Women's Basketball Release 1.1.16 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- Now that all ten teams have opened their Patriot League season, they'll continue the long road ahead on Saturday. Holy Cross hosts Navy to open the day's action, with tipoff at 1 p.m. Three games will be played at 2 p.m. -- Army West Point at Bucknell, Lafayette at Loyola Maryland, Lehigh at Boston University -- and Colgate will close out the day by hosting American at 4 p.m. All five games can be seen on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB
* All five teams will continue the Patriot League slate this weekend on Saturday.
* All five contests can be seen on the Patriot League Network.
* On Wednesday, Holy Cross, Loyola Maryland, Bucknell, and Army West Point all earned League wins.
* Army West Point and Bucknell both won its League opener and will play on Saturday.
* All five teams that won their League openers scored 50 points or more.
* Navy will open the day’s action at Holy Cross on Saturday at 1 p.m.
* Three teams will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday: Army at Bucknell, Lafayette at Loyola, Lehigh at Boston U.
* Colgate will host American to close out Saturday’s schedule at 4 p.m.
* Lehigh was held to its lowest point-total scored so far this season in its 63-39 loss to Army West Point.

Patriot League Notebook
2015 Highlights
While many accomplishments and milestones were reached in the few months since the season began, there were a handful of standout performances that happened to close out 2015. Army West Point’s Kelsey Minato became the first women’s basketball player at the academy to reach 2,000 career points and is just one of three women’s players to reach the feat in Patriot League history. Navy tied Wisconsin’s NCAA record -- from the 1998-99 season -- for the most consecutive overtime games in a row of four and is one game shy of tying the record for the most overtime games in a single season (six, which is also held by the ‘98-’99 Wisconsin team). To open the Patriot League slate, Colgate senior Josie Stockill set an NCAA individual game-high of 13 blocks. The denials also set two new Patriot League records, erasing the five-year old mark of 12 blocks in a single game as well as Kathy Courtney’s mark of 11 blocks in a Patriot League game (Holy Cross vs. Navy on March, 5 1994). With the Patriot League slate just beginning, there’s no telling what is in store for 2016.

The Patriot League Slate Continues To Ring in the New Year
All 10 women’s basketball teams will be in action on Saturday to ring in the New Year, playing in the first games on the schedule for 2016. As the Patriot League schedule continues, all five contests this weekend can be seen on the Patriot League Network. Saturday’s action kicks off at 1 p.m. with Navy visiting Holy Cross. Three games are set for a 2 p.m. tipoff, as Army West Point pays Bucknell a visit, Lafayette heads to Baltimore to play Loyola Maryland, and Lehigh travels to Boston University. American will cap off the day’s action at Colgate, with the game beginning at 4 p.m.

Follow the Action on the Patriot League Network
Once again, the Patriot League will partner with Campus Insiders on the Patriot League Network, a streaming platform that will enable fans to watch League regular season and postseason events for free. With the exception of the contests on CBS Sports Network, all home games both in non-League and Patriot League play will feature free live streaming on PLN.

Holy Cross, Loyola, Bucknell, and Army Join Colgate, Earn First League Win
While Colgate and Lafayette opened the Patriot League season on Tuesday, Dec. 22 in Easton with the Raiders coming out on top, 72-59, the remaining eight teams began the slate on Wednesday, Dec. 30. Playing in the final games on the schedule in 2015, Holy Cross, Loyola Maryland, Bucknell, and Army West Point all captured wins and joined Colgate at the top of the standings.

Five Players Score 20 Points or More in League Opener
Now that all ten teams have played their Patriot League openers, five different players finished with at least 20 points in the first game of the slate. As Colgate and Lafayette opened the League play before the other eight, seniors Josie Stockill and Jamie O’Hare each posted career-highs. Stockill tallied a career-best 27 points (in addition to 13 blocks). to lead the Raiders to victory. O’Hare netted career-high 26 points in the loss. On Wednesday, freshman Kaitlyn Slagus led Bucknell to a ten-point victory over Navy, scoring 21 points in her first Patriot League contest. Army West Point sophomore Janae McNeal and Holy Cross sophomore Infiniti Thomas-Waheed both led their teams to season-opening victories, as each scored 20 points. In addition, 14 other players reached double figures in points.

Patriot League Among NCAA Statistics
There a handful of players and teams that rank among the top in NCAA Division I. With her stellar performance against Lafayette to open to Patriot League season, Colgate senior Josie Stockill set an NCAA individual game-high of 13 blocks -- setting a new Patriot League record -- and now leads the nation with 4.55 blocked shots per game. The Napier, New Zealand native also is right behind Chattanooga’s Jasmine Joyner -- the leader with 52 blocked shots -- with 50 blocks this season. Stockill’s 13 blocks also helped the Raiders to an NCAA team game-high of 18 blocks, and as a team, Colgate is third with 7.0 blocked shots per game. Stockill isn’t the only individual from the Patriot League to rank among the nation’s best. Lehigh’s Lexi Martins still ranks at No. 1 in defensive rebounds per game (10), No. 3 in rebounds (176), and is also at No. 2 in rebounds per game (14.7). There are several other players in the League as well as teams that are among the Nation's Top 25 statistically, which can be found on the fifth page of this document.

Patriot League Championship, Army-Navy on CBS Sports Network
Both matchups between Army West Point and Navy this season are scheduled to air on CBS Sports Network, with the first of the two being played at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, January 23 at 11:30 a.m. as part of a double-header feature with the men’s teams. A second double-header featuring the Army West Point and Navy squads is on tap for Saturday, February 20, this time from Annapolis with the women tipping off at 11 a.m. CBS Sports Network will also televise the 2016 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championships, for the seventh year in a row, on Saturday, March 12 at 6 p.m.
CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

American Sports Network to Carry Pair of Regular Season Games
American Sports Network will broadcast two women’s basketball contests, beginning with action between Holy Cross and Lehigh in Bethlehem , Pa. on Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m. The ASN schedule concludes with the regular season as Bucknell visits Lafayette on Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m.
American Sports Network is a sports programming initiative of Sinclair Networks Group, a division of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. Sinclair’s television group reaches approximately 37.5% of US television households and includes FOX, ABC, MyTV, CW, CBS, NBC, Univision and Azteca affiliates.

2016 Patriot League Tournament
The 2016 Patriot League Tournament, featuring all 10 teams, begins with the first round on Wednesday, March 5 followed by the quarterfinals two days later. The semifinals will be played on Friday, March 11, with the Patriot League Championship held on Saturday, March 12 at 6 p.m. The first round, quarterfinal and semifinal games will be shown on Patriot League Network, with the championship on CBS Sports Network. All Patriot League Tournament games will be played at the site of the higher seed.

Team Notebook
AMERICAN (2-10, 0-1) The Eagles were outscored 12-2 in the final five minutes in their League in Baltimore, falling to Loyola Maryland on Wednesday, 52-46 ... It was a back-and-forth contest and featured six ties and 15 lead changes ... American went on a 5-0 run early in the fourth quarter for a 44-40 advantage with five minutes remaining ... However, the Greyhounds took a 49-46 lead with 49 seconds on the clock ... Freshman Kaitlyn Lewis led the Eagles wtih 10 points and a team-high four assists ... Senior Ari Booth and freshman Cecily Carl were right behind with eight points each.

ARMY WEST POINT (10-1, 1-0) The Black Knights forced 24 turnovers and finished with 13 steals en route to a 63-39 win over Lehigh on Wednesday ... Army improved to 29-30 all-time versus the Mountain Hawks, is now 7-0 at home this season, and earned its 14th-straight regular-season win at Christl Arena ... Sophomore Janae McNeal made her sixth stats of the season and led all scorers and finished with a career-high 20 points ... Senior Kelsey Minato was right behind with 19 points and also posted a season-high seven assists and a career-best six steals and six rebounds

BOSTON UNIVERSITY (0-12, 0-1) The Terriers dropped its home League opener to Holy Cross, 60-41, and have fallen to 0-12 on the season ... Boston University also lost its first in the inaugural Turnpike Trophy series with the Crusaders but hold a 5-1 lead on the year ... BU struggled to overcome Holy Cross’ quick start and eventual 20-point lead halfway through the game but the Terriers finished with the advantage in rebounds (42-38) and points in the paint (24-18) ... Sophomore Corrine Williams secured her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-bests 12 rebounds ... Classmate Kara Sheftic chipped in eight points along with eight boards ... Fellow sophomore Erin Bayram tallied six points, shooting 3-for-3 from the field.

BUCKNELL (7-5, 1-0) The Bison edged out Navy on Wednesday in their League opener in Annapolis, outscoring the Mids in the fourth quarter 22-15 for a 51-41 victory ... After totaling 29 points as a team through the first three quarters, the Bison surged ahead with 22 in the fourth quarter alone ... Freshman Kaitlyn Slagus tallied a career-high 21 points, netting 17 in the second half ... Of those 17, she scored 13-straight points between the third and fourth quarters to give Bucknell a 38-28 advantage ... Junior Claire DeBoer also reached double-digit points, finishing with 13 ... She also hauled in nine rebounds, as did sophomore Jacquie Klotz.

COLGATE (3-8, 1-0) The Raiders added its third win of the season, a 52-50 decision over Siena on Monday, Dec. 28, after opening the Patriot League slate with a 72-59 win over host Lafayette on Dec. 22 ... Colgate never trailed to the home team at any point of the contest … Napier, New Zealand native Josie Stockill had a career night, posting personal game-bests of 27 points and 13 blocks … The senior set an NCAA individual-game high and a Patriot League record with her double-figures in blocks, and she is now the program’s all-time leader in blocks with 182 … Stockill’s defense also helped the Raiders total 18 blocks as a team, also an NCAA team game-high … Senior Randyll Butler also posted a double-double, notching 10 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Paige Kriftcher chipped in 16 points and junior Katie Curtis posted 11.

HOLY CROSS (4-8, 1-0) The Crusaders defeated Boston University on Wednesday, 60-41, on the road to earn the first point in the Turnpike Trophy rivalry series and to win its League opener ... A pair of 8-0 runs in the first half gave Holy Cross a 13-point, 23-10, advantage and the closest the Terriers were unable to come any closer than 12 points the remainder of the way … The Crusaders held the statistical edge in assists (15-9), points off turnovers (14-12) and second-chance points (11-8) … Sophomore Infiniti Thomas-Waheed scored a game high for the Crusaders as well as a career high of 20 points … Thomas-Waheed also recorded six rebounds, three blocks and also had a career-high five steals ... Senior Molly Hourigan had a game-high 13 rebounds and added four blocked shots, earning the game’s most valuable player.

LAFAYETTE (2-9, 0-1) Playing in the University of Virginia Cavalier Classic, the Leopards dropped a pair of contests in the tournament ... Lafayette was held to single-digit points in three out of the four quarters against Richmond, falling on Monday 54-46 ... The Leopards then held a 43-36 lead over Coppin State on Tuesday, with 4:24 left in the third quarter ... However, the Eagles went on an 18-2 run over the next 9:52 of play and Lafayette committed 12 of its season-high 27 turnovers in the final 14 minutes of the eventual 64-57 setback ... It’s the third consecutive loss for the Leopards, after dropping their League home-opener to Colgate on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 72-59 … Senior Jamie O’Hare tallied a career-high 26 points, shooting 11-of-21.

LEHIGH (7-5, 0-1) The Mountain Hawks struggled offensively, despite a strong defensive first half, and dropped its League opener to Army West Point on the road, 63-39 ... Lehigh held the Black Knights to a 27.6 (8-for-29) field-goal percentage in the first half but a 63.0 (17-for-27) second half by Army paved the way for the win and overall mark of 44.6 (25-of-56) ... The Mountain Hawks had a stronger second half, shooting 45.8 percent, but finished with a 28.8 percent from the field and was just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc ... Sophomore Quinci Mann led the team with 13 points, while junior Lexi Martins was right behind with 10 points and eight rebounds.

LOYOLA MARYLAND (4-8, 1-0) The Greyhounds welcomed the defending Patriot League champions to Reitz Arena, where they edged out the visiting Eagles 52-46 thanks in large part to senior Colleen Marshall, who knocked down the game-winning three-pointer with 1:32 to play … She scored a game-high 17 points, while classmate Jeneh Perry pitched in 12 … It was a tough battle from the get go, as the two teams traded points throughout the first half – which had three tied scores and nine lead changes … Senior Steph Smith, who finished with a game-high eight rebounds, converted on a layup as time expired to give Loyola a 24-22 advantage at the break … The Eagles took a 44-40 lead in the fourth quarter but Marshall scored nine of the next 11 points to put Loyola back in front, 49-46 with 49 seconds left in the game … The Greyhounds tacked on a trio of free throws and earned their first win over American since joining the League in 2013.

NAVY (6-6, 0-1) The Mids dropped their League home opener on Wednesday to Bucknell, 51-41 ... The Bison’s 4-for-4 effort from three-point land in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, gave the visitors the cushion it needed to seal the win ... Despite the loss, Navy forced Bucknell to turnover the ball 28 times, to its 15 ... The Mids also held the advantage in steals, 11-3 ... Sophomore Taylor Dunham led the team with nine points and also hauled in four rebounds ... Junior Ashanti Kennedy was right behind with eight points, while teammate Justice Swett had a game-high four steals.