Women's Basketball 2015-16 Media Guide 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The women's basketball season begins on Friday Nov. 13, when nine of the 10 Patriot League teams begin the 2015-16 campaign. After five weeks of non-League contests, Colgate and Lafayette will open the Patriot League slate on Dec. 22.  The 2015-16 women's basketball season begins on Friday with nine of the 10 Patriot League squads opening up their campaigns.

A Look at Opening Weekend Schedule
Friday, November 13
Northeastern @ Boston University 12:00 p.m.
American @ Princeton 7:00 p.m.
Bucknell @ Cleveland State 7:00 p.m.
Holy Cross @ Penn State 7:00 p.m.
Lafayette @ Delaware 7:00 p.m.
Monmouth (N.J.) @ Lehigh 7:00 p.m.
Navy @ Hofstra 7:00 p.m.
Pepperdine @ Army West Point 7:00 p.m.
Loyola Maryland @ Lipscomb 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 15
Bucknell @ Notre Dame 1:00 p.m.
Colgate @ Kent State 2:00 p.m.
Kutztown @ Lehigh 2:00 p.m.
Navy @ Saint Peter’s 2:00 p.m.
Massachusetts @ Holy Cross 2:05 p.m.
Quinnipiac @ Army West Point 4:00 p.m.

AMERICAN
PRESEASON POLL: 5th
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 24-9
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 16-2 (1st)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Defeated No. 8 Lafayette in the quarterfinals (79-56); Defeated No. 5 Navy in semifinals (60-53); Defeated No. 6 Lehigh (66-50) in the championship game to win first Patriot League Tournament title in program history.
POSTSEASON: Lost to Iowa, 75-67, in NCAA Tournament.
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 2/3

American made history when the Eagles defeated Lehigh, 66-50, to earn their first Patriot League title and first NCAA tournament berth in program history.

Under head coach Megan Gebbia, American also set a program record for most wins in a single season (24), due in large part to 2015 Patriot League Player of the Year Jen Dumiak. Losing Dumiak to graduation, the Eagles will have a big pair of shoes to fill and landed fifth in the preseason poll.

However, third team All-League selection senior forward Michelle Holmes (6.7 rpg) returns as does classmate Ari Booth, who led the team with 3-point field goal percentage of .435.

ARMY WEST POINT
PRESEASON POLL: 1st
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 23-8
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 14-4 (2nd)
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE: Kelsey Minato (Sr., G) - Preseason POY
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Beat No. 7 Colgate (48-45) in quarterfinals; Fell to No. 6 Lehigh (76-57) in semifinals.
POSTSEASON: Lost to St. John’s, 64-56, in WNIT.

Seeded as the number two team in last year’s Patriot League tournament, Army West Point was knocked out of the tournament in the semifinals when No. 6 seed Lehigh defeated the Black Knights, 76-57, at Christl Arena.

Army West Point will look to return to the championship game with the help of Minato, who led the League last year in scoring (22.3 ppg - ranked eighth in the nation) and three-point field goals made (84). A second year captain, Minato will be joined by classmates guard/forward Brianna Johnson, forward Aimee Oertner, and guard/forward Jean Parker to lead the Black Knights as this year’s team captains.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY
PRESEASON POLL: 10th
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 5-25
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 2-16 (10th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Fell to No. 7 Colgate (58-48) in first round.

Second-year head coach Katy Steding begins preparations for the 2015-16 season as Boston University returns all but one player from last year and will rely on leadership from seniors Troi Melton (7.2 ppg) and Clodagh Scannell (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg).

The Terriers return its top-scorer last season, junior forward Meghan Green, who contributed 11.5 points per game and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per game.

In addition, junior guard Sarah Hope looks to return in full health after leading the team with 41 three pointers despite an early season-ending injury.

BUCKNELL
PRESEASON POLL: 4th
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE: Claire DeBoer (Jr., F)
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD:18-12
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 10-8 (T-4th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Fell to No. 5 Navy (60-49) in quarterfinals.
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 4/1

Bucknell received one first-place vote and edged out last year’s Patriot League champion American to finish fourth in the preseason poll.

Head coach Aaron Roussell will have to lead a team without forward Audrey Dotson (1,285 career points) but will return DeBoer (11.3 ppg), who was also second-team All-League as a sophomore, and last year’s Patriot League Rookie of the Year guard Jacquie Klotz (8.5 ppg).

The Bison has four starters back from a team that recorded a program best record since the 2006-07 season when they went 20-11.

COLGATE
PRESEASON POLL: 7th
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 9-22
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 7-11 (7th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Defeated No. 10 Boston University (58-48) in the first round; Fell to No. 2 Army West Point in the quarterfinals (48-45)
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 2/3

Colgate is ready to get back out onto the court as the Raiders prepare for the season, which includes a non-League schedule highlighted by a home contest with three-time defending national champion Connecticut.

Last year, the Raiders closed out the regular season with three-straight victories and added a fourth win in the first round over Boston University before falling in an overtime heartbreaker to Army West Point.

Colgate will miss second team All-League honoree Carole Harris but return Josie Stockill (10.3 ppg) and Randyll Butler (.436 field goal percentage).

HOLY CROSS
PRESEASON POLL: 2nd
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE: Raquel Scott (Sr., F)
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 15-17
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 11-7 (3rd)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Fell to No. 6 Lehigh (75-62) in quarterfinals.
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 4/1

Scott, a unanimous first-team All-League selection last year, is back for her senior season after averaging 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior for Holy Cross.

The Crusaders will be captained by Scott and Kate Gillespie and return four starters and 10 letter winners, including senior center Molly Hourigan (2015 League leader with 2.3 bpg), senior guard Lisa Mifsud (2015 third team All-League selection), and sophomore guard Katie Doherty (started all 31 games as a freshman and was named to All-League Rookie team).

LAFAYETTE
PRESEASON POLL: 9th
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 14-17
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 6-12 (6th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Fell to No. 9 Loyola Maryland (58-46) in the first round.
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 2/3

Lafayette begins the 2015-16 season with a new coach at the helm, as Theresa Grentz was named the sixth women’s basketball head coach in program history.

Grentz, who accumulated 671 wins during her 33-year head coaching career, with stops at Rutgers and Illinois, will look to build upon a program that loses first-team All-League selection forward Emily Homan but returns senior guard Jamie O’Hare, who averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. Her 61 shots from beyond the arc ranked as second-most among the League.

The Leopards also return junior forward Ashley Lutz (5.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg).

LEHIGH
PRESEASON POLL: 3rd
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lexi Martins (Jr., F)
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 19-12
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 9-9 (6th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Defeated No. 3 Holy Cross in the quarterfinals (75-62); Defeated No. 2 Army West Point in the semifinals (76-57); Fell to No. 1 American in the championship game (66-50).
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 3/2

Lehigh made a run to the 2015 Patriot League championship game as a No. 6 seed with wins over No. 3 Holy Cross and No. 2 Army West Point but came up short to No. 1 seed American, 66-50.

Three time All-Patriot League forward Kerry Kinek became just the sixth member of Lehigh’s 1,000 point/500-rebound club and enters the season with 1,215 career points and 715 rebounds.

Also returning is Martins, last year’s leading scorer (14.0 ppg) and rebounder (11.1) for Lehigh along with All-Rookie team member Quinci Mann.

LOYOLA MARYLAND
PRESEASON POLL: 8th
PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE: Colleen Marshall (Sr., G)
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 7-23
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 5-13 (9th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Fell to No. 8 Lafayette in the first round (58-46).
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 5/0

Loyola Maryland returns nine players from the 2014-15 season and looks to continue moving forward in the League as it begins its third season in the Patriot League in 2015-16.

Marshall, a second team All-League selection last year, returns after a junior campaign that saw her average 13.4 points per game and a League leading 2.6 steals per contest.

Along with Marshall, All-Rookie team performer Bri Betz-White (8.6 points per game) is back as is senior forward Jeneh Perry, who led the League with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game.

NAVY
PRESEASON POLL: 6th
2014-15 OVERALL RECORD: 17-14
2014-15 LEAGUE RECORD: 10-8 (T4th)
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Defeated No. 4 Bucknell in the quarterfinals (60-49); Fell to No. 1 American in the semifinals (60-53).
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 4/1

Navy exited the 2014-15 Patriot League tournament in the semifinals with a 60-53 loss to eventual champion American and looks to pick up right where it left off with the upcoming 2015-16 season. The Mids lose only one starter and return four.

Despite losing guard Chloe Stapleton from the lineup, Navy will look to guard Sarita Condie (8.0 ppg), who will serve as the team captain, and All-Rookie team member guard Taylor Dunham (8.8 ppg) to lead the team to what head coach Stefanie Pemper hopes to be her eighth-straight winning season.