March 6, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Preview 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Army seeks a repeat and American is in search of its first ever Patriot League Tournament crown as the quarterfinal round of the postseason tips off with four games on Friday night.

The top-seeded Eagles welcome No. 8 Lafayette, a 58-46 winner over Loyola Maryland in the opening round on Wednesday and No. 2 Army welcomes local nemesis Colgate, a 58-48 victor against Boston University in the opening round.

Holy Cross and Lehigh get things under way at 6 p.m. when the third-seeded Crusaders welcome the No. 6 Mountain Hawks and No. 5 Navy at No. 4 Bucknell is among the trio of 7 p.m. starts. All four contests are available on Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament Central

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*American, Army, Bucknell and Holy Cross earn top four seeds in 2015 Patriot League Tournament.
*American (21-8, 16-2) will enter the PL Tournament on an eight-game winning streak after a 65-55 win over Bucknell.
*Army (22-6, 14-4) improved to 12-1 at home on the season with a 57-41 win against Lafayette.
*Holy Cross (15-16, 11-7) moved to within a game of a .500 record by defeating Boston University 76-62 on Saturday.
*Bucknell (18-11, 10-8) secured the fourth seed in the PL Tournament despite a 65-55 loss at first place American.
*Navy (16-13, 10-8) avenged an early-season loss to Loyola Maryland by defeating the Greyhounds 59-50 at Alumni Hall.
*Lehigh (17-11, 9-9) dropped its 4th straight game and will enter the postseason as the #6 seed after a 61-60 loss to Colgate
*Lafayette (14-16, 6-12) won its 10th home gome of the season on Wednesday with a 58-46 win over Loyola Maryland.
*Colgate (9-21, 7-11) extended its season-high win streak to four games with a 58-48 win over Boston University.
*Loyola (7-23, 5-13) fell to 0-2 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament following a 58-46 loss at Lafayette.
*Boston University (5-25, 2-16) couldn't maintain a one-point halftime lead in a 58-48 setback at Colgate.

Patriot League Notebook

Colgate, Lafayette Win First Round Games in Patriot League Tournament
Colgate, the No. 7 seed in the field, rallied from a one-point halftime deficit to defeat Boston University 56-46 in the first home playoff game at Cotterell Court since 2004. The Raiders placed three players in double figures and won their fourth consecutive game. Sophomore Ashley Lutz and senior Linnel Macklin combined to connect on 6-of-9 three-point field goals to help No. 8 seed Lafayette extend a four-point halftime advantage into a 58-46 win over Loyola Maryland at Kirby Sports Center.

... Get Army, American in Friday's Quarterfinal Round
Defending champion Army and top seed American learned their quarterfinal round opponents as Colgate and Lafayette earned home victories in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament on Wednesday. The Black Knights swept both games from Colgate this season, most recently a 48-47 win in mid-February. The Raiders have been a nemesis for Army in recent years, including knocking the top-seeded Black Knights out of the 2013 tournament with a 48-40 win at Christl Arena. Lafayette has never won a game at Bender Arena (0-19) but did take the Eagles to the wire in the quarterfinal round of the 204 Patriot League tournament before the hosts prevailed, 51-49.

Lehigh-Holy Cross, Navy-Bucknell set for Quarterfinal Round
The matchups in Lewisburg, Pa. and Worcester, Mass. have been set since last Saturday as #4 Bucknell will host #5 Navy and #3 Holy Cross will welcome #6 Lehigh. During the regular season, Bucknell won a pair of very close games against Navy and Lehigh defeated the Crusaders at home and in the Hart Center. The game time for Lehigh-Holy Cross is 6 p.m. with Navy-Bucknell tipping off an hour later.

Top Seed American Seeks First Patriot League Tournament Title
American enters the 2015 Patriot League Tournament as the top seed for the third time (2008, 2012) but has never reached the tournament final from that position. In fact, the Eagles have yet to win a Patriot League Championship despite making four appearances in the title game (2004, 2007, 2010, 2011) and are seeking their first NCAA Tournament appearance.

2014-15 Women's Basketball All-Patriot League Team and Major Awards

Player of the Year: Jen Dumiak, American (Sr., G)
Defensive Player of the Year: Shaquilla Curtis, American (Sr., G)
Rookie of the Year: Jacquie Klotz, Bucknell (Fr., G)
Coach of the Year: Megan Gebbia, American

First-Team All-Patriot League: Jen Dumiak, American (Sr., G); Kelsey Minato, Army (Jr., G); Audrey Dotson, Bucknell (Sr., F); Raquel Scott, Holy Cross (Jr., F); Emily Homan, Lafayette (Sr., F).

Second-Team All-Patriot League: Claire DeBoer, Bucknell (So., F); Carole Harris, Colgate (Sr., F); Lexi Martins, Lehigh (So., F); Katie O'Reilly, Lehigh (Sr., G/F); Colleen Marshall, Loyola Maryland (Jr., G).

Third-Team All-Patriot League: Michelle Holmes, American (Jr., F); Arron Zimmerman, American (Sr., F); Olivia Schretzman, Army (Sr., F); Lisa Mifsud, Holy Cross (Jr., G); Jamie O'Hare, Lafayette (Jr., G); Kerry Kinek, Lehigh (Jr., F).

All-Rookie: Jacquie Klotz, Bucknell (Fr., G); Katie Doherty, Holy Cross, (Fr., G); Quinci Mann, Lehigh (Fr., G); Bri Betz-White, Loyola Maryland (Fr., G); Taylor Dunham, Navy (Fr., G)

American's Jen Dumiak Named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete
American University graduate student Jen Dumiak was named Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was one of five student-athletes named to the Academic All-League team, it was announced Thursday by the Patriot League. A captain for the American women's basketball team, Dumiak has been a three-year starter for the Eagles and currently ranks second in American history in career assists (449) and sixth in career scoring (1,331). A Capital One Academic All-America Division I women's basketball first team selection, she currently holds a 4.0 GPA in her master's program (mathematics) and earned her bachelor's degree in just three years, compiling a 3.95 GPA as a mathematics & economics major. Joining Dumiak on the five-person Academic All-Patriot League team are Lafayette senior Emily Homan, Bucknell senior Audrey Dotson, Holy Cross junior Raquel Scott and Lehigh sophomore Lexi Martins.

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 on CBS Sports Network
The Patriot League Men's Women's Basketball Championship will be televised on CBS Sports Network again this season on Saturday, March 14 at 6 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.

Follow the Action on Patriot League Network
Once again, the Patriot League has partnered 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. The eight games of the Patriot League Tournament leading up to the Championship game will be streamed free on PLN.

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.

2015 Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament

Quarterfinal Round ~ Friday, March 6 ~ Christl Arena / West Point, N.Y.
No. 7 Colgate Raiders (9-21, 7-11 PL) at No. 2 Army Black Knights (22-6, 14-4), 7 p.m.
2015: Army 64, Colgate 62 (Hamilton, N.Y., 1.21.15); Army 48, Colgate 47 (West Point, N.Y., 2.18.15)

Army swept a pair of close contests against Colgate during the regular season in the midst of the Black Knights 11-game winning streak. In the first meeting on Cotterell Court, Kelsey Minato scored the final bucket of her 28-point night in the waning seconds of a 64-62 victory and made a three-point field goal late in a 48-47 win at Christl Arena a month later.

Army The defending Patriot League champion and preseason favorite Black Knights started the regular season 1-3, but found their way and ripped off an 11-game winning streak and finished as the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament.

Army is led by an All-Patriot League first team selection in junior guard Kelsey Minato, the 10th leading scorer in the NCAA at 22.3 points per game and senior forward Olivia Schretzman (9.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg), a third team All-Patriot League performer.

Colgate After losing an inordinate amount of close games in the first half of the Patriot League regular season, the Raiders figured it out late and put together a season-high three-game winning streak to earn the No. 7 seed for the postseason tournament.

Colgate is led by senior forward Carole Harris, who scores at a 11.1 points per game clip and is the third leading rebounder in the Patriot League at 7.8. The Lansing, Mich. native was named to the All-Patriot League second team on Tuesday. The backcourt of junior Randyll Butler and seniors Mariah Jones and Missy Repoli give head coach Nicci Hays-Fort a three-headed attack at the guard position.

Quarterfinal Round ~ Friday, March 6 ~ Hart Center / Worcester, Mass.
No. 6 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (17-11, 9-9 PL) at No. 3 Holy Cross Crusaders (15-16, 11-7 PL), 6 p.m.
2015: Lehigh 66, Holy Cross 60 (Worcester, Mass., 1.17.15); Lehigh 71, Holy Cross 58 (Bethlehem, Pa., 2.14.15)

Lehigh swept only two Patriot League opponents this season and won of them happens to be their quarterfinal round opponent, Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to post a 66-60 win in Worcester, Mass. int he first meeting behind a strong effort from senior Katie O'Reilly (22 points). O'Reilly also led Lehigh with 15 points in a 71-58 victory in Bethlehem, Pa. in mid-February.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks have been up and down a bit this season but, as the No. 6 seed, have enjoyed some success against the teams in their half of the bracket. Lehigh will look to regain the offensive stride that has them as the top scoring team in the Patriot League despite limping into the postseason on a four-game losing streak.

O'Reilly (11.6 ppg) and sophomore forward Lexi Martins (14.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg) were named to the All-Patriot League second team and junior forward Kerry Kinek (11.2 ppg) was a third-team selection.

Holy Cross The Crusaders trend line is the opposite of their opponent today as head coach Bill Gibbon's squad enters the postseason as the No. 3 seed and riding a four-game winning streak. Holy Cross started the season 0-6 in a difficult non-League schedule that included #3 Notre Dame, but have won 15 of 25 since.

Junior forward Raquel Scott (16.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg), a unanimous All-Patriot League first team choice, is a force down low for the Crusaders and junior point guard Lisa Mifsud is a nice complement with 12.5 points and nearly four assists per contest.

Quarterfinal Round ~ Friday, March 6 ~ Sojka Pavilion / Lewisburg, Pa.

No. 5 Navy Midshipmen (16-13, 10-8 PL) at No. 4 Bucknell Bison (18-11, 10-8 PL), 7 p.m.
2015: Bucknell 44, Navy 42-OT (Annapolis, Md., 1.14.15); Bucknell 51, Navy 50 (Lewisburg, Pa., 2.11.15)

Bucknell's sweep of Navy during the regular season isn't nearly as imposing when you consider that the games were decided by a total of three points, with one going to overtime. Bison sophomore Claire DeBoer hit a short jumper midway through overtime to lift the visitors to a 44-42 win in the first matchup and the Bison held on for a 51-50 victory on its home court.

Navy The Mids have done an admirable job of replacing a graduating class that helped champion the program to new heights, including a trio of NCAA appearances. There are plenty of new faces for head coach Stefanie Pemper around senior guard Chlose Stapleton, including freshman point guard Taylor Dunham - a Patriot League All-Rookie team selection.

Dunham leads an extremely balanced Navy offense at 9.0 points per game and Stapleton, one of the most prolific three-point shooters in Patriot League history, chips in at nearly 7.5 per contest. In total, 10 Navy players average 4.5 points or more per game.

Bucknell The Bison have won 3-of-4 and enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed under third-year head coach Aaron Roussell. Bucknell's strong finish paralleled the emergence of freshman guard Jacquie Klotz, who was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.

Klotz averaged more than 17 points and seven rebounds over the final seven games to give the Bison a third option to go along with 1,000-point scorer and first-team All-Patriot League forward Audrey Dotson (13.7 ppg, 6.6 rbg) and sophomore forward Clair DeBoer (11.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg).

Quarterfinal Round ~ Friday, March 6 ~ Bender Arena / Washington, D.C.

No. 8 Lafayette Leopards (14-16, 6-12 PL) at No. 1 American Eagles (21-8, 16-2 PL), 7 p.m.
2015: American 63, Lafayette 44 (Washington, D.C, 1.17.15); American 74, Lafayette 58 (Easton, Pa, 2.14.15)

Like they did against every Patriot League opponent save Army and Holy Cross, American swept through Lafayette during the regular season in a pair of comfortable wins. Junior forward Michelle Holmes had one of her finest offensive games of the season with 23 points in a 63-44 victory in the first matchup and senior forward Arron Zimmerman had scoring honors for the Eagles with 16 points in a 74-58 win. American enters the 2015 Patriot League Tournament with an eight-game winning streak.

American American started the season with a difficult non-League schedule that included games against mid-major powers George Washington, James Madison and Princeton as well as a win over Gonzaga that prepared them well for the Patriot League regular season. Losses to Army and Holy Cross, the second and third seeds in the tournament, are the only blemishes during the League slate.

Any conversation about the Eagles starts with senior guard Jen Dumiak, the 2015 Patriot League Player of the Year. The Carlsbad, Calif., native in second in the League in scoring at 17.1 ppg and also averages 6.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Unfortunately for opponents, the conversation doesn't end with Dumiak, as forwards Holmes and Zimmerman, a pair of All-Patriot League third team choices, provide a nice complement.

Lafayette After starting the season strong with a 7-4 non-League record that included a home win over Penn, the Leopards scuffled to a 6-12 mark in the Patriot League despite another standout season from senior forward Emily Homan. The Upper Darby, Pa., native ranks in the top five in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (6.8) among the League leaders and is second all-time in program history in points (1,544) and rebounding (831).

Junior guard Jamie O'Hare averages 11.7 points per game and has knocked down a team-high 59 three-point field goals. O'Hare was an All-Patriot League Third Team selection this season.