Feb. 16, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 2.16.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Separated by only one game in the current standings, third place Lehigh will host Navy in one of five Patriot League games scheduled for Wednesday night.

In other 7 p.m. contests, first place American travels to face Boston University, Bucknell is at Loyola Maryland, Army welcomes Colgate and Holy Cross entertains Lafayette. All five games will be carried live on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*American is guaranteed to host a quarterfinal round game in the Patriot League Tournament on Friday, March 6.
*American (17-8, 12-2) used a 13-0 run midway through the first half to cruise to a 74-58 win at Lafayette.
*Army (19-5, 11-3) is in second place, one game behind AU and two in front of Lehigh following a 59-46 win at Bucknell.
*Lehigh (17-7, 9-5) scored the first 12 points of the game and never trailed in a 71-58 win over Holy Cross.
*Navy (14-11, 8-6) finished the first half with a 15-2 flourish en route to a 64-52 win over Colgate.
*Holy Cross (11-16, 7-7) shot 52-percent in the second half but couldn't overcome a halftime deficit in a 71-58 loss at Lehigh.
*Bucknell (15-10, 7-7) committed 23 turnovers in a 50-46 home loss to Army on Sunday.
*Lafayette (12-13, 5-9) struggled from behind the arc, making only 4-of-16, in a 74-58 loss to first place American.
*Loyola (7-18, 5-9) snapped a four-game losing streak and moved into seventh-place tie following a 66-55 win over Boston U.
*Colgate (5-20, 4-10) cut a double-digit deficit to 3 points late in the 2nd half, but was unable to catch Navy in a 64-52 loss.
*Boston University (5-20, 2-12) couldn't hold onto a halftime lead and suffered a 66-55 setback Saturday at Loyola.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (2.9-2.15)

American guard Jen Dumiak and Bucknell freshman guard Jacquie Klotz, were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Feb. 9-Feb. 15.

Dumiak averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 assists and 8.0 assists per game in the Eagles Patriot League wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. The Carlsbad, Calif. native shot 64-percent from the floor and had a 5.0 assist-to-turnover ration. This is the fourth weekly award for Dumiak this season and fifth all-time.

Klotz averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as Bucknell split contests with Army and Navy. This is the second consecutive Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for the West Windsor, N.J. native.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Feb. 15 goes to Army junior Kelsey Minato, Lafayette senior Emily Homan and Loyola Maryland junior Colleen Marshall.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
JEN DUMIAK, AMERICAN Gr., G, 5-10; Carlsbad, Calif.
Dumiak had a pair of outstanding all-around games for the Eagles in wins over Lehigh and Lafayette last week. The Carlsbad, Calif. native tallied 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a come-from-behind win over the Mountain Hawks and followed that up with 15 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a win at Lafayette. Dumiak surpassed 2014 graduate Alexis Dobbs for second place on AU's career assist list with 435 career helpers.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
JACQUIE KLOTZ, BUCKNELL Fr., G, 6-0; West Windsor, N.J.
Klotz averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as Bucknell split a pair of conference games against Army and Navy last week. The West Windsor, N.J. native led Bucknell in both points (17) and rebounds (8) for the second straight game in the Bison's 51-50 win over Navy on Wednesday. It is the second consecutive Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for Klotz.

Honorable Mention

KELSEY MINATO, ARMY Jr., G, 5-8; Huntington Beach, Calif.
Minato averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game last week as the Black Knights swept games with Holy Cross and Bucknell.

EMILY HOMAN, LAFAYETTE Sr., F, 6-3; Upper Darby, Pa.
Homan averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds and collected back-to-back double-doubles as Lafayette split games with Loyola and American.

COLLEEN MARSHALL, LOYOLA MARYLAND Jr., G, 5-9; Gaithersburg, Md.
Marshall scored a career-high 35 points and tied a school record with seven 3-pointers in a 66-55 victory over Boston U.

Patriot League Notebook

Loyola Maryland Snaps Losing Skid with Home Victory
A career-high 35 points from junior guard Colleen Marshall helped Loyola Maryland snap a four-game losing streak and earn the Greyhounds their fifth Patriot League win of the season following a 66-55 victory over Boston University at Reitz Arena. Lehigh also posted a home victory on Saturday afternoon, handing Holy Cross only its second League loss on the road this season with a 71-58 win. A return to Alumni Hall paid dividends for Navy as they knocked off Colgate 64-52 to end a two-game slide. American maintained its position atop the League standings with a 74-58 win at Lafayette

Navy at Lehigh Headlines Wednesday Slate
Separated by only one game in the current standings, third place Lehigh will host Navy in one of five Patriot League games scheduled for Wednesday night. In other 7 p.m. contests, first place American travels to face Boston University, Bucknell is at Loyola Maryland, Army welcomes Colgate and Holy Cross entertains Lafayette. All five games will be carried live on the Patriot League Network.

American Clinches Home Game in Patriot League Quarterfinals
American is guaranteed to host a quarterfinal round Patriot League Women's Basketball tournament game on Friday, March 6 following the Eagles win over Lafayette on Saturday coupled with Bucknell's loss to Army the following afternoon. Coach Megan Gebbia's squad, winners of four straight, can finish no worse than fourth in the Patriot League standings. Army can follow suit with a win over Colgate on Wednesday or a Navy loss at Lehigh. The top four teams at the end of the regular season will receive a bye into the quarterfinal round and earn the right to host that game. Teams who finish between 7-10 in the Patriot League standings will play in the opening round on Wednesday, March 4.

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.

Dumiak Continues to Fill the Stat Sheet
Current Patriot League Lids Team Sports Player of the Week Jen Dumiak continues to stuff the stat sheet for first place American. The Eagles graduate student has six double-doubles this season --- three with points/assists and three with points/rebounds -- following a 15 point, 11 assist and eight rebound performance in a win Saturday at Lafayette. Dumiak ranks in the top 15 nationally in free throw percentage, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. A list of Patriot League players and teams who appear in the top 100 can be found on page 8 of this release.

Lehigh's Katie O'Reilly Latest Patriot League Player to Score 1,000
In the Mountain Hawks 71-58 win over Holy Cross on Saturday, senior guard/forward Katie O'Reilly became the 17th player in program history to score 1,000 points on a layup early in the second half. The Colts Neck, N.J. native joined teammate Kerry Kinek, a junior forward, Bucknell senior forward Audrey Dotson, American junior guard Jen Dumiak and Holy Cross junior forward Raquel Scott as other Patriot League student-athletes who have reached the milestone during the 2014-15 campaign.

Audrey Dotson, Jen Dumiak Named to Academic All-District Team
American University graduate student Jen Dumiak and Bucknell senior Audrey Dotson each earned a spot on the Capital One Women's Basketball Academic All-District Teams announced on Thursday. Dumiak and Dotson were each selected in District 2, which encompasses schools from the states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia in addition to the District of Columbia. The pair advances to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.

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. Additionally, last Sunday's regular season contest between defending Patriot League Champion Army and Bucknell from Sojka Pavilion was carried live by CBS Sports Network. 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 The first place Eagles went on a 13-0 run midway through the first half to break an 8-all tie and cruise to a 74-58 win at Lafayette. American had three players in double figures, led by senior forward Arron Zimmerman who tallied 16 points and made 4-of-5 three-point field goals. Guard Jen Dumiak scored 15 points, handed out 11 assists and grabbed eight rebounds for the Eagles ... The win over the Leopards on Saturday, coupled with Bucknell's loss to Army the following day guaranteed that American would finish among the top four teams in the Patriot League and will host a quarterfinal round tournament playoff game ... With 11 assists on Saturday, Dumiak reached 435 assists for her career, surpassing 2014 graduate Alexis Dobbs for second place on American's career assist list.

ARMY The first time Army and Bucknell met, the Black Knights handed the Bison their worst loss of the season in a 22-point setback. The rematch was much closer, but the final outcome was the same as the visitors escaped Sojka Pavilion with a 50-46 win Sunday for their tenth consecutive victory in a game broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network. Junior guard Kelsey Minato led all scorers with 22 points and also recorded four steals ... Army collects its third straight win over Bucknell to improve to 24-32 all-time versus the Bison ... Minato converted 10-of-11 free throw attempts in the winner over Bucknell and is in the top 10 nationally at 89.6% (112-for-125) ... Minato and freshman guard Daizjah Morris each registered four steals as the Black Knights forced 23 Bucknell turnovers.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers built a five-point first half lead, but could not maintain the advantage in a 66-66 setback at Loyola Maryland. Troi Melton led BU with 15 points, one shy of her career-high, while Kara Sheftic scored 13 points including 5-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line. Mollie McKendrick rounded out double-digit scorers with 11 points against Loyola ... The game at Reitz Arena was moved from a 2 p.m start time to 11 a.m. to help Boston University adjust travel plans due to an impending storm ... The Terriers outrebounded Loyola 43-34 but could not overcome 22 turnovers ... Sophomore forward Meghan Green is in the top 10 in the Patriot League in both scoring (12.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg).

BUCKNELL The Bison started seniors Audrey Dotson, Micki Impellizeri, Tara Wilk and Katherine Harris in the final weekend regular season contest at Sojka Pavilion. The quartet was honored in Senior Day festivities prior to Bucknell's 66-55 loss to Army in a game broadcast by the CBS Sports Network. Dotson shot 6-for-9 from the field and made both three-point field goal attempts to lead the team with 16 points. Megan McGurk was the only other Bison player in double figures, finishing with 10 points ... Dotson also led all players with nine rebounds and contributed three assists and two steals ... McGurk, a sophomore, was the only non-senior in the starting lineup. She has started 56 consecutive games for coach Aaron Roussell.

COLGATE The Raiders cut a double-digit deficit to three points late in the game, but couldn't complete the comeback in a 64-52 loss at Navy. Forwards Carole Harris and Josie Stockill each had eight rebounds for Colgate and combined to score 23 points ... Colgate allowed a season-high 11 three-point field goals to an opponent as the Mids connected on 11-of-25 (44-percent) attempts from behind the arc ... Junior guard Randyll Butler was 3-of-3 from the field and she's 10-of-12 over her last two games. She leads the team with a 44.0 percent shooting clip ... Senior guard Missy Repoli was 4-of-4 at the line and is now 26-of-27 for the season - 96.3 percent.

HOLY CROSS Junior forward Raquel Scott recorded her 30th career double-double with game-highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Crusaders, but it would not be enough as Lehigh earned a 71-58 victory in Patriot League women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Stabler Arena. Holy Cross fell behind 12-0 at the outset of the game and whittle the deficit to five early in the second half, the Mountain Hawks responded with a 17-8 run to put the game out of reach. Lisa Mifsud and Emily Parker chipped in with 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Crusaders ... Scott recorded her 700th collegiate rebound and has compiled 702 caroms in her career. She also moves into 25th place on the Holy Cross all-time scoring list with 1,063 collegiate points.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards stayed with first place American over the first 3-1/2 minutes, but Eagles senior forward Arron Zimmerman connected on a pair of three-point field goals during a 13-0 run as the visitors pulled away for a 74-58 vicory. Senior forward Emily Homan picked up her eighth double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds and junior guard Jamie O'Hare dished out seven assists for the second straight contest for Lafayette ... The Leopards play three of their final four games on the road (Holy Cross, Colgate and Army) with the only home game being a meeting with rival Lehigh on Saturday ... Homan has scored in double figures for 25 straight games and sits just outside the Patriot League top 20 with 1,494 career points.

LEHIGH Senior Katie O'Reilly became the 17th Lehigh player to score 1,000 points when she scored on a layup early in the second half of the Mountain Hawks 71-58 win over Holy Cross. Lehigh (17-7, 9-5) scored the first 12 points of the contest and held the visitors without a field goal for the first 5-1/2 minutes of the game. O'Reilly led the Mountain Hawks with 15 points and also contributed five assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds. Junior Kerry Kinek followed with 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Sophomore Lexi Martins recorded her 16th double-double of the season with 11 points and ten rebounds ... Lehigh improved to 14-2 on the season when scoring 70 or more points. The Mountain Hawks have topped that figure in four of their last six games.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds snapped a four-game losing streak with a 66-55 win over Boston University on Saturday at Reitz Arena. Junior guard Colleen Marshall netted a career high 35 points and tied a school record with seven 3-pointers. The Gaithersburg, Md. native connected on 7-of-11 from behind the arc and also converted 10-of-11 free throws. Loyola Maryland trailed by one at halftime, but a trio of three-point field goals by Marshall and one from Steph Smith gave the hosts a 36-30 lead they would not relinquish ... Marshall tied Nicole Krusen's 2013 record for 3-pointers made in a game and became the first player other than Patty Stoffey, Loyola's all-time leading scorer, to score as many as 35 points in a game.

NAVY Senior guard Chloe Stapleton made 5-of-8 from behind the arc to help Navy (14-11, 8-6) post a 64-52 win over Colgate. The Mids broke open a close game with a 15-2 run over the final seven minutes of the first half. Stapleton scored 12 of her 15 points in the first half and tied for team scoring honors with freshman guard Taylor Dunham as Navy ended a two-game losing streak and swept the season series from the Raiders ... The Mids connected on 11-of-25 three-point field in the win over Colgate which was their second highest total after making 14 in a loss at Oregon earlier this season ... Next up for Navy is a pair of tough road games at Lehigh and Holy Cross.

Patriot League Games

Bucknell Bison (15-10, 7-7) at Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (7-18, 5-9)
Reitz Arena, Baltimore, Md. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Bucknell will be looking to complete a season sweep when they visit Loyola Maryland on Wednesday night.
*Loyola Maryland forced 22 turnovers in a 66-55 win over Boston University on Saturday.
*Bucknell's 66-49 win over Loyola Maryland in January was its largest Patriot League victory of the season.
*Loyola Maryland junior guard scored 35 points on Saturday -- the second highest performance by a PL player this season.
*Bucknell is the best rebounding team in the Patriot League, posting a +8.7 rebounding margin on the season.
*Loyola Maryland is second in the Patriot League in steals at 8.6 per contest.

Navy Midshipmen (14-11, 8-6) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks (17-7, 9-5)
Stabler Arena; Bethelehem, Pa. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Lehigh will try to keep sole possession of third place on Wednesday against fourth place Navy.
*Navy is tops in the Patriot League in 3-point field goals per game (7.4) and steals (9.6).
*Lehigh is the top scoring team in the Patriot League at 71.4 points per game.
*Navy defeated Lehigh 47-44 in Annapolis, Md. on Jan. 21.
*Lehigh senior Katie O'Reilly became the 17th 1,000 point scorer in program history in the Mountain Hawks win Saturday.
*Navy connected on 11 three-point field goals on Saturday in a win over Colgate.

American Eagles (17-8, 12-2) at Boston University Terriers (5-20, 2-12)
Case Gym; Boston, Mass. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*The top and bottom team in the Patriot League standings get together when American travels to Boston University
*American placed five players in double figures during a 75-45 win over BU in January.
*Boston University led at halftime of road games at Colgate and Loyola last week, but lost both.
*American has won four straight to start the month of February to maintain its lead atop the PL standings.
*Boston University has scored more than 60 points in Patriot League contests only 2x this season (both losses to Lehigh)
*American leads the Patriot League and is in the top 35 nationally with 16.0 assists per game.

Colgate Raiders (5-20, 4-10) at Army Black Knights (19-5, 11-3)
Christl Arena; West Point, N.Y. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Army puts a 10-game win streak on the line at Christl Arena on Wednesday against Colgate
*Colgate is the top offensive rebounding team in the Patriot League at 13.8 per contest.
*Army is in the top ten nationally in scoring defense at 52.9 points per game.
*Colgate used a furious rally to tie the previous meeting at 62-all, before falling 64-62 on a late shot by Kelsey Minato.
*Army improved to 35-21 all-time versus Colgate and snapped a two-game losing streak to the Raiders.
*Colgate senior forward Carole Harris scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in earlier meeting with Army.

Lafayette Leopards (12-13, 5-9) at Holy Cross Crusaders (11-16, 7-7)
Hart Center, Worcester, Mass. - Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Holy Cross tries to snap a two-game losing streak when they welcome Lafayette to the Hart Center.
*Lafayette has only won once in Worcester, Mass -- a 43-39 victory on Jan. 9, 2010.
*Holy Cross leads the all-time series 52-8, including a 25-1 mark at home.
*Lafayette has never defeated Holy Cross under current head coach Dianne Nolan (0-8).
*Holy Cross is second in the Patriot League in free throw shooting percentage (73.4%).
*Lafayette is second in the Patriot League in three-point field goals per game (5.9).