 remaining, giving Army an 11–10 lead. Despite Bucknell briefly pushing ahead, the Black Knights answered quickly as Bell scored through contact and added the free throw, cutting the deficit to 16–14.

Army continued to attack the paint and control the glass. Everson threw down another powerful dunk off a pass from Dylan Benner, tying the contest at 16–16. A few possessions later, Bell connected on a midrange jumper to even the score again at 18–18 with just over six minutes left in the half.

The Black Knights kept the pressure on late in the period. Tate Laczkowski finished a layup inside to bring Army within two, and shortly after Jackson Mayo knocked down a three-pointer from the wing off a Laczkowski assist, trimming the deficit to 24–23. Jacen Holloway then added a jumper with under two minutes remaining, briefly giving Army a 25–24 lead.

Bucknell answered in the closing minute, and Army was unable to convert on its final possession. The Black Knights headed into the locker room trailing narrowly at halftime, 26–25, after a tightly contested first half.

Army came out of halftime with strong momentum, quickly turning defense into offense. After forcing an early Bucknell turnover, Ryan Curry knocked down a three-pointer off a pass from Dylan Benner to give the Black Knights a 28–26 lead.

Curry then created another opportunity moments later, stealing the ball and finishing a fast-break layup, pushing Army's advantage to 30–26. The run continued when Jacen Holloway finished a layup off Curry's assist, extending the lead to 32–26 early in the second half.

Army's defensive pressure continued to generate opportunities. Jaxson Bell recorded a block on the defensive end, and Curry again capitalized on a Bucknell turnover with another fast-break layup to give Army its largest lead of the game at 34–28 with just over 17 minutes remaining.

Bucknell responded with a scoring run to tie the game at 34–34, and the Bison eventually reclaimed the lead midway through the half. Army continued to battle, with Bell converting a layup and free throw to cut the deficit to 43–37, while Jackson Mayo knocked down a three-pointer off an assist from Curry to bring the Black Knights within 52–40 later in the half.

Army remained aggressive on the glass and in the paint. Holloway added a layup with just over five minutes remaining, and Tate Laczkowski followed with two free throws to trim the deficit to 54–44. Shortly after, Bell scored inside to make it 54–46, keeping the Black Knights within striking distance.

Despite the continued effort, Bucknell was able to stretch its lead in the final minutes. Army continued to fight until the closing seconds, as Jorn Everson finished a layup inside, and Holloway connected on a three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to bring the score to 65–55.

Army forced a final defensive stop but was unable to convert on its last possession, and the Black Knights ultimately fell to Bucknell 65–55 after a competitive second half.

Black Knight Bullet Points

Jaxson Bellled Army with 14 points, shooting 4-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, while adding six rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 30 minutes.Ryan Curryrecorded nine points while contributing six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes.Jacen Hollowayfinished with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, adding three rebounds and three assists across 35 minutes.Jackson Mayototaled six points, knocking down 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, while pulling down six rebounds.Jorn Eversonprovided eight points off the bench on 4-of-10 shooting, while adding three rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes.Tate Laczkowskiscored six points on 2-of-4 shooting and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, while collecting five rebounds in 23 minutes.Joshua Eliadded three points, knocking down his lone field goal from three-point range in five minutes.- Army shot 21-of-67 (31.3%) from the field, 5-of-42 (11.9%) from three-point range, and 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the free-throw line.

• Meanwhile, Bucknell shot 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the field and the Bison hit 4-of-21 (19.0%) from three-point range, slightly better than Army from deep.

• The Black Knights totaled 36 rebounds, including 16 offensive boards, along with 20 assists, 12 turnovers, four blocks and seven steals.

• Army recorded 30 points in the paint, 12 second-chance points and eight fast-break points in the contest.

• Both teams grabbed 36 rebounds, though Army held the edge in offensive rebounds (16–8).

Recapping the 2025-26 Season

With the result, the Black Knights' 2025-26 season comes to a close, with the team finishing with an 11-21 overall record and a 5-13 record in Patriot League play.

In non-league play, the Black Knights finished 6-7, including wins over SUNY Maritime, FDU, Manhattan, Gallaudet, UMBC and Binghamton. Army also made history, hosting the current No. 1 team in the country, Duke, on November 11, also shattering the single-game attendance record with 5,326 fans packing into Christl Arena.

In Patriot League play, the Black Knights earned five wins, including sweeping the regular season series with the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks, the team that finished second in the Patriot League standings. Army also added a win at home against Holy Cross and two additional road wins, one against Bucknell and another against Loyola Maryland.

Junior guard Ryan Curry also received Patriot League postseason honors, earning a spot on the Patriot League All-League Third Team. Curry received the All-League Team honors for the first time in his career.

Ryan Curry directed the Black Knights as the starting point guard, finishing the regular season averaging 13.5 points and 4.6 assists a game, both the best marks on the team, while also adding 4.0 rebounds a game.

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