WEST POINT, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Army women’s basketball team used a dominant second-half performance and a monumental individual effort from Kya Smith to overcome a sluggish start and defeat NJIT 59-52 in a non-conference matchup Sunday at Christl Arena.

Smith, a 6-foot-1 junior from Lubbock, Texas, recorded a towering double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Black Knights. Her work on the glass, which included seven offensive rebounds, was instrumental in Army overcoming a poor shooting afternoon from the perimeter to improve its record to 25-7. NJIT, which saw a four-game winning streak snapped, fell to 19-13.

The game’s narrative was one of starkly contrasting halves. NJIT’s Highlanders came out firing, connecting on 6 of 10 three-point attempts in the first quarter alone. Led by Marissa Gingrich and Olivia Kulyk, NJIT built a commanding 26-13 lead after the opening period. The Highlanders’ offense, however, went cold thereafter, scoring just 26 points over the final three quarters.

Army began its methodical comeback in the second quarter, tightening its defense and beginning to exploit its significant advantage inside. The Black Knights outscored NJIT 11-9 in the period to trim the deficit to 35-24 at halftime. The third quarter proved to be the decisive stretch, as Army’s defensive pressure intensified. The Black Knights forced eight NJIT turnovers in the quarter and converted them into easy opportunities, outscoring the Highlanders 17-10 to pull within four points, 45-41, heading to the final period.

The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Army. The Black Knights opened the period on a 12-2 run, seizing a lead they would not relinquish. Smith was the catalyst, scoring in the paint and controlling the defensive boards, while guard Camryn Tade provided crucial secondary scoring, finishing with 13 points. Reganne Reardon added 12 points for Army, with 10 coming in the second half.

The most important sequence of the game occurred early in the fourth quarter with Army trailing by four. Over a span of four minutes, the Black Knights unleashed a 10-0 run, fueled by stifling defense that held NJIT without a field goal for nearly six minutes. During this critical stretch, Army forced four NJIT turnovers, which they converted into transition layups for Reardon and Tade. This surge turned a 45-41 deficit into a 51-45 lead with 6:06 remaining, a margin from which the disciplined Black Knights would not look back.

NJIT was led by Alejandra Zuniga, who scored 17 points, though she committed seven turnovers against Army’s persistent defense. Olivia Kulyk added 12 points and seven rebounds, and Marissa Gingrich scored 13, all in the first half. The Highlanders’ offense struggled mightily against Army’s physicality, shooting just 37.5% from the field overall and committing 19 turnovers, which Army converted into 19 points.

The statistical disparity told the story of Army’s comeback. The Black Knights owned a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint and a staggering 16-3 edge in offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points. Army attempted 14 three-pointers, making only two, but compensated by relentlessly attacking the interior. NJIT, meanwhile, cooled off dramatically after its hot start, making only 10 field goals over the final three quarters.

The victory capped a strong regular season for Army, which entered the game as a heavy favorite according to advanced metrics. The Black Knights’ defense, ranked among the nation’s best, lived up to its billing after the first-quarter outburst, holding NJIT to an offensive rating of just 74.6 points per 100 possessions over the final 30 minutes.

For NJIT, the loss halted momentum gained from a late-season surge but highlighted the challenges of sustaining offense against a elite defensive unit. The Highlanders’ early explosion proved insufficient against Army’s relentless rebounding and increasingly efficient half-court execution down the stretch.