Jan. 2, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 1.2.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Four afternoon contests and one evening game are on Saturday's schedule as all 10 Patriot League teams continue the march through the 18-game regular season. American and Holy Cross get things under way at 1 p.m. in Worcester, Mass. in a battle between teams who won openers on Wednesday.

Army hosts Loyola Maryland in another 1 p.m. tipoff while Bucknell will be at home again, this time welcoming Colgate in a 2 p.m. start which is also the schedule tip for Boston U. at Lehigh. Lafayette and Navy will wrap things up at 7 p.m. when the Mids welcome the Leopards at Alumni Hall.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*Three road teams (American, Holy Cross, Lehigh) and two home teams (Lafayette, Loyola) won Patriot League openers.
*Lehigh (9-2) improved to 6-0 on the road this season, scoring a season-high 86 points in a win at Colgate.
*Army (8-3) lost a Patriot League opener for the first time under head coach Dave Magarity in a loss at Lafayette.
*Bucknell (8-4) saw its four-game winning streak and unbeaten record at home come to an end in a loss to American.
*Boston U. (3-9) lost its PL opener to Holy Cross for the 2nd straight season despite a career-high 17 points from Kara Sheftic.
*American (6-6) won a back-and-forth contest over Bucknell in a game that featured eight ties and 10 lead changes.
*Holy Cross (5-9) held an opponent to a season-low 48 points and never trailed in a convincing win at Boston University.
*Lafayette (8-4) converted 26-of-29 (89.7%) free throws and held a 32-24 rebounding advantage in a win over Army.
*Navy (6-6) scored only 15 first half points and sank a season-low 16 field goals in a loss at Loyola Maryland.
*Colgate (1-11) took a 6-0 lead but allowed Lehigh to seize control with 28-11 first half run in the Mountain Hawks victory.
*Loyola (3-9) ended a 10-game Patriot League regular-season losing streak with a win over Navy at Reitz Arena.

Patriot League Games

American Eagles (6-6, 0-0) at Holy Cross Crusaders (5-9, 1-0)
Hart Center; Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two teams predicted to finish near the top of the Patriot League get together on Saturday in Worceter, Mass.
*American and Holy Cross split a pair of meetings in 2014 with each team winning on their opponents court.
*American participated in the WNIT in 2014 and Holy Cross reached the PL final for the third straight season.
*American has played three teams currently ranked in the mid-major Top 10 (James Madison, Princeton & Gonzaga).
*Holy Cross has posted wins this season against teams from the ACC (Boston College) and AAC (Georgetown)
*Each team features one player on the preseason All-Patriot League - Holy Cross (Raquel Scott), American (Jen Dumiak)

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (3-9, 1-0) at Army Black Knights (8-3, 0-1)
Christl Arena; West Point, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Loyola Maryland has historically played Army tough since joining the Patriot League last season.
*The Black Knights needed overtime in each meeting to shake the pesky Greyhounds.
*Army captured the 2014 Patriot League Tournament title and lost at Maryland in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.
*Loyola Maryland leads the all-time series between the two teams 5-3 despite being swept by Black Knights in 2014.
*Army guard Kelsey Minato averaged 23.5 points in the two wins over Loyola Maryland last season.
*The last Loyola Maryland win was 53-47 in West Point, N.Y. on Dec. 10, 2012.

Boston University Terriers (3-9, 0-1) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks (9-2, 1-0)
Stabler Arena; Bethlehem, Pa. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Boston University has yet to win a Patriot League opener in two tries since joining the membership last season.
*The two teams split a pair of games in 2014 with each winning on its home floor.
*Boston University first year head coach Katy Steding won an Olympic gold medal and an NCAA title as a player.
*The Lehigh offense is off to a flying start with the Mountain Hawks averaging more than 76 points per contest.
*Boston U. split a pair of games in the New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament, beating Stephen F. Austin.
*The Boston University win over Lehigh on Jan. 5, 2014 was its first Patriot League win in women's basketball.

Colgate Raiders (1-11, 0-1) at Bucknell Bison (8-4, 0-1)
Sojka Pavilion; Lewisburg, Pa. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate and Bucknell will meet for the 62nd time in program history when they get together Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa.
*Bucknell swept Colgate 88-72 in Hamilton, N.Y. and 64-54 in Lewisburg, Pa. last season.
*The Bison are third nationally in field goal percentage defense at 32.2 percent.
*Colgate is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the Patriot League with more than 14 per game.
*Bucknell leads the all-time series 40-21 which dates to 1983.
*Colgate has played two top 20 programs this season in Rutgers (AP #16) and Georgia (AP #19).

Lafayette Leopards (8-4, 1-0) at Navy Midshipmen (6-6, 0-1)
Alumni Hall; Annapolis, Md. - Saturday, 7 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Defending regular season champ Navy welcomes the Patriot League's hottest team, Lafayette, winners of three straight
*The teams split a pair of meetings in 2014 with each winning on the opponents home floor.
*Lafayette's 70-69 win over Navy last February ended a six-game win streak by the Mids.
*Navy holds a 42-21 advantage in the all-time series, including 26-7 edge in games played in Annapolis, Md.
*Lafayette was tabbed to finish seventh and Navy sixth in the preseason poll of coaches and SIDs.
*Navy is 6-1 at home and 0-5 on the road so far this season, the Leopards are 5-0 at home and 3-4 on the road

Patriot League Notebook

Lafayette and Loyola Maryland Open PL Regular Season with Wins
After losing openers to Army and Navy, respectively, to open the 2013-14 Patriot League schedule, Lafayette and Loyola Maryland turned the tables on their nemesis this season with victories on Wednesday. The Leopards knocked off defending champion and preseason favorite Army 71-60 at Kirby Sports Center for their first win against the Black Knights since 2011. The Greyhounds snapped a 10-game Patriot League regular season losing streak with a 55-49 win over Navy at Reitz Arena. American and Bucknell tipped off the PL slate at noon and the Eagles escaped with a 60-55 victory at Sojka Pavilion. Other road winners included Lehigh, an 86-68 winner at Colgate, and Holy Cross who defeated Boston U. 71-48 in Case Gym.

Four Afternoon Contests and One Night Game on Saturday
The 18-game Patriot League regular season continues on Saturday with five more games. In contests scheduled for 1 p.m., American plays the last of seven consecutive games on the road when they travel to Worcester, Mass. to face Holy Cross and Army plays its League home opener against Loyola. Bucknell will be at home again, this time welcoming Colgate in a 2 p.m. start which is also the schedule tip for Boston U. at Lehigh. Lafayette and Navy will wrap things up at 7 p.m. when the Mids host the Leopards at Alumni Hall.

Student-Athletes, Coaches Reach Milestones in Late December
Within a span of a few hours on Dec. 28, three student-athletes and one coach achieved significant milestones in their respective careers. Bucknell senior forward Audrey Dotson, American senior guard Jen Dumiak and Lehigh junior forward Kerry Kinek all reached the 1000 point mark in career scoring. In the Bucknell win at Binghamton, head coach Aaron Roussell earned the 200th win of his coaching career that includes eight seasons at the University of Chicago.

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.

Patriot League Players Rank Highly Among Statistical Leaders
Following a season-high 37-point performance in a loss at Lafayette on Wednesday, Army's two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Kelsey Minato moved into sixth place among NCAA Division I Women's Basketball scorers at 23.5 points per game. The junior guard also ranks 21st nationally with a 89.8 free throw percentage. American senior guard Jen Dumiak is ninth in free throw percentage at 92.5 and Lafayette senior guard Linnel Macklin is 13th at 90.9 after making all 10 of her attempts in the Leopards win over Army. A list of players and teams who appear in the top 100 can be found on page 8 of this release.

Teams Make Appearances Near Top of Statistical Rankings, too
Bucknell is one of the top teams nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 32.2 percent from the floor which is third among Div. I teams. The Bison are also one of the top free throw shooting teams at 75.4 percent which is good enough for 23rd in the country. Other teams appearing in the top 25 include Army, 7th in fewest turnovers per game at 11.7 and 19th in scoring defense at 53.8, Lehigh 9th in field goal percentage at 48.0 percent and Navy 16th in three-point field goals per game with 8.3.

Colgate's Harris, Holy Cross' Scott Named `Good Works Team' Nominees
Allstate Insurance Company and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association have announced the candidates for the 2015 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, which includes Colgate senior Carole Harris and Holy Cross junior Raquel Scott among 56 Division I Women's Basketball nominees. This prestigious community service award recognizes a distinguished group of student-athletes who choose to dedicate their limited free time to improving the lives of those around them. The final roster of award recipients will be unveiled in February and members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team will be recognized during the 2015 WBCA Convention and at the 2015 NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa Bay.

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. If Coach Dave Magarity's squad is going to make a return engagement, they will have to do so as the frontrunner because Army was tabbed as the favorite in the preseason poll of League coaches and SIDs who are not eligible to rank their own team. The Black Knights 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. For more information on how to get CBS Sports Network, visit CBSSportsNetwork.com.

American Sports Network to Carry Pair of Regular Season Games
The American Sports Network (ASN) will televise 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 will be 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.

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 Eagles won their sixth straight Patriot League opener, and second in a row under head coach Megan Gebbia, with a 60-55 win over Bucknell on Wednesday. Senior guard Jen Dumiak remained red-hot for American with 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and no turnovers while playing all 40 minutes. Junior forward Michelle Holmes 16 points and seven rebounds against the Bison and sophomore Jordan Light chipped in with 10 points ... Dumiak was a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line in the win over Bucknell and now ranks ninth nationally at 92.5% (62-for-67). The Carlsbad, Calif. native is also 23rd in assists per game at 5.8 and 44th in assist/turnover ratio at 2.23 per contest ... The American bench outscored their Bucknell counterparts 17-9 and the Eagles also turned the ball over on only seven occasions.

ARMY The Black Knights 71-60 loss to Lafayette on Wednesday marked the first time they have suffered a setback in nine Patriot League openers under head coach Dave Magarity and it was Army's first defeat by the Leopards since Jan. 26, 2011. Junior guard Kelsey Minato scored a season-high 37 points for the Black Knights and junior forward Aimee Oertner added 13 points and five rebounds as the duo account for 50 of the team's 60 points ... Minato has now scored in double figures in 60 straight games and is sixth nationally averaging 23.5 points per contest. Washington sophomore Kelsey Plum leads the nation at 26.6 points per game ... Army had a great discrepancy in free throw attempts in the loss at Lafayette. The Black Knights made 9-of-11 from the foul line while the hosts connected on 26-of-29. The Black Knights were whistled for 24 personal fouls and Lafayette was called for 14.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY Turnovers contributed greatly to the Terriers 71-48 home loss to Holy Cross on Wednesday. Boston University committed 20 miscues leading to 26 points for the Crusaders. The hosts found themselves in an early 26-9 hole with freshman forward Kara Sheftic accounting for all nine points. Sheftic finished with career highs in points (17), rebounds (6) and blocked shots (4) ... Since scoring 74 points in a one-point loss to open the season, Boston University has struggled to find consistency on offense and has not eclipsed 60 points during its current six-game losing streak, averaging 52.8 points per game in the process.

BUCKNELL The Bison had their four-game win streak snapped with a 60-55 loss to American to start the 2014-15 Patriot League season. Senior forward Audrey Dotson, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in the Bison final non-league contest on Sunday, scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss. Dotson entered the game with five three-point field goals on the season, but made 4-of-6 from behind the arc against the Eagles ... Junior guard Claire Maree O'Bryan finished the game one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds to go along with a career-high four blocked shots ... Bucknell outrebounded American 37-34 but made only 7-of-26 (26.9%) field goal attempts in the second half. It was the first loss for the Bison in five games at Sojka Pavilion this season.

COLGATE The Raiders closed to within 10 points of high-powered Lehigh twice in the second half, but never could overcome the double-digit lead the Mountain Hawks built in an eventual 86-68 final at Cotterell Court. Colgate jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but Lehigh responded with a 28-11 first half run and led by 13 at halftime. Senior forward Carole Harris led all scorers with 19 points for Colgate and record- ed the ninth double-double of her career with 10 rebounds ... Junior forward Josie Stockill added 13 points, eight boards and a career-high five assists against the Mountain Hawks and Randyll Butler matched a career-high with four steals.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders improved to 11-3 all-time in games played against Boston University and 4-2 in road games versus the Terriers with a 71-48 win Wednesday at Case Gym in Boston, Mass. Junior guard Kate Gillespie tallied a team-high 16 points for Holy Cross and connected on 3-of-4 from behind the arc. A total of four players finished in double figures in the win as junior forward Raquel Scott recorded her seventh double-double of the season and the 26th of her career with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, junior guard Lisa Mifsud tallied 11 points and a game-high five assists and freshman guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed posted 10 points and four rebounds ... Holy Cross never trailed in the win over Boston U., connecting on 40-percent of their three-point field goals and 89.5% of their free throw attempts.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards ended a seven-game stretch of futility against Army with a 71-60 victory Wednesday over the defending Patriot League champion and preseason favorite. Lafayette connected on 26-of-29 (89.7%) free throws -- including 21-of-23 in the second half. Senior guard Linnel Macklin led the way by making all ten of her attempts en route to a team-high 16 points in a balanced Leopards attack that also received 15 points apiece from senior forward Emily Homan and junior guard Jamie O'Hare ... Macklin's 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe moved her all the way up into 13th place among NCAA Division I women at 90.9 percent. Lafayette as a team moved into second in the Patriot League at 74.9% on the season which is 28th nationally.

LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks bounced back from their second loss of the season by posting an 86-68 win at Colgate in the Patriot League opener for both teams. Lehigh had five players in double figures led by sophomore forward Lexi Martins with her eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds Senior Katie O'Reilly followed with 12 points and a season-best eight rebounds while junior Kerry Kinek also finished with 12 points, ten of which came in the second half. Sophomore Kiernan McCloskey chipped in a season-high ten points and junior Elizabeth Sharlow's also had 10 ... The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League in scoring offense at 76.4 points per game which is more than 10 ppg better than Army's 65.6 points per game.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds ended a 10-game Patriot League regular season losing streak with a 55-49 win over defending regular season champion Navy Wednesday at Reitz Arena. Junior guard Colleen Marshall paced Loyola Maryland with 13 points and senior guard Nai Brown came off the bench to score 10 points. Sophomore guard Lisa Mirarchi contributed six points, five assists, four rebounds and a game-high four steals in the win over the Mids ... The Loyola defense forced 22 Navy turnovers which they converted into 22 points. The Greyhounds are second in the Patriot League at 9.0 steals per game and force a league-leading 18.4 turnovers per contest. Marshall leads the League with 29 steals in 11 games (2.6 spg) and Mirarchi is tied for second at 1.8 per game.

NAVY The Mids made only six first-half field goals and scored a season-low 15 first-half points in a 55-49 loss Wednesday at Loyola Maryland. After trailing by as many as 11 in the second half, Navy cut the deficit to one point on several occasions in the final 12 minutes but were never able to tie the score or take the lead. Navy freshman Taylor Dunham hit a pair of free throws with less than two minutes remaining, but the Greyhounds made 7-of-8 foul shots down the stretch to secure the win. Dunham led the Mids with 15 points, while sophomore Sarita Condie added 10 ... Navy committed 16 turnovers in the first half of the loss at Loyola leading to 17 Greyhound points.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (12.22-12.28)

Holy Cross junior forward Raquel Scott and Lehigh freshman guard Quinci Mann were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Dec. 22-28.

Scott averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds in a pair of Holy Cross victories last week. The Ridgewood, N.J. native shot better than 45-percent from the field and knocked down 10-of-11 free throws (90.9%) in wins over UMass-Lowell and Norfolk State. This is the second weekly award of the season for Scott and third all-time for the pre-season All-Patriot League selection.

Mann scored 11 points and dished out three assists as the Mountain Hawks took Atlantic-10 opponent Duquesne to the wire in an 82-75 setback on Sunday at Stabler Arena. It is the third weekly award of the season for the San Francisco, Calif. native.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Dec. 28 goes to American senior Jen Dumiak, Bucknell senior Audrey Dotson, Lafayette senior Emily Homan and Lehigh sophomore Lexi Martins.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
RAQUEL SCOTT, HOLY CROSS Jr., F, 6-0; Ridgewood, N.J.
Scott captured her second Lids Team Sports Player of the Week Award in the last three weeks after averaging 19 points and 9.5 rebounds in victories over UMass-Lowell and Norfolk State last week. The junior forward recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds in a home victory over the Riverhawks on Monday and came up a rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds against Norfolk State on Monday in the Seahawks Holiday Classic.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
QUINCI MANN, LEHIGH Fr., G, 5-10; San Fransisco, Calif.
Mann recorded her third Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week honor of the month by scoring 11 points and dishing out three assists in the Mountain Hawks home loss to Atlantic 10 foe Duquesne on Sunday. It was the fifth time the freshman guard has scored in double figures so far this season in helping Lehigh race to an 8-2 mark entering Patriot League play.

Honorable Mention

JEN DUMIAK, AMERICAN Sr., G, 5-10; Carlsbad, Calif.
Dumiak had 21 points, five assists and six rebounds in a loss at Wake Forest and became the 17th player to score 1,000 points in program history.

AUDREY DOTSON, BUCKNELL Sr., F, 6-1; Vienna, Va.
Dotson scored 12 points and added eight rebounds and five assists in a win over Binghamton and joined the Bison 1,000-point club with a free throw in the final seconds.

EMILY HOMAN, LAFAYETTE Sr., F, 6-3; Upper Darby, Pa.
Homan led the Leopards with 21 points and also grabbed five rebounds in a win over St. Peter's.

LEXI MARTINS, LEHIGH So., F, 6-0; Irvington, N.Y.
Martins registered her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and a career high-tying 14 rebounds in a loss to Duquesne.