Jan. 30, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Weekend Preview - 1.30.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The second half of the Patriot League regular season gets underway Saturday as seven teams are separated by two games in the middle of the pack.

First place American hosts Holy Cross in one of four 2 p.m. contests. Army at Loyola Maryland, Navy at Lafayette and Lehigh at Boston University also share the id-afternoon start time. The weekend schedule wraps up with Colgate hosting Bucknell. All five contests are available on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*Seven teams are separated by two games in the race behind American midway through the Patriot League schedule.
*American (13-7, 8-1) rebounded from its first PL loss to beat Navy 59-49 in a game broadcast on American Sports Network.
*Army (14-5, 6-3) remained the hottest team in the Patriot League by defeating Boston U 65-40 for a fifth straight win.
*Lehigh (14-5, 6-3) used a big second half to break open a close game for a 76-61 win Wednesday over Bucknell.
*Bucknell (13-7, 5-4) was outrebounded for only the third time this season in a 76-71 road loss to Lehigh.
*Navy (11-9, 5-3) lost back-to-back game for the first time since early December following a 59-49 setback at American.
*Holy Cross (8-14, 4-5) dropped its fourth consecutive Patriot League game at the Hart Center with a 57-51 loss to Loyola.
*Lafayette (11-9, 4-5) drained six second half three-point field goals to rally for a 58-56 win Wednesday over Colgate.
*Loyola (6-14, 4-5) won the 500th game in program history by defeating Holy Cross 57-51 on Thursday in Worcester, Mass.
*Colgate (3-17, 2-7) lost for the first time while scoring at least 40 points in the first half in a 58-56 setback at Lafayette.
*Boston University (4-18, 1-8) shot 44-percent in the second half of a 65-40 loss to Army Thursday at the Case Gym.

Patriot League Notebook

Loyola Maryland Ends First Half of Patriot League Season on a Strong Note
Loyola joined a group of three teams tied for sixth place in the Patriot League after picking up their second road win of the season, 57-51 Thursday night at Holy Cross. After a 1-3 start to the League season, Army won its fifth straight by defeating Boston University 65-40 in the other matchup rescheduled due to a midweek winter storm. In traditional Wednesday night contests, Lafayette rallied from a 25-point first half deficit to post a 58-56 home win over Colgate and Lehigh also used a big second half to pull away for a 76-61 win over Bucknell. American and Navy got the week started early as the Eagles defeated Navy 59-49 on Tuesday in a game broadcast in 17 states plus the District of Columbia by the American Sports Network.

Second Half Starts with Five Games on Saturday
First place American will open the second half of the Patriot League season at Bender Arena against Holy Cross in one of four 2 p.m. games on Saturday. In other early afternoon action, Navy visits Lafayette, Army is at Loyola and Boston University welcomes Lehigh. The weekend schedule wraps up with a 4 p.m. top in Hamilton, N.Y. as Colgate entertains Bucknell. All five contests will be available on the Patriot League Network.

American's Jen Dumiak Now Second in NCAA Free Throw Shooting
American senior guard Jen Dumiak has moved into second place among NCAA Div. I athletes at 93.3% from the free throw line. The Carlsbad, Calif., native trails only Marist's Madeline Blaise (95.0%) through Thursday's games. Dumiak is also 13th nationally in assists (6.4/game) and 15th in assist-to-turnover ration (2.70). Army senior guard Kelsey Minato is eighth in scoring at 22.9 per contest and 17th in free throw shooting at 88.4 percent. Minato also moved into the top 30 in three-point field goal percentage at 42.5% after connecting on 8-of-10 in Thursday's win over Boston University. 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 Remains at #25 in Mid-Major Poll
Despite suffering its first Patriot League loss of the season, American remained steady in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Basketball Mid-Major poll at #25 that was released on Jan. 27. The Eagles had won seven straight prior to Saturday'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 Army (29) and Bucknell (10).

Loyola Wins 500th Game in Program History
They had to wait an extra day after a winter storm postponed Wednesday's scheduled Patriot League game at Holy Cross, but Loyola recorded the 500th win in program history with a 57-51 win over the Crusaders Thursday at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. The Greyhounds women's basketball team became the third program in Loyola's history to record 500 wins, joining men's basketball and men's soccer. Head coach Joe Logan was a part of more than 40 percent of the 500 wins, including his 10 years at the helm of the Greyhounds and his four years as an assistant coach.

Bucknell's Dotson, Lafayette's Homan Named Candidates for Senior Class Award
Bucknell senior forward Audrey Dotson and Lafayette senior forward Emily Homan are among thirty NCAA women's basketball student-athletes named as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award, Premier Sports Management announced on earlier this month. The award recognizes collegiate women's basketball players who excel both on and off the field and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The 30 candidates will be reduced to 10 finalists later in the regular season and the Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2015 NCAA NCAA Women's Final Four.

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 bounced back from their first Patriot League loss of the season to close out the first half of the League schedule with a 59-49 win over visiting Navy Tuesday night at Bender Arena in a game broadcast in 17 states and the District of Columbia by American Sports Network. Senior guard Jen Dumiak scored 17 points, on 7-for-11 shooting, and also handed out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Michelle Holmes (13 points, eight rebounds), Arron Zimmerman (10 points, five rebounds) and Shaquilla Curtis (eight points, five assists) also contributed to the win over the Mids ... Dumiak moved into 10th place on American's career scoring list with 1,169 career points and also is third all-time in assists with 399 ... The Eagles will host a postgame clinic/autograph session in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day following Saturday's game against Holy Cross.

ARMY The Black Knights received a record-setting night from junior guard Kelsey Minato to down Boston University 65-40 in Case Gym. Minato broke the program record for three-point field goals in a single game, connecting on eight (in 10 attempts) in a 30-point effort against the Terriers. The mark was one shy of the Patriot League record of nine held by several players. Freshman guard Daizjah Morris chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds for Army ... Minato's eight three-point field goals broke the mark of seven set by teammate Jean Parker in a win over CCSU in December ... The Black Knight's 20-point halftime lead was their largest of the season.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers couldn't slow down Army's assault from behind the three-point arc in a 65-40 loss to the Black Knights on Thursday night at Case Gymnasium. Boston U. allowed 13 three-point field goals to Army, including eight by junior guard Kelsey Minato. Senior forward Mollie McKendrick led the team with 10 points, all of which were scored in the second half and sophomore forward Meghan Green also netted six of her eight points in the final 20 minutes. Junior guard Troi Melton tied for the game-high with six rebounds for the Terriers ... The sixth biggest snowstorm in the past 80 years dumped more than two feet of snow on the Boston area on Tuesday, forcing the Patriot League game with Army to be pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday.

BUCKNELL The Bison failed in an effort to notch their first three-game winning streak of the calendar year following a 76-61 loss Wednesday at Lehigh. Senior forward Audrey Dotson scored all of her 14 points during a 10-minute stretch in the second half, but they came during a time when the Mountain Hawks were unleashing a three-point barrage and breaking open a close contest. Lehigh hit its first six shots from behind the arc to start the second half and turn a halftime tie into a double-digit lead. Junior guard Claire Maree O'Bryan led Bucknell with 17 points and also grabbed six rebounds ... The Bison were outrebounded 42-29 on Wednesday, only the third time they have lost the battle on the boards this season ... Dotson's 14 points give her 1,140 for her career which moves her into 16th on the program's all-time list.

COLGATE The Raiders have experienced some heartbreaking losses so far this season but perhaps none stung as much as the 58-56 setback Wednesday at Lafayette. Colgate built a 25-point lead in the first half and led 42-19 at intermission, but the Leopards hit six three-point field goals in the final 20 minutes and held the Raiders to 14 second half points to steal the win. Junior forward Josie Stockill led Colgate with 14 points and senior forward Carole Harris had 10 points and eight rebounds ... The Raiders have four two-point losses in their seven Patriot League setbacks ... Colgate senior guard Missy Repoli played in her 100th collegiate game and was 2-of-3 on 3-pointers to reach the 150-mark for her career.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders won back-to-back games at the Hart Center in mid-December, but have not broken through in Patriot League contests, falling to 0-4 on their home floor in 2015 following a 57-51 loss Thursday to Loyola Maryland. Reigning Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week Katie Doherty led Holy Cross with team-highs of 13 points and four assists ... The Crusaders struggled from the floor in the loss to the Greyhounds, shooting 30.2 percent (19-63), including 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from behind the arc ... Holy Cross junior forward Raquel Scott scored her 900th collegiate point versus Lehigh on Jan. 17 and now has 944 in her career. She is 56 points from becoming the 31st player in Holy Cross history to score 1,000 points.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards completed a comeback for the ages Wednesday when junior guard Jamie O'Hare converted a layup with 23 seconds remaining to lift the hosts to a 58-56 win over Colgate. The Raiders had built a 25-point lead in the first half and led 42-19 at halftime. Lafayette fueled the comeback by hitting four three-point field goals in a five minute span to start the second half. O'Hare led all scorers with 18 points for the Leopards and senior forward Emily Homan scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked five shots ... The 14 second-half points scored by Colgate were the fewest the Leopards have given up in a half this season ... The victory on Wednesday snapped a three-game Lafayette losing streak and represents the largest comeback under fifth-year head coach Dianne Nolan.

LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks broke open a 32-all halftime game against Bucknell by hitting all six three-point field goal attempts in a 5-1/2 minute span early in the second half to pull away for a 76-61 victory at Stabler Arena. The Bison cut the margin to seven with under seven minutes to play but Lehigh responded with a 12-0 run to put the contest out of reach. Sophomore forward Lexi Martins had a monster 24-point, 13 rebound effort for the Mountain Hawks in only 25 minutes of action. Junior forward Kerry Kinek added 14 points and six rebounds and freshman guard Quinci Mann had 11 points and a career-high six assists ... Lehigh surpassed its win total from last season (13) in the win over Bucknell.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds picked up the 500th win in program history Thursday night with a 57-51 win over Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. Junior guard Colleen Marshall scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Greyhounds snapped a two-game losing streak. Junior forward Jeneh Perry pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds for Loyola and freshman guard Bri Betz-White scored 13 points and dished out six assists ... The Greyhounds make a quick turnaround, hosting Army on Saturday with Women In Sports Day events beginning at noon in advance of the 2 p.m. tip ... Loyola Maryland handed out a season-best 16 assists in the win over Holy Cross.

NAVY The Mids lost their second straight and scored less than 50 points for the fourth time in the last five outings in a 59-49 setback at American Tuesday in a game broadcast in 17 states and the District of Columbia on the American Sports Network. Navy never led in the contest, but senior guard Chloe Stapleton hit a three-point field goal with 7:31 left in the first half to cut the deficit to 18-17. The Eagles responded by finishing the stanza on a 14-5 run to take a 10-point halftime lead. Stapleton and Marina Muenster led Navy with 13 points apiece ... Head coach Stefanie Pemper has rolled out nine different starting lineups for a young Mids roster this season. Navy used a total of only six different starting combinations over the previous two seasons combined.

Patriot League Games

Holy Cross Crusaders (8-14, 4-5) at American Eagles (13-7, 8-1)
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*First place American opens up the second half of the Patriot League schedule by hosting sixth place Holy Cross.
*The Crusaders are 4-1 on the road in Patriot League games this season but 0-4 at the Hart Center.
*American erupted for 52 second half points in a 74-62 win over the Crusaders in Worcester, Mass. on Jan 3.
*Holy Cross leads the all-time series 17-15, but American has a 9-7 advantage in games played in Washington, D.C.
*American moved into the CollegeInsider.com rankings on Jan. 20 at No. 25.
*Jen Dumiak scored 19 points in the second half as the Eagles erased a nine-point halftime deficit in the previous meeting.

Navy Midshipmen (11-9, 5-4) at Lafayette Leopards (11-9, 4-5)
Kirby Sports Center; Easton, Pa. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two of the five teams in the middle of the Patriot League back get together when Navy travels to face Lafayette.
*Navy won the previous encounter by defeating Lafayette 65-52 in Annapolis, Md. in early January.
*A win by the Mids would give them their 12th season sweep of Lafayette, Navy is 15-13 in games played in Easton, Pa.
*Lafayette senior forward Emily Homan is second in Patriot League scoring at 17.5 points per game.
*Navy freshman guard Taylor Dunham scored 15 points to lead Navy in the win over Lafayette.
*Lafayette junior guard Jamie O'Hare is averaging 12.6 points per game in Patriot League contests.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (14-5, 6-3) at Boston University Terriers (4-16, 1-8)
Case Gym, Boston, Mass. - Saturday 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Boston University will be looking to snap a four game losing streak when they welcome Lehigh to Case Gym on Saturday
*Lehigh used a 17-3 run to break open a close game and cruise to a 85-64 win on Jan. 3 over Boston University.
*Boston University won the first four meetings between the programs but the Mountain Hawks have won the last two.
*Lehigh is 11-2 when scoring 70 or more points this season.
*Boston U. is still searching for its first true road win of the season, the Terriers won a neutral site contest in November.
*Lehigh leads the Patriot League in scoring offense at 71.8 points per game.

Army Black Knights (14-5, 6-3) at Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (6-14, 4-5)
Reitz Arena; Baltimore, Md. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Army and Loyola will scramble back from Thursday night games in New England to play Saturday in Baltimore.
*Loyola won the 500th game in program history on Thursday at Holy Cross.
*Army juniors Kelsey Minato and Aimee Oertner combined for 35 points in a 55-44 win over the Greyhounds on Jan. 3.
*Loyola has doubled its 2014 Patriot League win total (two) with wins over Navy, Boston U., Holy Cross and Lehigh.
*Army leads the Patriot League and is 10th nationally in scoring defense at 53.3 ppg.
*Loyola's next games are against two of the top teams in the PL with first place American following Army into Reitz Arena.

Bucknell Bison (13-7, 5-4) at Colgate Raiders (3-17, 2-7)
Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y. - Saturday, 4 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate will host Bucknell in a Breast Cancer Awareness game on Saturday in Hamilton, N.Y.
*Bucknell rallied from a 10-point first half deficit to force overtime and defeat Colgate 77-75 at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 3.
*Bison forward Audrey Dotson scored a season-high 27 points in the win over the Raiders and grabbed 10 rebounds.
*Colgate junior Josie Stockill totaled 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in the previous meeting.
*The game will also serve as National Girls and Women in Sports Day and feature games, prizes and a postgame clinic.
*The loss to Bucknell in early January was one of four two-point losses for Colgate in Patriot League contests.

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.