Women's Basketball Release 1.29.16 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- All ten teams will be back in action this weekend, with each of the five contests airing on the Patriot League Network. The day will begin with one of the most anticipated rematches of the season when Army West Point welcomes Bucknell to Christl Arena. Three games will begin at 2 p.m. -- Boston University at Lehigh, Colgate at American, Loyola Maryland at Lafayette -- while Navy will welcome Holy Cross to wrap up the day's slate with a 4 p.m. tipoff.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB
* League action continues on Saturday, with all five games being broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
* Holy Cross eventually came out on top over American, 59-54, in a game where neither team led by more than 7 points.
* Lafayette came back from a 24-point deficit, only to ultimately fall to crosstown rival Lehigh, 82-74.
* After defeating Navy 75-38, Army’s 16-2 record matches its best start in team history -- when the team also began 16-2 in head coach Dave Magarity’s first season, 2006-07.
* Bucknell is 8-0 in the Patriot League for the first time in program history. The current eight-game winning streak is the second longest in program history.
* Despite its loss, Lafayette had five players -- Lutz, Stipa, Ptasinski, O’Hare, Hood -- reach double figures in scoring and was the first team to do so in a regulation League game. (Only other team was Bucknell in its overtime game against Lehigh.)
* Army’s Kelsey Minato and Holy Cross’ Raquel Scott were named to the list of 30 Senior CLASS Award candidates.

Patriot League Notebook

Game Eight for All Ten Teams is in the Books
Historical Winter Storm Jonas forced a few teams to make changes to last Saturday’s schedule, but the teams have since made up the games with Holy Cross edging out American 59-54 on Tuesday and Lehigh holding off rival Lafayette 82-74 on Wednesday. Both the Crusaders and Mountain Hawks earned home victories but they didn’t come easy. The Eagles held the largest lead of either team (seven points) and the game featured a total of 10 tied scores and 12 lead changes, while the Leopards came back from a 24-point deficit at 6:54 in the third (57-33) and tied the score at 65-65 with 6:56 left on the clock. Now that those two games are in the books though, the teams ready for the ninth game of the Patriot League schedule, which means we will be halfway to the finish line.

Bucknell at Army West Point Headlines this Weekend’s Patriot League Action
As long as the weather behaves, all ten teams will resume Patriot League action on Saturday with each of the five contests airing on the Patriot League Network. Kicking off the day’s slate is one of the most anticipated rematches of the season: Bucknell vs. Army West Point. The Bison pay the Black Knights a visit at Christl Arena, where Army is a perfect 10-0 this season, on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a lot riding on the outcome of that game, for both teams. Next up is three games at 2 p.m.: Boston University at Lehigh, Colgate at American, Loyola Maryland at Lafayette. Holy Cross will head down to Annapolis to play Navy and wrap up the day’s action with the contest tipping off at 4 p.m. Each of the ten teams have faced eight League opponents and will begin the second pass this weekend. All will then see the ninth team in two of their last three games of the season.

Army’s Minato and Holy Cross’ Scott Named Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Two Patriot League women’s basketball student-athletes — Army West Point guard Kelsey Minato and Holy Cross forward Raquel Scott — have been named to the list of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Minato, a two-time Patriot League Player of the Year and three-time first-team All-League selection, set a new program record in career-points and became the first player in team history to reach the 2,000-point mark. She is also just the third player in Patriot League history to reach the milestone. The senior guard leads the League with 23.3 points per game is seventh nationally among all NCAA Division I players. Scott, a nominee for the 2015-2016 WBCA Good Works Team, is a two-time All-League selection and earned a unanimous first team nod last year. She was named one of the team captains for the season and has accumulated 1,240 points, 818 rebounds, 204 assists, and 117 steals over her four years for the Crusaders. Off the court, she is involved in many organizations and service groups within the Worcester community. The 30 candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and the Senior CLASS Award winner will then be announced during the 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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.

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 playing at campus sites, begins with the first round on Saturday, March 5 (#10 seed plays at the #7 seed and the #9 seed visits the #8 seed) followed by the quarterfinals two days later (#1 overall seed hosting the 9/8 winner and the #5 seed playing at the #4 seed on one half of the bracket and the #2 seed at home against the 10/7 winner with the #6 seed at the #3 seed on the other side). The four remaining squads then move to on the semifinals and championship, which will be hosted by the highest-seeded semifinal team on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12. The first round and quarterfinal games will be shown on Patriot League Network as will the semifinals, while the championship game will be aired on CBS Sports Network. All Patriot League Tournament games will be played at the site of the higher seed.
More information can be found on the women’s basketball championship page, here.

Team Notebook

AMERICAN (4-15, 2-6) The Eagles gave the Crusaders all that they had but came up short in the final minute and a half of the game, dropping the Tuesday night game at the Hart Center 59-54 ... AU was originally supposed to travel to Worcester for a Saturday game, but Winter Storm Jonas postponed the game ... The contest featured a total of 10 tied scores and 12 lead changes ... The Eagles also grabbed the largest lead of the game, seven points, with 4:48 in the second period after a pair of good free throws from sophomore Michael Harris, who led the team with 12 points ... She was followed by senior Ari Booth with 11 points and junior Lauren Crisler who collected 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

ARMY WEST POINT (16-2, 7-1) The Black Knights opened the game with a 16-2, which paved the way to a 75-38 victory over the Mids at Madison Square Garden in New York City on a snowy Saturday … Army captured its fourth-straight Star Game winning by the largest margin in the women’s basketball Star Game history … The Black Knights set the tone in the first, outscoring the Mids 25-9 in the first period, and also held the academy rival from Annapolis to single digits in the second half of the game … Senior Kelsey Minato posted a game-high 22 points, which included a 4-of-8 mark from long range … She also contributed five rebounds and four assists for Army … Classmate Jean Parker finished with 15 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc … Sophomore Destinee Morris and Aliyah Murray added eight points each.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY (1-18, 1-7) The Terriers held a slight advantage over the Bison after the first period, 18-17, but were unable to sustain the lead and dropped a decision on the road at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday, 74-56 ... The game featured 10 ties, all of which happened in the first two periods … Shortly after the third quarter began, Boston University brought Bucknell’s lead down to nine but it was the closest the Terriers would make it … Junior Meghan Green led the way for BU with 18 points on a 7-of-13 mark from the field.

BUCKNELL (14-5, 8-0) The Bison After falling behind 18-17 after the first period, the Bison outscored the Terriers 19-7 in the second to help propel the squad to a 74-56 win over the visitors in Sojka Pavilion on Saturday … Bucknell improves to a perfect 8-0 for the first time in program history … The game featured 10 ties, all of which happened in the first two periods … Tied at 25-25 with 3:16 left in the second quarter, the Bison scored 11 straight points to end the first half, 36-25 … Shortly after the third began, Boston University brought the home team’s lead down to nine but it was the closest the Terriers would make it, as the Bison lead by as much as 23 points in the final period … Sophomore Jacquie Klotz posted 21 points and also hauled in 13 rebounds for her eight double-double of the season … Junior Claire DeBoer also netted 21 points, while adding five rebounds, four assists, and two seals … Senior Tyler Craig also reached double figures with 10 points … BU was led by junior Meghan Green, who scored 18 points on a 7-of-13 mark from the field.

COLGATE (4-14, 2-6) The Raiders were held to just one field goal in the fourth quarter, as the Greyhounds collected a 65-49 road win on Saturday at Cotterell Court … Colgate stayed within reach of Loyola Maryland, coming back from a 16-10 first quarter to end the second period trailing by three, 31-28 … The home team chipped away and then finished the third down by just one, 47-46, but the Greyhounds halted them with an 18-0 run to open the final frame … After a timeout by the Raiders, junior Katie Curtis hit a trey at 2:44, but it would be the final points of the game for either team … Senior Josie Stockill led the Raiders with 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, while Curtis chipped in 10 points and added three steals.

HOLY CROSS (8-11, 5-3) A clutch three-pointer from sophomore Katie Doherty with 1:39 on the clock gave the Crusaders a 54-52 lead and the edge they would need to carry it until the end and edge out the Eagles on Tuesday at the Hart Center, 59-54 ... Holy Cross also connected on 5-of-6 from the line and held American without a field goal after Doherty’s basket ... The contest featured a total of 10 tied scores and 12 lead changes ... The team posted a season high 14 steals ... Sophomore Infiniti Thomas-Waheed tied a career high 21 points and added five rebounds and a trio of steals to lead the Crusaders ... Senior Molly Hourigan collected her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds ... Both Thomas-Waheed and Hourigan reached career milestones, as Hourigan netted her 600th point and Thomas-Waheed tallied her 400th.

LAFAYETTE (4-14, 2-6) The Leopards came back from a 24-point deficit midway through the third period and tied the game at 65-65 with the Mountain Hawks, after a 32-8 run over 9:58 of play ... However, Lafayette couldn’t complete its come back attempt and fell short to crosstown rival Lehigh on Wednesday night at Stable Arena, 82-74 ... The Leopards shot over 60 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, including a 6-for-6 performance from long range, but ultimately fell behind with a 5-for-15 showing at the line ... Lafayette saw five players score in double figures and became the first team to accomplish that feat in a Patriot League regulation game this season ... Junior Ashley Lutz led the way with 16 points as was followed by sophomore Sammy Stipa (13), sophomore Anna Ptasinski (12), senior Jamie O’Hare (11), and junior Maia Hood (10).

LEHIGH (12-7, 5-3) The Mountain Hawks were able to hold off a furious late-rally by the Leopards and came away with an 82-74 win over the rival on Wednesday night at Stabler Arena ... After junior Lexi Martins opened the scoring and gave the home team the advantage, the Mountain Hawks opened up their lead to 24 points with a basket from downtown by senior Amina Affini, 57-33, with 6:54 on the clock in the third quarter ... After struggling to connect, the Leopards went on 32-8 run that stretched across 9:58 to tie the game at 65-65 with just under seven minutes remaining in the game ... A three-pointer by junior Kayla Burton broke the tie and another from Affini shortly over a minute later to make it 71-65 ... Lehigh was able to hold Lafayette to just nine more points the rest of the way to solidify the win ... Martins posted a career-high 27 points, behind a 9-of-17 clip from the field, and hauled in 15 rebounds to record her 15th double-double of the season to lead the way ... Affini contributed 14 points while classmate Elizabeth Sharlow pitched in 10.

LOYOLA MARYLAND (8-11, 5-3) The Greyhounds held the Raiders to just one field goal in the fourth quarter to collect a 65-49 road win on Saturday at Cotterell Court … Colgate stayed within reach of Loyola Maryland and chipped away to come within one at the end of the third period, 47-46 ... The Greyhounds halted them with an 18-0 run to open the final frame … After a timeout by the Raiders, Colgate hit a trey at 2:44, but it would be the final points of the game for either team … Senior Colleen Marshall posted a game high 27 points along with five assists … Classmate Jeneh Perry recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while junior Lisa Mirarchi pitched in 12 points.

NAVY (9-10, 3-5) The Mids fell behind early to the Black Knights and were unable to gain any traction, dropping the Star Game to the academy rivals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on a snowy Saturday, 75-38 … Sophomore Taylor Dunham led Navy with nine points, while junior Sarita Condie pitched in eight.