Feb. 6, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 2.6.15 

CENTER CALLEY, Pa. - The stakes will be high, as usual, when Army and Navy get together for the 34th Annual Star Game on Saturday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. The Black Knights have won seven in a row since losing to their rival 53-50 back on Jan. 10 and the teams are separated by just a game in the Patriot League standings.

Four other important League matchups are on the docket prior to the 4:30 p.m. tip between Army and Navy. At 2 p.m., Holy Cross hosts Bucknell, American welcomes Colgate, Lafayette travels to Boston University and Lehigh entertains Loyola Maryland. All five contests will be available on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*Five of the top six teams in the Patriot League standings won Wednesday to keep the standings relatively static.
*American (14-8, 9-2) used a 19-4 run to start the second half and pull away for a 55-44 win at Loyola Maryland.
*Army (16-5, 8-3) improved to 9-1 at Christl Arena this season with a 66-62 win over Lehigh in a battle for second place.
*Lehigh (15-6, 7-4) couldn't overcome an early 13-point deficit in a 66-62 loss to Army Wednesday at Christl Arena.
*Navy (13-9, 7-4) converted 18 Boston University turnovers into 17 points during a 48-40 win over the Terriers.
*Bucknell (14-8, 6-5) snapped a two-game losing streak and completed a season sweep of Lafayette with a 51-37 victory.
*Holy Cross (10-14, 6-5) continued an ascent up the PL standings with a 68-62 win at Colgate for its fourth win in five games.
*Lafayette (11-11, 4-7) lost for the fifth time in six outings following a 51-37 setback Wednesday at Bucknell.
*Loyola (6-16, 4-7) held first place American to its second lowest scoring output of the season in a 55-55 loss at Reitz Arena.
*Colgate (4-18, 3-8) had the ball down two with 30 seconds left but could not overtake Holy Cross in a 68-62 setback.
*Boston University (4-18, 1-10) was down to only eight players due to injury and illness in a 48-40 loss at Navy.

Patriot League Games

Lafayette Leopards (11-11, 4-7) at Boston University Terriers (4-18, 1-10)
Case Gym; Boston, Mass. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two teams in need of a win meet for the second time this season as Lafayette heads to Boston University.
*Lafayette has lost five of six games and the Terriers have dropped six in a row.
*Boston University held a 37-32 halftime advantage at Lafayette in January, but the Leopards rallied for a 67-60 victory.
*Lafayette senior forward Emily Homan has scored in double figures in 23 consecutive games.
*Boston University holds a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series against Lafayette.
*Lafayette has not led at halftime in any Patriot League game this season.

Bucknell Bison (14-8, 6-5) at Holy Cross Crusaders (10-14, 6-5)
Hart Center, Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*A pair of teams tied for 5th in the PL standings meet on Saturday when Bucknell heads to Holy Cross.
*Holy Cross won the previous meeting 53-52 on Jan. 10 at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa.
*Bucknell is the best rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 42.7 per contest.
*Holy Cross junior forward Raquel Scott has scored a career-best 31 points in each of her last two games.
*Bucknell senior forward Audrey Dotson is one of two Patriot League players named Academic All-Region by CoSIDA.
*Holy Cross leads the all-time series 42-16, the last Bucknell win was 82-29 on Feb. 8, 2014.

Colgate Raiders (4-17, 3-7) at American Eagles (13-8, 8-2)
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*American begins a two-game homestand when Colgate comes to Bender Arena for a Saturday afternoon contest.
*Colgate will be looking for its first win at American since the 2005-06 season.
*American holds a 26-6 advantage in the all-time series and has won 17 straight against the Raiders.
*Colgate senior forward Carole Harris leads the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg).
*American senior guard Jen Dumiak was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the third time.
*Colgate led by seven in the first half of a 66-58 loss to American in January.

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (6-16, 4-7) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks (15-6, 7-4)
Stabler Arena; Bethlehem, Pa. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two teams looking to bounce back from Wednesday losses get together this weekend when Loyola visits Lehigh.
*Loyola won the previous meeting 64-52 to hand the Mountain Hawks their first PL loss of the season.
*Lehigh leads the all-time series between the teams 5-4 and is 3-1 against the Greyhounds in Bethlehem, Pa.
*Loyola has won three of the last four meetings between the teams.
*The loss to Army snapped a three-game Lehigh winning streak.
*Loyola Maryland has lost four of its last five Patriot League contests.

Army Black Knights (16-5, 8-3) at Navy Midshipmen (13-9, 7-4)
Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md. - Saturday 4:30 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Army and Navy will play the annual "Star Game" Saturday as part of a men/women's doublehead in Annapolis, Md.
*Navy won the previous meeting 53-50 on Jan. 10, it was the last loss Army suffered before starting a 7-game win streak.
*Army holds a 15-14 advantage in games played in Annapolis and a 19-14 edge in Star Games.
*Navy leads the all-time overall series 32-31 following its win over the Black Knights last month in Christl Arena.
*Army enters the weekend one game behind first-place American and a game in front of Lehigh and Navy.
*Navy is seeking its eighth regular season sweep of Army and first since 2012.

Patriot League Notebook

Army Gains Sole Possession of Second Place Following Seventh Straight Win
A battle for second place came down to the final minute Wednesday, but host Army was able to hold off Lehigh for a 66-62 win Wednesday at Christl Arena. The Black Knights are now in sole possession of second place,one game behind American, a 55-44 winner over Loyola Maryland. Navy kept pace with a 48-40 home win over Boston University and Bucknell and Holy Cross remained one game behind the Mids with wins over Lafayette and Colgate, respectively.

Holy Cross Hopes to Figure Out the Hart Center
Holy Cross will welcome Bucknell to the Hart Center on Saturday, looking for its first Patriot League home win of the season. The Crusaders are an impressive 6-1 on the road in PL contests this season but 0-4 in games played in Worcester, Mass. American welcomes Colgate, Boston University entertains Lafayette and Loyola Maryland travels to Lehigh in a trio of other 2 p.m. games. The afternoon wraps up with the annual "Star Game" between rival Army and Navy in Annapolis, Md. at 4:30 p.m. as part of a men/women's doubleheader.

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 earlier this month. The award recognizes collegiate women's basketball players who excel both on and off the court 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.

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.

Kelsey Minato Moving up Among NCAA Leaders
Army junior guard Kelsey Minato has made 35 of her last 36 free throw attempts to continue to ascend the national rankings from the charity stripe. Following a 6-for-6 effort in the Black Knights win Wednesday over Lehigh, Minato stands at 89.7% which is 11th among NCAA Div. I players. American senior forward Jen Dumiak has made 109 of 118 attempts this season and leads Patriot League players at 92.4% which is fourth nationally. A list of Patriot League players and teams who appear in the top 100 can be found on page 8 of this release.

Raquel Scott is Latest Patriot League Player to Reach 1,000 Point Milestone
Holy Cross junior forward Raquel Scott accelerated her assault on the Holy Cross record book this week as she netted her second consecutive 31-point outing in a 68-62 win over Colgate. The 62 points in the last two games propeled her over the 1,000 point mark to become the 31st Crusader and 12th Holy Cross junior to reach the milestone. Scott did much more than score in the win over the Raiders as she also grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and handed out five assists. She became the fourth Patriot League player to join the 1,000 point club this season after American senior Jen Dumiak, Bucknell senior Audrey Dotson and Lehigh junior Kerry Kinek accomplished the feat in December.

Martins, Minato Recognized with Regional Honors
Lehigh sophomore forward Lexi Martins and Army junior guard Kelsey Minato were both recognized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference for their play in games held during the final week of January. Martins was chosen as the Division I South Co-Player of the Week after averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Mountain Hawks 2-0 week. Minato was named Division I Metro/Upstate Player of the Week for avergaing 25 points per contest in the Black Knights 2-0 week. Minato was also named the Division I Women's Basketball Player of the Week by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association.

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 Carries Pair of Regular Season Games
The American Sports Network (ASN) broadcast 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 were 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. In addition to women's basketball, ASN has produced content for Patriot League men's basketball, football and men and women's soccer during the 2014-15 season.

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 Seniors Jen Dumiak and Arron Zimmerman teamed with junior forward Michelle Holmes to score 44 points in American's 55-44 win over Loyola Maryland on Wednesday at Reitz Arena. Dumiak (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Holmes (14 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles for the second straight game and Zimmerman chipped in with 14 points ... The Eagles lead the Patriot League in free throw percentage (.736), field goal percentage (.440), assists per game (15.5) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1) ... Dumiak was named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 2 team for the third consecutive season. She will appear on the ballot for the Capital One Academic All-America honors, which will be released later this month.

ARMY The Black Knights extended their season-high winning streak to seven games on Wednesday with a 66-62 win over Lehigh in a battle for second place in the Patriot League. Senior forward Olivia Shretzman scored nine of her season-high 19 points over the final 6-1/2 minutes and also grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Junior guard Kelsey Minato led all scorers with 23 points for Army ... The Black Knights donned their pink uniforms for the first time this season in the win over the Mountain Hawks and will continue to do so throughout the month of February in support of breast cancer awareness ... Minato surpassed the 1,600-point mark for her career and now stands at 1,601 which is 10th all-time in the Patriot League.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY Junior guard Clodagh Scannell led all players with 14 points but it was not enough to prevent the undermanned Terriers from dropping their sixth straight with a 48-40 loss at Navy on Saturday. Boston University played with only eight players against the Mids due to illness and injury ... The 40 points tied for a low-water mark on the season as the Terriers also scored 40 in a home loss to Army last month ... Boston University athletics on Saturday will recognize National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) and the women's basketball team will hold its annual Cancer Awareness Pink Game to benefit the Play4Kay foundation. The Terriers women's basketball team will wear pink jerseys during the game against Lafayette.

BUCKNELL The Bison snapped a two-game losing streak with a 51-37 home victory over Lafayette to complete a season sweep of the Leopards. Senior forward Audrey Dotson scored 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half as the Bison broke open a close game. Dotson opened the second half with a three-point field goal and then hit back-to-back layups midway through the second half as the hosts pushed the lead into double digits. Sophomore Claire DeBoer grabbed 16 rebounds as Bucknell held a 51-27 advantage on the boards ... On Thursday, Dotson was voted to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 2 Team and will appear on the ballot for the Capital One Academic All-America honors, which will be released later this month.

COLGATE The Raiders surrendered the most points in nearly a month in a 68-62 setback to Holy Cross on Wednesday at Cotterell Court. Three Colgate players reached double figures in the loss, but it was not enough to offset a 31-point, 17 rebound effort by Crusaders junior forward Raquel Scott. Junior guard Randyll Butler posted her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards and senior forward Carole Harris led the hosts with 15 points. Senior guard Mariah Jones added a dozen points to go with four assists for Colgate ... During the previous meeting, a 76-71 Colgate victory, the Raiders held the high-scoring Scott to just nine points in 37 minutes in a game at Worcester, Mass. ... Butler's 10 rebounds marked her second game this season with double-figure boards (13 vs. American). She posted a double-double in both games.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders continued to play well on the road in the Patriot League, avenging an earlier loss to Colgate with a 68-62 victory over the Raiders at Cotterell Court. Junior forward Raquel Scott scored 30+ points for the second straight game finishing with 31 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and five assists. In the process, Scott became the 31st Crusader and 12th Holy Cross junior to reach 1,000 career points. Senior forward Emily Parker totaled 11 points and six rebounds and freshman guard Katie Doherty tallied 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in the victory ... The Holy Cross women's basketball program will host National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) during its game against Patriot League rival Bucknell on Saturday at the Hart Recreation Center.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards experienced a season-low scoring output in a 51-37 loss at Bucknell on Wednesday. Lafayette connected on only 17-of-58 (29.3%) field goal attempts, including 1-of-13 (7.7%) from behind the arc. Sophomore forward Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby was a lone bright spot for the Pards, shooting 5-of-9 from the field for a career-high 10 points. Senior forward Emily Homan did extend her double-figures scoring streak to 23 games, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds ... Rebounding was an issue in the loss to the Bison, as Lafayette was outrebounded 51-27 and yielded 21 offensive boards ... The Leopards have dropped five of their last six games and slipped into a tie for seventh place in the Patriot League standings.

LEHIGH After moving to within a game of first place American over the weekend, the Mountain Hawks slipped back into a tie for third with Navy following a 66-62 loss at Army on Wednesday. Junior forward Kerry Kinek scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds for Lehigh and sophomore forward Lexi Martins and freshman guard Quinci Mann each chipped in ten points. The Black Knights jumped out to a 16-3 lead, but coach Sue Troyan's squad battled all of the way back to grab a one-point advantage late in the first half ... Martins was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I South Co-Player of the Week for her play at the end of January ... Martins sits just outside of the top 10 nationally in rebounding at 11.2 per game which is 13th among Div. I players.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds held American to its second lowest scoring output of the season, but couldn't muster enough offense to take advantage of the first place Eagles in a 55-44 setback on Wednesday at Reitz Arena. The visitors pulled away from a one-point halftime lead with a 19-4 run to start the second half. Junior guard Colleen Marshall led Loyola Marlyand with 13 points, while junior forward Jeneh Perry added 12 points and seven rebounds ... Marshall led the team in scoring for the third straight game and for the ninth time on the season. The Gaithersburg, Md. native has averaged 18 points per game over the last three contests ... Perry led the team in rebounding for the fourth time in the last five games and for the 11th time this season. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native is 10th in the Patriot League at 6.9 rebounds per game.

NAVY The Mids got it done on the defensive end and remained in the top three in the Patriot League standings following a 48-40 win over Boston University. Freshman forward Marina Muenster collected five of the Mids 15 steals as the hosts netted 17 points from 18 Terrier turnovers. Muenster had an effective all-around effort with eight points and seven rebounds to go with her career-high in steals. Senior guard Chloe Stapleton paced a balanced Navy attack with 11 points ... Navy tied a Patriot League record on Monday when a fourth member of the Mids freshman class was named Rookie of the Week. Only the Colgate 2001-02 had four different players receive the honor ... The 15 steals by Navy on Wednesday were the second most for Stefanie Pemper's squad this season since swiping 16 in a win over St. Peter's in December.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (1.26-2.1)

Army junior guard Kelsey Minato and Navy freshman guard Hannah Fenske were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Jan. 26-Feb. 1.

Minato averaged 25.0 points, 4.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in Army's Patriot League wins over Boston University and Loyola Maryland. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native shot better than 70-percent from behind the arc and made all eight of her free throw attampts. This is the third weekly award for Minato this season and tenth all-time.

Fenske averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals as Navy split contests with American and Lafayette. This is the first Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for the Albuquerque, N.M. native.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Feb. 1 goes to American senior Jen Dumiak, Holy Cross junior Raquel Scott and Lehigh sophomore Lexi Martins.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
KELSEY MINATO, ARMY Jr., G, 5-8; Huntington Beach, Calif.
The Black Knights have won a season-high six straight games behind another stong week from junior guard Kelsey Minato. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native captured her second straight Lids Team Sports Patriot League Player of the Week award and tenth all-time after averaging 25.0 points per game in wins over Boston University and Loyola Maryland. Minato connected on 16-of-28 shots attempts, including a remarkable 10-of-14 (71.4%) from behind the arc.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
HANNAH FENSKE Navy Fr., G, 5-8; Albuquerque, N.M.
Fesnke becomes the fourth different Navy freshman to earn Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors this season following a strong all-around performance in the Mids 1-1 week. The Albuquerque, N.M. native scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half on Saturday as Navy held of a Lafayette comeback attempt and completed a season sweep of the Leopards. In addition to averaging double figures in scoring, Fenske also contributed 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest.

Honorable Mention

JEN DUMIAK, AMERICAN Sr., G, 5-10; Carlsbad, Calif.
Dumiak shot 60% from the field and averaged 23.5 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Eagles 1-1 week. The senior scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a loss to Holy Cross.

RAQUEL SCOTT, HOLY CROSS Jr., F, 6-0; Ridgewood, N.J.
Scott scored a career high 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting as the Crusaders knocked off first place American over the weekend.

LEXI MARTINS, LEHIGH So., F, 6-0; Irvington, N.Y.
Martins averaged a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds per game in Lehigh's wins over Bucknell and Boston University.