Jan. 19, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 1.19.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Like the rest of the Patriot League, Lehigh and Navy are staring up at unbeaten American (6-0) in the current standings. One of them can claim the second spot all to themselves when the pair of 4-2 teams get together in a key Wednesday showdown.

Lafayette and Holy Cross will get the slate started in an Education Day matinee at 11:15 a.m. in Kirby Sports Center. Boston University at American, Army at Colgate and Loyola Maryland at Bucknell round out the day's schedule.

All of the contests, with the exception of Holy Cross-Lafayette, begin at 7 p.m. and all five can be seen on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*Lehigh, Loyola and Navy post road victories; American and Army win at home in Patriot League action over the weekend.
*American (11-6, 6-0) has never lost to Lafayette at home, improving to 20-0 with a 63-44 win Saturday over the Leopards.
*Lehigh (12-4, 4-2) snapped a two game losing streak, rallying for a 66-60 win at Holy Cross.
*Navy (10-7, 4-2) shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the second half of a 65-63 road win over Colgate.
*Army (11-5, 3-3) improved to 23-32 all-time versus Bucknell win a 67-45 win over the Bison Sunday at Christl Arena.
*Bucknell (11-6, 3-3) made only 1-of-14 three-point field goal attempts in a 67-45 loss at Army.
*Lafayette (10-7, 3-3) was outrebounded 37-26 in a 63-44 loss to American on Saturday at Bender Arena.
*Loyola (5-12, 3-3) eclipsed its 2014 Patriot League win total (2) with a 63-53 win at Boston University.
*Holy Cross (6-13, 2-4) lost their third consecutive Patriot League home game in a 66-60 loss to Lehigh.
*Boston University (4-13, 1-5) was missing two players from the starting lineup in a 63-53 home loss to Loyola Maryland.
*Colgate (2-15, 1-5) scored 17 of the final 21 points of the game but came up just short in a 65-63 loss to Navy.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (1.12-1.18)

American junior forward Michelle Holmes and Loyola Maryland freshman guard Bri Betz-White were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Jan. 12-Jan. 18.

Holmes averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in American's Patriot League wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. The Toledo, Ohio native shot nearly 70-percent from the field and also made six of seven free throws. This is the first weekly award in Holme's career.

Betz-White averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals as the Greyhounds split games with Lafayette and Boston University. This is the second Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for the Mechanicsburg, Pa. native.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Jan. 18 goes to Army junior Kelsey Minato, Boston University sophomore Meghan Green, Bucknell sophomore Claire DeBoer and Lehigh senior Katie O'Reilly.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
MICHELLE HOLMES, AMERICAN Jr., F, 6-1; Toledo, Ohio
Holmes delivered two solid performances to help the Eagles remain unbeaten in Patriot League play with wins over Lafayette and Lehigh. The junior forward scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half and set a career-high with five assists Wednesday as American rallied to defeat the Mountain Hawks in overtime. Holmes then netted a career-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Eagles win over Lafayette.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
BRI BETZ-WHITE, LOYOLA MARYLAND Fr., G, 5-3; Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Betz-White helped the Greyhounds earn their first road victory of the season with a career-high 23 points in a 63-53 win at Boston University. The Mechanicsburg, Pa. native shot better than 50-percent from the field and made 11-of-12 free throws against the Terriers. In a loss Wednesday to Lafayette, Betz-White led Loyola in scoring with 15 points and also grabbed five rebounds and recorded a pair of steals.

Honorable Mention

KELSEY MINATO, ARMY Jr., G, 5-8; Huntington Beach, Calif.
Minato averaged 21 ppg and shot nearly 70-percent from the field as the Black Knights posted double-digit wins over Holy Cross and Bucknell.

MEGHAN GREEN, BOSTON UNIVERSITY So., F, 6-0; Bedford, N.H.
Green averaged nearly a double-double with 17 ppg and 9.5 rpg in the Terriers 1-1 week. The sophomore netted 14 points and snared 14 rebounds as BU won its first Patriot League game of the season against Colgate.

CLAIRE DEBOER, BUCKNELL So., F, 6-1; Grosse Pointe, Mich.
DeBoer averaged a double-double with 17 ppg and 11 rpg as Bucknell split a pair of road games at Navy and Army. The sophomore delivered the game-winning basket in the Bison overtime win over Navy.

KATIE O'REILLY, LEHIGH Sr., G/F, 5-11; Colts Neck, N.J.
O'Reilly averaged 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as Lehigh split Patriot League games with American and Holy Cross. The senior scored a career-high 22 points in a road win over the Crusaders.

Patriot League Games

Holy Cross Crusaders (6-13, 2-4) at Lafayette Leopards (10-7, 3-3)
Kirby Sports Center; Easton, Pa. - Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*American and Holy Cross will be meeting for the 60th time when they get together in a Wednesday matinee.
*Lafayette has not defeated Holy Cross since a 43-39 win in Worcester, Mass. on Jan. 9, 2010.
*Holy Cross leads the all-time series 51-8 and has a mark of 21-5 in games played in Easton, Pa.
*Lafayette expects more than 2,000 local school children to attend Wednesday's Education Day contest.
*Wednesday's game will be the 900th game Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons has coached in his 30-year career.
*Lafayette head coach Dianne Nolan has coached 1,070 games in her 38-year coach career.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (12-4, 4-2) at Navy Midshipmen (10-7, 4-2)
Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*The winner of Wednesday's game between Lehigh and Navy will have sole possession of second place behind American.
*Lehigh needs one more win to match its win total from the 2013-14 season when the Mountain Hawks went 13-18.
*Navy leads the all-time series between the two teams 27-26 and has won six straight against the Mountain Hawks
*Lehigh last defeated Navy 57-48 on Feb. 22, 2012 in Annapolis, Md.
*Navy is tops in the Patriot League with 7.8 made three-point field goals per game, which is 23rd nationally.
*Lehigh leads the Patriot League in several offensive categories including scoring (73.7 ppg) and FG% (45.6).

Boston University Terriers (4-13, 1-5) at American Eagles (11-6, 6-0)
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*American and Boston University will be meeting for the sixth time in the all-time series.
*Boston University won the first two meetings between the two teams, but American has won three in a row.
*American defeated Boston U. twice during the 2013-14 season, the Terriers first as a member of the Patriot League.
*BU is the best defensive rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 30.2 per game.
*American features the last three PL Player of the Week award winners - Jen Dumiak (twice) and Michelle Holmes.
*Boston U. averages 57.5 points per game and yields 66.4; American scores 63.5 and gives up 62.1.

Army Black Knights (11-5, 3-3) at Colgate Raiders (2-15, 1-5)
Cotterell Court; Hamilton, N.Y. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate will be trying to end a three-game losing streak when they welcome Army to Cotterell Court on Wednesday.
*Army leads the all-time series between the teams 34-22
*Colgate's won the most recent head-to-head 71-60 on Feb. 19, 2014 and has won three of the last four contests.
*Army freshman guard Daizjah Morris erupted for 22 points in last game which is twice as many as she had scored all year.
*Colgate is the best offensive rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 14.7 per contest.
*Army, the preseason Patriot League favorite, has won two in a row after starting the League campaign 1-3.

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (5-12, 3-3) at Bucknell Bison (11-6, 3-3)
Sojka Pavilion; Lewisburg, Pa. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Bucknell and Loyola Maryland will meet Wednesday for the 13th time in the all-time series.
*Loyola has already eclipsed their 2013-14 Patriot League win total of two following victory of Boston U on Saturday.
*Bucknell leads the all-time series 7-5 and has won five of the six games played in Lewisburg, Pa.
*Loyola freshman Bri Betz-White won her second Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week award.
*Bucknell is the top rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 43.9 per game.
*Loyola Maryland is second in the Patriot League in steals, averaging 8.2 per contest.

Patriot League Notebook

Loyola Maryland Picks up First Road Win of the Season
Three players scored in double figures as Loyola Maryland led wire-to-wire in picking up its first road win of the season, 63-53 on Saturday at Boston University. Lehigh and Navy also won on the road - the Mountain Hawks rallied in the second half for a 66-60 win at Holy Cross and the Mids held off a late charge from Colgate to hang on for a 65-63 victory. American remained unbeaten in the Patriot League with a 63-44 win over Lafayette and Army won its second in a row by downing Bucknell 67-45 on Sunday at Christl Arena.

Lehigh and Navy to Square Off in Battle for Second Place on Wednesday
A pair of 4-2 teams in the Patriot League standings will meet for the first time this season on Wednesday night when Lehigh visits Navy with the winner taking sole possession of second place behind American. Lafayette and Holy Cross will get the day started at 11:15 in the morning they play before more than 2,000 local school children in an Education Day matinee at Kirby Sports Center. In traditional 7 p.m. contests, American welcomes Boston University, Loyola Maryland visits Bucknell and Army travels to Colgate.

Education Day, Field Trip Day a Rousing Success
No matter what you call them, programs that bring school children to Patriot League games have been an undeniable success again in 2014-15. Holy Cross, Lehigh and Loyola are among the institutions that have already conducted these midweek matinee games that combine exciting basketball with a pre-game educational component. Lehigh attracted more than 4,000 local school children to its 85-67 win over Hampton on Dec. 2 and 2,300 Worcester-area kids attended Holy Cross' 4th annual "Get Fit with the Crusaders" contest against UMass-Lowell on Dec. 22. Loyola welcomed roughly 1,700 Baltimore school children to see the Greyhounds face Lafayette on Jan. 14. The Leopards will hold their own event on Jan. 21 against Holy Cross.

Follow the Action on 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.

Jen Dumiak Free Throw Streak Ends at 35
American senior guard Jen Dumiak, in the top 10 nationally in free throw shooting at 93.2%, had her consecutive free throw streak snapped at 35 when she missed the second of two free throws in overtime of the Eagles 75-73 win at Lehigh on Jan. 14. Dumiak, who finished the game with 22 points and nine assists, is also is highly ranked in assists at 6.9 per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.8. A list of other Patriot League players and teams who appear in the top 100 can be found on page 8 of this release.

Holy Cross Team Visits Mercy Centre
Mercy Centre, a division of Catholic Charities in Worcester, Mass. that works with developmentally disabled individuals, received a visit from the Holy Cross Women's Basketball team earlier this month. For the 24th year, the Crusaders played a basketball game against the Mercy Centre Foxes. Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons introduced all of the players and then helped referee the contest. This is one of many community service events the women's basketball team takes part in throughout the year.

Colgate's Harris, Holy Cross' Scott Named `Good Works Team' Nominees
Allstate Insurance Company and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association have announced the candidates for the 2015 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, which includes Colgate senior Carole Harris and Holy Cross junior Raquel Scott among 56 Division I Women's Basketball nominees. This prestigious community service award recognizes a distinguished group of student-athletes who choose to dedicate their limited free time to improving the lives of those around them. The final roster of award recipients will be unveiled in February and members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team will be recognized during the 2015 WBCA Convention and at the 2015 NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa Bay.

Defending Champion Army Picked to Repeat in Patriot League
Army wasn't picked to win the 2014 Patriot League Tournament title, but when the dust settled it was the Black Knights who were advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Black Knights were tabbed to repeat as champion in the preseason poll of League coaches and SIDs who are not eligible to rank their own team. They totaled 159 points to come in front of second-place American, which totaled 132 points and one first-place vote. Bucknell and Holy Cross were tied for the third spot at 123 points, with the Bison receiving two first place votes. They are followed by Lehigh (88), Navy (85), Lafayette (70), Colgate (47), Boston University (39) and Loyola Maryland (34). The Mids, who finished as the regular season champion last season, received the remaining first place vote.

Patriot League Championship, Army-Bucknell on CBS Sports Network
The Patriot League Men's Womens Basketball Championship will be televised on CBS Sports Network again this season on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Also, the Feb. 15 regular season contest pitting defending Patriot League Champion Army against Bucknell will also be carried live by CBS Sports Network at 2 p.m. The Patriot League enters into its 12th straight year in partnership with CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) is the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports. It is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers on Verizon FiOS Channel 94 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 643 (1643 in HD) and via satellite on DIRECTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158.

American Sports Network to Carry Pair of Regular Season Games
The American Sports Network (ASN) will televise a pair Patriot League regular season women's basketball games in January. The Lafayette at Lehigh meeting at 1 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 25 and the Navy at American matchup at 8 p.m. on Tue., Jan. 27 will be carried on Sinclair Broadcast Group's affiliates in select regions of the country. ASN launched in July and has entered into comprehensive sports rights agreements with a number of NCAA Division I conferences, including the Patriot League.

2015 Patriot League Tournament
The 2015 Patriot League Tournament, featuring all 10 schools, begins with the first round on Wednesday, March 4 followed by the quarterfinals two days later. The semifinals will be played on Monday, March 9, with the Patriot League Championship held on Saturday, March 14 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.

AMERICAN Three-time Patriot League Player of the Week Jen Dumiak was content to play the role of facilitator over the weekend, finishing with a career-high 13 assists in the Eagles 53-44 win over Lafayette. The beneficiary of several of Dumiak's dimes was junior forward Michelle Holmes who led all scorers with a career-high 23 points ... When NCAA statistics are updated later this week, Dumiak will likely move into the top 10 in assists per game at 6.9. The senior guard already ranks among the nation leaders in free throw percentage at 93.3 on the season ... American dominated the boards, outrebounding the Leopards 37-26 and also connected on 7-of-16 (43.8%) from behind the arc ... The 6-0 start in the Patriot League is the best for the Eagles since the 2011-12 squad won all 14 regular season League contests.

ARMY The Black Knights got back to .500 in the Patriot League standings with a convincing 67-45 home win Sunday over Bucknell. Kelsey Minato led Army with 25 points, but the Black Knights got a huge boost with 22 points from freshman guard Daizjah Morris. Morris entered the game with just 11 points scored on the season ... Minato shot 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 on three-point field goals. The junior established a Patriot League record by scoring in double figures for the 65th straight game, breaking the mark of 64 set by Bucknell's Molly Creamer from 2001-03 ... Only a junior, Minato also moved into 20th place in the Patriot League all-time scoring list with 1,474 points which is third all-time in the Black Knights record book.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers roster only 10 players and were missing two starters in a 63-53 loss Saturday to Loyola Maryland. Sophomore forward Meghan Green scored 20 points off the bench for Boston University in the loss and senior forward Mollie McKendrick finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Junior guard Troi Melton played the most minutes of her career (32) and responded with a career-high nine rebounds ... Poor shooting from behind the arc and at the charity stripe plagued BU in the loss to the Greyhounds. The Terriers connected only only two of 17 three-point field goal attempts and missed eight of 15 foul shots. Boston University did outrebound Loyola Maryland, however, by a 41-35 margin.

BUCKNELL The Bison suffered their all-time worst loss to Army in a 67-45 setback Sunday at Christl Arena. The 22-point deficit eclipsed a 72-52 home loss to the Black Knights on Feb. 13, 1991. Sophomore forward Claire DeBoer was the only Bucknell player in double figures, leading the visitors with 19 points and nine rebounds ... DeBoer shot 7-of-14 from the floor, but the rest of the team managed only 10-of-38 (26.3%) on the afternoon. The Bison also turned the ball over 17 times (leading to 21 Army points), compared to only seven (leading to 10 Bucknell points) for the hosts ... After scoring 77 points in posting back-to-back wins over Colgate and Lafayette during the first week of January, the Bison have averaged only 47 points over their last three Patriot League games.

COLGATE The Raiders staged a furious comeback against Navy on Saturday, outscoring the Mids 17-2 over a five-minute span to tie the game at 63-all on a three-point field goal by Missy Repoli with eight seconds remaining. Navy escaped Cotterell Court with a 65-63 win on a layup by Hannah Fenske at the buzzer. Mariah Jones led the Raiders with 15 points and Repoli added 13 plus a career-high tying nine rebounds ... The setback marked Colgate's seventh loss this season by eight points or less, and third in the Patriot League by five points or less ... Jones shot 6-of-12 from the floor to lead the Raiders in scoring for the first time this season. She also had three assists in the game and has 262 for her career. Jones needs just nine more to move into Colgate's career top 10.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders watched a nine-point lead dissipate in the second half of a 66-60 home loss to Lehigh. Holy Cross dropped its second straight Patriot League game and fourth in the last five. Senior forward Emily Parker led Holy Cross in scoring with a season-high 13 points and chipped in with three rebounds. After being held scoreless in the first half, junior forward Raquel Scott scored nine second half points and hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds, Junior guard Lisa Mifsud totaled nine points and six assists, while junior center Molly Hourigan posted eight points, eight rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots. Freshman guard Katie Doherty recorded eight points, six rebounds and a personal-best four steals ... Scott scored her 900th collegiate point in the loss to the Mountain Hawks and now has 908 in her career.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards repeated a recent trend of digging themselves a first half hole, but could not recover Saturday in a 63-44 setback to league-leading American at Bender Arena. Lafayette made only 3-of-14 from behind the arc and were out-rebounded 39-26 by the hosts. Senior forward Emily Homan scored 15 points and was the only Lafayette player in double figures on the afternoon. Homan now has 1,380 career points which is 34th all-time in the Patriot League ... Ashley Lutz returned to the Leopards lineup after missing a game due to injury and finished with nine points in 19 minutes of action ... Lafayette has trailed at halftime in all six Patriot League games this season. They have bounced back in the second half to win contests against Army, Boston University and Loyola Maryland in that stretch.

LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks rallied from a nine-point second half deficit to win 66-60 at Holy Cross over the weekend. Senior Katie O'Reilly scored 13 of her career-high 22 points over the final 20 minutes to help Lehigh secure the victory. Sophomore forward Lexi Martins added another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for her 11th of the season. In addition to leading the Mountain Hawks in scoring, O'Reilly also grabbed eight rebounds and same up with three steals ... The win came after Lehigh had suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season and sets up a showdown at Navy on Wednesday. Both teams are currently tied for second place ay 4-2 in the Patriot League standings, two games behind unbeaten American.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds finally grabbed an elusive road victory by defeating Boston University 63-53 Saturday at Case Gym. Bri Betz-White became the first Loyola Maryland freshman since to score 20 or more points in a game since Kara Marshall in 2012. Betz-White netted a career-high 23 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and sinking 11-of-12 free throws. Senior guard Nai Brown and junior guard Colleen Marshall each chipped in with 10 points for the Greyhounds ... Loyola won its third Patriot League game of the season after winning only two League contests a year ago. The Greyhounds are back on the road Wednesday at Bucknell.

NAVY The Mids led by 15 points with 5:21 remaining but needed a layup at the buzzer from freshman guard Hannah Fenske to escape Cotterell Court with a 65-63 win at Colgate. Freshman guard Taylor Dunham scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the second half and also added two assists and four steals. Fenske and senior guard Chloe Stapleton had nine points apiece for the Mids. Freshman forward Marina Muenster had seven points, a team-high eight rebounds and four blocks for Navy ... Fenske was held scoreless in the first half but made four-of-seven second-half shots and Stapleton drained three-of-six three-pointers to go along with four steals.