Mar. 9, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinal Preview 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - American and Army will host the semifinal round games in the Patriot League Tournament on Monday night after posting quarterfinal wins as the top two seeds advanced with wins over Lafayette and Colgate, respectively.

The Eagles will welcome Navy, who knocked off Bucknell on the road in one quarterfinal matchup while the Black Knights draw Lehigh, a 75-62 winner over third-seeded Holy Cross.

Both contests tip at 7 p.m. and will be available live on the Patriot League Network. Semifinal winners advance to Saturday's Championship game at the site of the highest seed. The title tilt will be carried live on CBS Sports Network beginning at 6 p.m.

Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament Central

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*American, Army, Lehigh and Navy make up the final four teams in the Patriot League Tournament.
*American (22-8, 16-2) used a big second half to pull away Friday for a 79-56 win over No. 8 Lafayette.
*Army (23-6, 14-4) had to rally from a late six-point deficit to force overtime and defeat No. 7 Colgate 48-45.
*Navy (17-13, 10-8) was swept during the regular season by No. 4 Bucknell but knocked off the Bison 60-49 at Sojka Pavilion.
*Lehigh (18-11, 9-9) built a 26-point first half lead and cruised to a 75-62 win over No. 3 Holy Cross.
*American will be in search of its 10th straight win when they host No. 5 Navy in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
*Army improved to 13-1 at Christl Arena with the win over Colgate, only Black Knights home loss was 53-50 to rival Navy.
*Navy had a player score 20 points for the first time this season when Soph. Sarita Condie hit the mark in win over Bucknell.
*Lehigh placed five players in double figures as the Mountain Hawks defeated Holy Cross for the third time this season.
*The semifinal round games on Monday will both tipoff at 7 p.m. and by streamed live on the Patriot League Network.
*The Championship contest will take place at 6 p.m. on Sat., March 14 at the site of the best remaining seed.

Patriot League Notebook

Lehigh and Navy Win Quarterfinal Round Games on the Road
Kerry Kinek led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds as Lehigh snapped a four-game losing streak and had its largest scoring output in a month in a 75-62 win at Holy Cross in a Patriot League quarterfinal contest at the Hart Center. It was the third win this season for Lehigh against the Crusaders. After losing a pair of close regular season games to Bucknell, Navy turned the tables on the Bison with a 60-49 win at Sojka Pavilion to reach the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament for the seventh straight season.

American, Army Protect the Home Court as Top Two Seeds Advance
American and Army will host the semifinal round games in the Patriot League Tournament after posting quarterfinal wins on Friday night. The Eagles pulled away from a five-point halftime advantage to post a 79-56 win over No. 8 Lafayette at Bender Arena. The 79 points marked the highest scoring output for American this season, eclipsing the 77 recorded in an early December home win against UMBC. Army had a much tougher time with Colgate, the seventh seed, needing a late Aimee Oertner layup to force overtime and another in the final minute of the extra session to secure a 48-45 victory.

Semifinal Contests Set for 7 p.m. on Monday
Top seed American will host No. 5 Navy and No. 6 Lehigh will travel to No. 2 Army in a pair of 7 p.m. matchups in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals The Eagles won both meetings against Navy during the regular season and has only lost one League game at Bender Arena this season. Army and Lehigh split a pair of games in 2015 with each team winning on its home court. The Black Knights are 13-1 this season at Christl Arena.

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. Army, Lehigh and Navy have all won multiple Patriot League Tournament titles. The Black Knights won the title in 2006 and 2014, Navy was champion three straight years from 2011-13 and Lehigh captured the crown in 1997, 2009 and 2010.

Patriot League Notebook

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. Coach Dave Magarity's squad was 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

Semifinal Round ~ Monday, March 9 ~ Christl Arena / West Point, N.Y.
No. 6 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (18-11, 9-9 PL) at No. 2 Army Black Knights (23-6, 14-4), 7 p.m.
2015: Lehigh 63, Army 51 (Bethlehem, Pa., 1.7.15); Army 66, Lehigh 62 (West Point, N.Y., 2.4.15)

Army and Lehigh split a pair of games during the regular season as each team won on its home court. The Mountain Hawks won the first meeting by double digits as preseason favorite Army stumbled to a 1-3 start to the Patriot League season. The Black Knights won the second meeting during an 11-game winning streak to ascend to second place in the League standings. Junior guard Kelsey Minato, the League's leading scorer, averaged 19.5 points per game against the Mountain Hawks and Lehigh sophomore forward Lexi Martins averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds in the two contests.

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 22.0 points per game and senior forward Olivia Schretzman (9.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg), a third team All-Patriot League performer.

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.

Senior Katie 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.

How they got here ...

No. 2 Army 48, No. 7 Colgate 45 (OT) -- Junior forward Aimee Oertner hit a driving layup with two seconds remaining to force overtime and converted another with 38 seconds remaining in the extra session to help second-seeded Army survive upset-minded Colgate 48-45.

The Raiders (9-22) had grabbed a 38-32 lead with 4:50 left in regulation on a jump shot by junior guard Randyll Butler. The Black Knights scored the final six points of the second half on four free throws and Oertner's strong finish. Colgate senior guard Missy Repoli put them back in front with a three-point field goal early in the extra session but the lead see-sawed back and forth until Oertner gave Army the lead for good off an assist from Kelsey Minato.

Minato and Oertner led the Black Knights (23-6) with 14 and 12 points, respectively, and senior forward Olivia Schretzman contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.

No. 6 Lehigh 75, No. 3 Holy Cross 62 -- Five players scored in double figures as sixth-seeded Lehigh defeated Holy Cross for the third time this season, 75-62 at the Hart Center. The Mountain Hawks were all over the hosts from the outset building a 24-point lead in the first half. Holy Cross drew as close as seven points in the final minutes but could not overcome Lehigh's hot start.

Kerry Kinek led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds as Lehigh (18-11) snapped a four-game losing streak and had its largest scoring output in a month. Sarah Williams finished with 13 points and six boards, Quinci Mann 12 points, Lexi Martins with 11 points and seven rebounds and Katie O'Reilly 10 points and four assists.

Semifinal Round ~ Monday, March 9 ~ Bender Arena / Washington, D.C.
No. 5 Navy Midshipmen (17-13, 10-8 PL) at No. 1 American Eagles (22-8, 16-2 PL), 7 p.m.
2015: American 59, Navy 49 (Washington, D.C., 1.27.15); American 41, Navy 29 (Annapolis, Md., 2.25.15)

American swept a pair of low-scoring affairs from Navy in 2015, including a 59-49 victory at Bender Arena in a game broadcast by the American Sports Network. Patriot League Player of the Year Jen Dumiak paced the Eagles in both contests, averaging 19.5 points against the Mids. American will be attempting to tie the program record of 23 wins in a season accomplished in both 2011-12 and 1997-98.

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. Senior guard Shaquilla Curtis was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year.

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 Chloe 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.

How they got here ...

No. 1 American 79, No. 8 Lafayette 56 -- American broke open a close game with a 20-2 run to start the second half to pull away from eighth-seeded Lafayette for a 79-56 victory in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament.

Senior forward Arron Zimmerman fueled the burst with nine of her team-high 17 points in a nearly seven-minute stretch at the outset of the second half. All 11 players who saw game action scored for the Eagles (22-8) as they extended the lead to as many as 30 points late in the second half.

Michelle Holmes supported Zimmerman with 14 points and Shaquilla Curtis added 10. Patriot League Player of the Year Jen Dumiak played the role of facilitator, finishing with nine assists.

No. 5 Navy 60, No. 4 Bucknell 49 -- The third time was the charm for Navy who knocked fourth-seeded Bucknell out of the Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament with a 60-49 victory Friday at Sojka Pavilion. The fifth-seeded Mids had lost to Bucknell twice during the regular season in a pair of extremely close contests.

Navy received a career-high night from sophomore guard Sarita Condie who netted 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting -- including 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Condie sparked an 11-0 run by the Mids in the final 2-1/2 minutes of the first half that turned a five-point deficit into a six-point halftime advantage. In that stretch the Lovelock, Nev. native contributed five points, two steals, a rebound and an assist.

Freshman Hannah Fenske and Taylor Dunham combined for 24 points and connected on 5-of-12 three-point field goals as the Mids (17-13) made 10 trifectas on the evening.