Jan. 26, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 1.26.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The final games of the first half of the Patriot League women's basketball schedule will be spread across three days as a winter storm plays havoc with travel plans.

The second American Sports Network broadcast in the last three days is scheduled to proceed as planned as American hosts Navy at 8 p.m. in Bender Arena. A list of Sinclair Broadcast Group affiliates featuring the matchup can be found here.

The remaining contests will be split between Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Colgate and Lafayette and Bucknell at Lehigh will tipoff 7 p.m. Wednesday as originally planned. Loyola Maryland at Holy Cross and Army at Boston University will be pushed to Thursday at 7 p.m. due to the anticipated impact of Winter Storm Juno on the New England region.

All five contests will be available on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB
*Army, Bucknell, Lehigh and Navy emerged from the weekend at 5-3 and in a four-way tie for second in the PL standings.
*American (12-7, 7-1) lost for the first time since Dec. 28 following a 68-60 road loss to Army.
*Lehigh (13-5, 5-3) evened the all-time series with Lafayette at 43-all with a 65-60 win over the Pards on Sunday.
*Army (13-5, 5-3) won its fourth in a row and handed American its first League loss 65-60 Saturday at Christl Arena.
*Bucknell (13-6, 5-3) moved into a four-way tie for second place in the Patriot League with a 72-56 win over Boston U.
*Navy (11-8, 5-3) struggled from the field in a 60-44 loss to Holy Cross on Saturday at Alumni Hall.
*Holy Cross (8-13, 4-4) continued to turn up the defensive intensity in a 60-44 win over Navy.
*Lafayette (10-9, 3-5) dropped its third in a row Sunday with a 65-60 loss to rival Lehigh at Stabler Arena.
*Loyola (5-14, 3-5) shot under 30-percent from the field in a 72-45 home loss Saturday to Colgate.
*Colgate (3-16, 2-6) posted its largest League win in nearly 20 years with a 72-45 victory at Loyola Maryland.
*Boston University (4-15, 1-7) faded in the second half of a 72-56 loss Saturday at Bucknell.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (1.19-1.25)

Army junior guard Kelsey Minato and Holy Cross freshman guard Katie Doherty were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Jan. 19-Jan. 25.

Minato averaged 27.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in Army's Patriot League wins over Colgate and American. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native shot better than 50-percent from the field and 94-percent from the free throw line. This is the second weekly award for Minato this season and ninth all-time.

Doherty averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals as Holy Cross swept road contests from Lafayette and Navy. This is the first Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for the Holbrook, N.Y. native.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Jan. 25 goes to Bucknell sophomore Claire DeBoer, Colgate junior Josie Stockill, Holy Cross junior Raquel Scott and Lafayette senior Emily Homan.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
KELSEY MINATO, ARMY Jr., G, 5-8; Huntington Beach, Calif.
Minato helped the Black Knights extend their winning streak to four games with standout performances in wins over Colgate and American. The junior netted 28 points, including the game-winner with four seconds remaining, in a 64-62 win Wednesday at Colgate. Minato followed that up with 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line as Army handed American its first Patriot League loss of the season.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
KATIE DOHERTY, HOLY CROSS Fr., G, 5-10; Holbrook, N.Y.
Doherty played a pivotal role in guiding the Crusaders to back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly a month. The freshman scored a career and game-high 16 points Wednesday as Holy Cross knocked off Lafayette 64-46. Doherty shot 5-for-8 from the field against the Leopards -- including 3-of-4 from behind the arc -- in a road win. The Crusaders posted their second straight double-digit road win on Saturday as Doherty contributed seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in a victory at Navy.

Honorable Mention

CLAIRE DEBOER, BUCKNELL So., F, 6-1; Grosse Pointe, Mich.
DeBoer scored a career-high 27 points on 8-for-8 shooting from the floor and 11-for-14 from the charity stripe in a win over Boston University.

JOSIE STOCKILL, COLAGTE Jr., F, 6-3; Napier, New Zealand
Stockill set career highs in points (19) and rebounds (15) as the Raiders posted their largest Patriot League win in nearly 20 years Saturday at Loyola Maryland.

RAQUEL SCOTT, HOLY CROSS Jr., F, 6-0; Ridgewood, N.J.
Scott averaged 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as the Crusaders post road wins last week at Lafayette and Navy.

EMILY HOMAN, LAFAYETTE Sr., F, 6-3; Upper Darby, Pa.
Homan averaged a double-double for the week with 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Leopards.

Patriot League Games

Navy Midshipmen (11-8, 5-3) at American Eagles (12-7, 7-1)
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C. - Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Coverage: American Sports Network, Patriot League Network
*Second place Navy wraps up the first half of Patriot League schedule at first place American.
*The game will be shown on Sinclair Broadcast Group affiliates in 17 states plus the District of Columbia.
*American holds a 24-20 advantage over Navy in the all-time series.
*The teams split a pair of games in 2014 with each team winning on its home court.
*American moved in to the CollegeInsider.com rankings on Jan. 20 at No. 25.
*Navy has had three different players tabbed as the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week

Colgate Raiders (3-16, 2-6) at Lafayette Leopards (10-9, 3-5)
Kirby Sports Center; Easton, Pa. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate trails Lafayette by one game in the Patriot League standings heading into Wednesday's contest.
*Lafayette leads the all-time series between the two teams 34-28 and swept a pair of meetings in 2014.
*Colgate's most recent win over the Leopards was 39-37 during the 2012-13 season.
*Lafayette senior forward Emily Homan is second in Patriot League scoring at 17.7 points per game.
*Colgate is the best offensive rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 14.3 per contest.
*Lafayette is second in the Patriot League in free throw shooting (74.1%) and 3-point FG defense (28.3%).

Bucknell Bison (13-6, 5-3) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks (13-5, 5-3)
Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa. - Wednesday 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*A pair of 5-3 teams wrap up the first half of the Patriot League schedule Wednesday at Stabler Arena
*Lehigh leads the all-time series between the teams 41-34.
*Bucknell has won three of the last four meetings, including sweeping a pair of regular season contests in 2014.
*Lehigh is 10-2 when scoring 70 or more points this season.
*Bucknell has won four of its last five road contests .
*Lehigh leads the Patriot League in scoring offense at 71.6 points per game.

Army Black Knights (12-5, 4-3) at Boston University Terriers (4-14, 1-6)
Case Gym; Boston, Mass. - Thursday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Army and Boston University will wrap up the Patriot League first half a day later than expected due to inclement weather.
*The all-time series between the two teams is tied 3-3, with the Black Knights winning all three meetings in 2014.
*Army defeated Boston University 49-45 in the quarterfinal round of the 2014 Patriot League Tournament.
*Boston University won three straight meetings from 1979-81 by an average score of 72-61.
*Army leads the Patriot League in scoring defense (54.0 ppg) and scoring margin (+9.6).
*Boston University plays three of its next four games at home after making a two-game road trip last week.

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (5-14, 3-5) at Holy Cross Crusaders (8-13, 4-4)
Hart Center, Worcester, Mass. - Thursday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Holy Cross will host Loyola Maryland Thursday in a game pushed back one day die to inclement weather in the northeast.
*Loyola Maryland won in its last trip to Massachusetts, defeating Boston U. 63-53 back on Jan. 17.
*Holy Cross has struggled to a 2-4 mark at home this season, including 0-3 in Patriot League play.
*Loyola Maryland posted its only win over the Crusaders on Dec. 28, 1999 - 67-54 in the St. Joseph's Classic.
*Holy Cross leads the all-time series between the teams 3-1 and swept a pair of meetings in 2014.
*Loyola has already eclipsed its 2014 Patriot League win total (two) with wins over Navy, Boston U. and Lehigh.

Patriot League Notebook

American Suffers First Patriot League Loss at Hands of Red-Hot Army
Army continues to rebound from a slow start to the Patriot League season by posting its fourth straight win, this time handing first place American its first loss of the season, 65-60 Saturday at Christl Arena. The Black Knights win, coupled with victories by Bucknell and Lehigh as well as Navy's loss to Holy Cross created a four-team logjam at 5-3 in second place behind the Eagles. After a couple of near-misses lately, Colgate put it all together Saturday at Loyola Maryland and posted its largest League win in nearly 20 years by posting a 27-point victory.

Winter Storm `Juno' Alters Midweek Schedule
An impending winter storm means Patriot League games will be spread across three nights this week as Loyola at Holy Cross and Army at Boston U. have been moved to Thursday at 7 p.m. The American Sports Network will broadcast its second game of the season at 8 p.m. on Tuesday when American hosts Navy. The contest will be shown on Sinclair Broadcast Group affiliates in 17 states plus the District of Columbia. Wednesday's 7 p.m. matchups include a battle between second place teams when Bucknell visits Lehigh plus Colagte at Lafayette. All five midweek contests can be seen on the Patriot League Network.

Dumiak, Minato Among NCAA Leaders in Multiple Categories
Army junior guard Kelsey Minato is in the top 10 nationally among Division I players in scoring at 22.6 points per game following 26 points in the Black Knights win over first place American. The two-time Patriot League Player of the Year also sank all seven of her free throw attempts against the Eagles and moved into the NCAA top 20 at 88.2%. American senior guard Jen Dumiak leads the Patriot League in free throw shooting at 93.1% and assists at 6.5 per contest. Both figures have Dumiak among the national leaders in those categories. A list of 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 had won seven straight prior to Satyrday's loss at Army 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.

Team Notebooks

AMERICAN The Eagles lost for the first time since a Dec. 28 setback at Wake Forest, suffering their first Patriot League loss 68-60 at Army. American cut a 12-point deficit to three with just over three minutes remaining, but the Black Knights were able to connect on free throws down the stretch to thwart the comeback. Senior guard Jen Dumiak scored 19 points for the Eagles, senior forward Arron Zimmerman netted a season-high 16 and junior forward Michelle Holmes added 15 points and nine rebounds ... American will host Navy in an 8 p.m. contest on Tuesday that will be broadcast by the American Sports Network on Sinclair Broadcast Group affiliates in 17 states and the District of Columbia. This will be the second Patriot League women's basketball game broadcast by ASN.

ARMY The Black Knights are the new hot team in the Patriot League, handing first place American its first League loss and winning their fourth in a row. Junior guard Kelsey Minato scored 26 points in Army's 68-60 victory and junior forward Aimee Oertner netted 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior forward Olivia Schretzman made 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to help secure the win and finished with 13 ... The Black Knights improve to 8-1 this season at Christl Arena ... The 17 points by Oertner were two shy of her career high of 19 set earlier this season in a win over Manhattan ... Minato has eclipsed the 1,500 point barrier and moved into the top 20 all-time in Patriot League scoring with 1,528 points (19th).

BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers remained winless on the road this season following a 72-56 setback at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. Boston University engaged the Bison in a see-saw first half that saw 13 lead changes, but the Bison went on an 18-5 run midway through the second half to put the game out of reach. Junior guard Troi Melton scored 13 of her career-high 16 points in the first half for the Terriers and sophomore forward Meghan Green added 14 points and five rebounds ... Freshman guard Meghan Doogan came off the bench to score eight second half points for Boston University as the Terrier bench outscored their Bucknell counterparts 22-12 ... Melton played 36 minutes and also snatched three of BU's 10 steals as the Terriers forced a total of 18 turnovers.

BUCKNELL The Bison used an 18-5 run midway through the second half to break open a close game and pull away for a 72-56 win over Boston University. Bucknell moved into a second place tie with Army, Lehigh and Colgate with a 5-3 League record. Sophomore forward scored 18 of her career-high 27 points in the second half against the Terriers. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and 11-of-14 from the foul line on the afternoon. Senior forward Audrey Dotson added 18 points, three assists and three steals ... The Bison have won three of their last four games heading into a second place showdown with Lehigh on Wednesday .. Bucknell leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 33.6% on the season.

COLGATE After a couple of heartbreaking last second losses, the Raiders broke through in a big way for their largest Patriot League win in nearly 20 years following a 72-45 victory Saturday at Loyola Maryland. Junior forward Josie Stockill scored Colgate's first eight points in the game and finished with career-highs of both 19 points and 15 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. All told, Colgate placed four players in double figures as Paige Kriftcher (13), Carole Harris (11) and Missy Repoli (10) contributed to the largest margin of victory since a 78-50 win over Army on Feb. 18, 1995 ... The Raiders held an opponent to a season-low 29.4% from the field in the win at Reitz Arena.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders have flipped the switch on the defensive end in hold back-to-back opponents under 50 points in winning consecutive games for the first time since December. One game after holding Lafayette to a season-best 46 points on Wednesday, Holy Cross did even better in a 60-44 win at Navy on Saturday. Junior forward Raquel Scott posted 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists and junior guard Lisa Mifsud totaled 13 points, four assists and three rebounds for the Crusaders ... head coach Bill Gibbons won his 250th Patriot League game earlier in the week and now has 251 in his 30-year career ... With New England forecast to get hammered by a winter storm early this week, the Crusaders opcoming game at the Hart Center against Loyola Maryland was pushed to 7 p.m. on Thursday.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards dropped their third straight contest and ninth in a row at Stabler Arena in a 65-60 setback to rival Lehigh Sunday in a game broadcast on the American Sports Network. Senior forward Emily Homan recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Jamie O'Hare added 14 points and six assists for Lafayette. Senior guard Maddie Peabody chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds ... The all-time series between the two teams is now square at 43-all as the Mountain Hawks have won 13 of the last 16 ... Sunday marked the 20th straight game that Homan has scored in double figures ... Homan was also named one of 30 candidates for the national Senior CLASS Award for her role as a leader on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks used a 19-9 run during the middle of the second half and held off a late Lafayette rally to defeat their rival 65-60 Sunday at Stabler Arena. Freshman guard Quinci Mann sparked the run with nine of her team-high 15 points -- all of which came in the second half. Senior Sarah Williams and junior Elizabeth Sharlow added 11 points apiece for Lehigh and sophomore Lexi Martins scored nine points and snared a game-high 12 rebounds ... The win marked the ninth straight win over the Leopards at Stabler Arena and evened the all-time series at 43-all ... Lehigh moved into a second place tie with three other teams in pursuit of first place American ... The Mountain Hawks shot a whopping 35 free throws on Sunday making 23 of them.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds allowed visiting Colgate to start the second half on a 22-4 run to pull away for a 72-45 victory Saturday at Reitz Arena. After freshman guard Bri Betz-White had pulled Loyola Maryland within five late in the first half, the Raiders scored the final five points of the stanza to take a double figure lead at intermission. The deficit ballooned to 28 with the second half onslaught. Betz-White was the only Loyola player in double figures, finishing with 11 points. Junior forward Jeneh Perry had a team-best eight rebounds ... The Greyhounds game scheduled for Wednesday night at Holy Cross has been pushed back 24 hours due to travel issues related to a winter storm in the northeast.

NAVY The Mids could not embrace the prosperity of having second place to themselves and slipped back into a four-way tie behind American following a 60-44 loss to Holy Cross Sunday at Alumni Hall. Senior guard Chloe Stapleton had her biggest scoring output since November, finishing with 15 points and connecting on a trio of three-point field goals. Sophomore Justice Swett and Ashanti Kennedy combined to score 17 points off the bench for Navy ... The Mids will square off against first place American at 8 p.m. Tuesday in a game to be broadcast on the American Sports Network and carried by Sinclair Broadcast Group affiliates in 17 states plus the District of Columbia.