Jan. 22, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 1.22.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Preseason Patriot League favorite Army got off to a disappointing 1-3 start in the League schedule, but has won three in a row heading into a Saturday showdown with first place American.

Rivals Lafayette and Lehigh get together for the 86th time with the Mountain Hawks looking to even the all-time series at 43-all. The 1 p.m. contest on Sunday will be the first Patriot League Women's basketball game broadcast by American Sports Network live in 33 states on affiliates of Sinclair Broadcasting.

Those two games, plus a trio of 2 p.m. Saturday contests - Boston U. at Bucknell, Colgate at Loyola and Holy Cross at Navy - will also be available on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB
*Army and Holy Cross picked up road victories and American, Bucknell and Navy held serve at home Wednesday night.
*The American (12-6, 7-0) bench outscored the starters 38-37 in a 75-45 home win over Boston University.
*Navy (11-7, 5-2) took sole possession of second place with a 47-44 victory against Lehigh at Alumni Hall.
*Army (12-5, 4-3) moved above .500 in the League standings for the first time this season following a 64-62 win at Colgate.
*Lehigh (12-5, 4-3) lost for the third time in the last four contests, suffering a 47-44 setback at Navy.
*Bucknell (12-6, 4-3) also received tremendous production from the bench with 29 points in a 66-49 home win over Loyola.
*Lafayette (10-8, 3-4) has lost four of six since opening the Patriot League campaign with a 71-60 victory against Army.
*Loyola (5-13, 3-4) was outscored 19-5 over the final 14 minutes of the first half in a 66-49 loss at Bucknell.
*Holy Cross (7-13, 3-4) allowed a season-low 46 points in a 64-46 victory at Lafayette in a Wednesday's matinee.
*Boston University (4-14, 1-6) shot only 25.9% from the field in a 75-45 setback at first place American.
*Colgate (2-16, 1-6) lost its third two-point game in League play as Army scored in the waning seconds of a 64-62 game.

Patriot League Notebook

Army Wins Third Straight Game On Late Field Goal
Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Kelsey Minato scored with four seconds remaining to lift Army to its third straight win, 64-62 Wednesday at Colgate. Navy edged Lehigh 47-44 in a low-scoring affair at Alumni Hall as the Mids took over sole possession of second place behind American. The Eagles remained two games clear of the field, placing five players in double figures in a 75-45 victory over Boston University. Bucknell joined Army and Lehigh in a logjam for third place with a 66-49 win over Loyola Maryland and Holy Cross turned up the defnesive intensity in a 66-49 victory at Lafayette.

American Travels to Surging Army on Saturday
Preseason Patriot League favorite Army got off to a disappointing 1-3 start in the League schedule, but has won three in a row heading in to a Saturday showdown with first place American. In a trio of 2 p.m. games, Boston University travels to Bucknell, Loyola hosts Colgate, and Navy welcomes Holy Cross. The weekend wraps up with the first Patriot League women's basketball game of the season on the American Sports Network as rivals Lafayette and Lehigh meet at Stabler Arena on Sunday at 1 p.m. All five games will also be available on the Patriot League Network.

Dumiak, Minato Among NCAA Leaders in Multiple Categories
Army junior guard Kelsey Minato is in eighth place nationally among Division I players in scoring at 22.1 points per game following a 28-point effort in the Black Knights win over Colgate on Wednesday. American senior guard Jen Dumiak sits just outside of the top 10 in assists at 6.7 per contest which is good for 11th and despite some rare misses this week, both are in the top 25 in free throw shooting with Dumiak at 92.7% (5th) and Minato at 87.2 (22nd). Lafayette's Linnel Macklin is 30thj in that category at 85.7% A list of other Patriot League players and teams who appear in the top 100 can be found on page 8 of this release.

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.

American Enters Women's Mid-Major Poll at #25
After knocking on the door in recent weeks, American University entered the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll at #25 that was released on Jan. 20. The Eagles have won seven straight and also own a victory over Gonzaga (Mid-Major #7) in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout. Additionally, American played the top two teams in the Mid-Major Poll, No. 1 Princeton and No. 2 James Madison, during the first month of the season. Other Patriot League teams receiving votes include Bucknell (11), Army (6) and Lehigh (1).

Army Signs Andrea Wojciechowski to `Letter of Intent'
Andrea Wojciechowski, a Walkill, N.Y. native, signed a national letter of intent on Monday at Nowak Auditorium. Wojciechowski, 12, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia over a year ago and was introduced the Black Knights family through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, an organization that serves children and their families who are battling life-threatening diseases. Andrea was presented with her own locker in the team's locker room, along with a jersey and additional Army women's basketball gear.

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. Sunday's Lafayette at Lehigh game will be broadcast live on Sinclair affiliates in 33 states.

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.

Patriot League Games

Boston University Terriers (4-14, 1-6) at Bucknell Bison (12-6, 4-3)
Sojka Pavilion; Lewisburg, Pa. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Bucknell and Boston University will meet Saturday for the third time since the Terriers joined the Patriot League in 2013.
*The two teams split a pair of meetings in 2014 with each team winning on its home floor.
*Boston University sophomore Meghan Green is 7th in the Patriot League in scoring at 13.1 points per game.
*Bucknell is the top rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 43.9 per game.
*Boston U. averages 56.8 points per game and yields 66.8; Bucknell scores 63.3 and gives up 57.7.
*Bucknell will host its annual Alumni game immediately following Saturday's game with Boston U.

Colgate Raiders (2-16, 1-6) at Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (5-13, 3-4)
Reitz Arena; Baltimore, Md. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate and Loyola will meet Saturday for the third time since the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League in 2013.
*The two teams split a pair of meetings in 2014 with each team winning on the opponents court.
*Colgate won the most recent meeting 67-65 on Feb. 20, 2014 on a bank shot by Randyll Butler in overtime.
*Loyola Maryland eclipsed its 2014 Patriot League win total with a 63-53 win over Boston U. on Jan. 17.
*Colgate is the best offensive rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 14.3 per contest.
*Loyola is second in the Patriot League with 8.4 steals per game.

Holy Cross Crusaders (7-13, 3-4) at Navy Midshipmen (11-7, 5-2)
Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Navy and Holy Cross will meet for the 56th time in series history Saturday in Annapolis, Md.
*Holy Cross holds a 39-16 advantage in the all-time series.
*Navy won both regular season games against Holy Cross last season in Worcester (60-53) and in Annapolis (64-57).
*Holy Cross snapped the Mids seven game win streak in the series with a win in the 2014 Patriot League semifinals.
*Navy is tops in the Patriot League with 7.7 made three-point field goals per game, which is 28th nationally.
*Holy Cross won its 700th game in program history on Wednesday and is now 700-429 in their 41-year history.

American Eagles (12-6, 7-0) at Army Black Knights (12-5, 4-3)
Christl Arena; West Point, N.Y. - Saturday, 3 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two of the hottest teams in the Patriot League get together Saturday when American heads to Army.
*American has won seven straight games while Army has won three in a row.
*Army won all three meetings in 2014 including a 68-55 victory in the Patriot League semifinals.
*The last American victory was 45-42 during the 2012-13 season.
*American moved into the CollegeInsider.com rankings this week at No. 25.
*Army junior guard Kelsey Minato eclipsed the 1,500 point barrier and is now 19th all-time in the Patriot League at 1,502.

Lafayette Leopards (10-8, 3-4) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks (12-5, 4-3)
Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa. - Saturday 1 p.m.
Coverage: American Sports Network, Patriot League Network
*Lafayette and Lehigh will meet for the 86th time Saturday at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.
*Lehigh needs one more win to match its win total from the 2013-14 season when the Mountain Hawks went 13-18.
*Lafayette leads the all-time series between the teams 43-42.
*The teams split a pair of meetings in 2014 with each team winning on its home court.
*Lafayette is the best free throw shooting team in the Patriot League at 74.5% which is 27th nationally.
*Lehigh leads the Patriot League in several offensive categories including scoring (71.9 ppg) and FG% (44.8)

Team Notebooks

AMERICAN The Eagles bench outscored the starters 38-37 on Wednesday night in a 75-45 win over visiting Boston University. Freshman Emily Kinneston led all scorers with a career-high 15 points in a reserve role and junior guard Ari Booth and sophomore forward Lauren Crisler came off the bench to contribute 10 and nine points, respectively. Senior guard Jen Dumiak was one of five American players to score in double figures, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists ... After Boston U. scored the opening basket of the game, the Eagles responded with an 8-0 run and led the rest of the way ... American was ranked #25 in the CollegeInsider.com poll that was released on Tuesday. The Eagles have played three of the top 10 teams in the poll, defeating #7 Gonzaga and losing to #1 Princeton and #2 James Madison.

ARMY The Black Knights snapped a two game losing streak at Colgate when junior guard Kelsey Minato sank a runner with four seconds remaining for a 64-62 victory at Cotterell Court. Minato led all scorers with 28 points and also had five rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Olivia Schretzman was the only other Army player in double figures with 10 ... Freshman guard Daizjah Morris appeared in the starting lineup for the first time in her career after scoring 22 points in a win Sunday over Bucknell ... The Black Knights hit 12-of-20 shots from the field in the second half after making only 6-of-20 over the first 20 minutes. Minato was hot from everywhere on the court, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range and 9-of-10 from the foul line.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers had trouble sinking shots, including second efforts, in a 75-45 loss Wednesday at American. Despite grabbing 15 offensive rebounds, Boston University was only able to turn that into 13 points on an evening where they shot 25.9 percent from the field. Against the Eagles, sophomore forward Meghan Green led the Terriers with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds and junior guard Troi Melton matched her career-high with 11 points ... Boston University played the game with only nine healthy players after sophomore guard Sarah Hope, the Terriers second-leading scorer, went down with a knee injury two minutes into Saturday's loss to Loyola ... The 25.9 percent field goal percentage against American was a season low for Boston University.

BUCKNELL The Bison bounced back from a 20-point loss on Sunday to defeat Loyola Maryland 66-49 at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell connected on 8-of-16 shots from behind the arc and finished the first half on a 19-5 run that featured two 3-pointers by senior forward Audrey Dotson and one by junior guard Claire Maree O'Bryan. Dotson and O'Bryan led the Bison attack with 13 points apiece and sophomore forward Claire DeBoer grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists ... O'Bryan came off of the bench for the first time this season and the reserves responded with 29 points including a career-high eight from freshman forward Catherine Romaine on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field ... Bucknell will host its annual Alumni Game immediately following the conclusion of Saturday's contest between the Bison and Terriers.

COLGATE The Raiders lost a second-straight game in similar fashion as visiting Army scored in the waning seconds to emerge with a 64-62 victory at Cotterell Court. This result comes on the heels of Navy's buzzer-beater for a 65-62 win on Saturday. Senior forward Carole Harris scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Colgate. Junior guard Paige Kriftcher and senior guard Missy Repoli contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively ... Senior guard Mariah Jones hit a jumper in the lane with 23 seconds remaining to tie the score at 62-all before Army junior guard Kelsey Minato responded with a runner in the lane with four seconds left for the game-winner ... Wednesday was the third two-point loss in Patriot League play for the Raiders this season (Army, Bucknell and Navy).

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders held an opponent to a season-low 46 points in a 64-46 win at Lafayette in a matinee at Kirby Sports Center. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Holy Cross and also was the 700th win in program history. Freshman guard Katie Doherty scored a game- and career-high 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting that included a trio of three-pointers. Junior forward Raquel Scott recorded her ninth double-double of the season and the 28th of her career with 13 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with a game-high six assists ... In addition to being the 700th win in program history, another milestone was reached as Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons coached the 900th game of his 30-year career ... Freshman guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed has drilled 18 consecutive free-throws, which is eight away from tying the Holy Cross consecutive free-throws made record of 26 set by Maggie Fontana in 2004-05.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards took an early 8-2 lead in a matinee on Wednesday, but could not sustain the momentum in a 64-46 setback to Holy Cross. Freshman guard Anna Ptasinski scored a career-high 13 points in her first collegiate start and senior forward Emily Homan finished with a double-double, 12 points and 10 rebounds for Lafayette. Senior guard Maddie Peabody scored 10 points and tied her career-high with four steals ... The Leopards shot a season-low 26.7 percent from the field and the 46 points were second lowest on the season after scoring 44 in a loss to American on Saturday ... The planned Education Day program with the Easton Area School District was canceled due to inclement weather.

LEHIGH After scoring 70 or more points in 11 of their first 12 games, the Mountain Hawks have hit the number only once -- in an overtime loss -- over the past five contests. Lehigh scored a season low in a 47-44 loss at Navy on Wednesday, shooting 31 percent (18-for-58) from the field and 25 percent (5-for-20) from three-point range. Sophomore forward Lexi Martins tallied her 12th double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds and junior forward added nine points, 11 rebounds and a season-best six assists ... Despite the loss, the 47 points scored by Navy did represent a season-low by an opponent. The Lehigh defense limited the Mids to 27.7 percent (18-for-65) clip from the field, but the Mids shot 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) from behind the arc.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds received the first career double-double from junior forward Jeneh Perry but came up short in a 66-49 setback Wednesday at Bucknell. Perry led Loyola Maryland with 12 points and 10 rebounds, including six offensive boards and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. All nine Greyhounds who saw action made at least one field goal, but the visitors shot an anemic 16-for-62 (25.8%) from the field and made only 2-of-14 (14.3%) from behind the arc ... After scrapping back to tie the score at 15-all midway through the first half, Loyola was outscored 19-5 heading into halftime.

NAVY The five Patriot League victories for the Mids so far this season have been by six points or less and are by a total of 17 points. Navy earned its third three-point League victory on Wednesday night, scoring the final five points to pull out a 47-44 squeaker. Freshman guard Hannah Fenske hit a three-point field goal and two free throws in the final minutes to seal the win. Fenske led the Mids with 11 points and eight rebounds and freshman guard Taylor Dunham chipped in with 10 points ... The largest Patriot League win of the season for Navy was six points over Boston University ... The 11 points and eight rebounds for Fenske represent new career highs ... The Mids are currently in sole possession of second place in the Patriot League standings, two games behind American and one game ahead of Army, Bucknell and Lehigh.

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-Whiteled 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.