Jan. 16, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Weekend Preview - 1.16.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Colgate looks to snap a two-game losing streak when Navy visits Cotterell Court in one of five Patriot League games on tap this weekend. Lehigh and Holy Cross get things underway at 1 p.m. Saturday. Lafayette will be in search of its first-ever win at American in a 2 p.m. tip, which is the same start time for Loyola Maryland at Boston University.

Navy and Colgate wrap up the Saturday action with a 4 p.m. tip in Hamilton, N.Y. and Bucknell and Army will get together at 2 p.m. Sunday at Christl Arena to conclude the weekend slate.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*Boston U earned its first Patriot League win, American remained unbeaten and Army, Bucknell and Lafayette also won.
*American (10-6, 5-0) erased a 14-point first half deficit and rallied past Lehigh for a 75-73 overtime victory at Stabler Arena.
*Lehigh (11-4, 3-2) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season following a 75-73 overtime loss to American.
*Bucknell (11-5, 3-2) won for the first time at Alumni Hall since 2009, defeating Navy 44-42 Wednesday in overtime.
*Lafayette (10-6, 3-2) used a 15-0 second half run to rally past Loyola Maryland for a road win at Reitz Arena.
*Navy (9-7, 3-2) shot only 25-percent from the field in a 44-42 overtime loss to Bucknell at Alumni Hall on Wednesday.
*Army (10-5, 2-3) improved to 6-1 at Christl Arena this season with a 67-53 win over Holy Cross.
*Holy Cross (6-12, 2-3) lost 67-53 at Army despite making 93.3% (14-of-15) of their free throws in the contest.
*Loyola (4-12, 2-3) lost a Patriot League game at home for the first time this season in a 59-47 loss to Lafayette.
*Boston University (4-12, 1-4) ended a nine-game losing streak with a 58-53 win over Colgate at Case Gym.
*Colgate (2-14, 1-4) used a 12-0 run to close to within one before falling 58-53 Wednesday at Boston University.

Patriot League Games

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (11-4, 3-2) at Holy Cross Crusaders (6-12, 2-3)
Hart Center, Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two teams trying to rebound from losses get together in Worcester, Mass. on Saturday as Lehigh takes on Holy Cross.
*Lehigh has dropped two straight after starting the Patriot League season at 3-0.
*Holy Cross has converted 23-of-24 free throw attempts in its last two games.
*Lehigh leads the Patriot League in several offensive categories including scoring (74.2 ppg), FG% (46.4) and 3PT% (35.3).
*Holy Cross leads the all-time series 40-17, including a 20-9 advantage in games played in Worcester, Mass.
*The two teams split a pair of games in 2014, with each team winning on its home floor.

Lafayette Leopards (10-6, 3-2) at American Eagles (10-6, 5-0)
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two teams riding win streaks converge on Bender Arena Saturday when Lafayette and American get together.
*American will play four of its next five games at home after starting the Patriot League season with four of five on road.
*Lafayette has never defeated the Eagles in Washington D.C. in 18 meetings.
*American won three meetings between the teams in 2014, including a 51-49 victory in the PL Tournament quarterfinals.
*The last win for Lafayette over American was 59-54 in Easton, Pa. on February 2, 2013.
*American has won 12 of the last 13 meetings between the teams.

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (4-12, 2-3) at Boston University Terriers (4-12, 1-4)
Case Gym; Boston, Mass. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Two teams with 4-12 overall records square off at Case Gym when Boston U. hosts Loyola Maryland.
*Boston University won three meetings between the teams in 2014, including 40-35 in the PL Tournament first round.
*Loyola Maryland and Boston U. had never met prior to both joining the Patriot League in 2013.
*BU is the best defensive rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 30.4 per game.
*Loyola Maryland is second in the Patriot League in steals at 8.3 per contest.
*Boston U. averages 57.8 points per game and yields 66.6; Loyola scores 52.0 per contest and gives up 65.1.

Navy Midshipmen (9-7, 3-2) at Colgate Raiders (2-14, 1-4)
Cotterell Court; Hamilton, N.Y. - Saturday, 4 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate will be trying to end a two-game losing streak when they welcome Navy to Cotterell Court on Saturday.
*The Mids swept a pair of games from Colgate in 2014 and have won five straight against the Raiders.
*Colgate's last win over Navy was 62-60 on Feb. 18, 2012; the Raiders do own a 12-11 advantage vs. the Mids at home.
*Navy is the first team since the 2006-07 Colgate squad to have three different freshman win a Rookie of the Week award.
*Colgate is the best offensive rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 14.4 per contest.
*Navy is tops in the Patriot League with 7.8 made three-point field goals per game, which is 23rd nationally.

Bucknell Bison (10-5, 2-2) at Army Black Knights (9-5, 1-3)
Christl Arena; West Point, N.Y. - Sunday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Army and Bucknell are each coming off wins on Wednesday heading into Sunday's tilt at Christl Arena.
*The two teams split a pair of meetings in 2014, with each squad winning on its home floor.
*Bucknell leads the all-time series 32-22 with the first meeting taking place in the 1983-84 season.
*Army has won five of the last six contests between the teams. Prior to that, Bucknell had taken nine of ten.
*Bucknell is the top rebounding team in the Patriot League, averaging 44.1 per game.
*Army leads the Patriot League in scoring defense at 53.7 points per game, which is 16th nationally.

Patriot League Notebook

Boston University Picks up First Patriot League Victory
Boston University used a 15-3 second half run to build a double digit lead over visiting Colgate and held on for a 58-53 win to end a nine-game losing streak and post its first Patriot League win. American worked overtime to remain unbeaten with a 75-73 win at Lehigh and Bucknell and Navy also went to an extra session as the Bison emerged with its first win at Alumni Hall since 2009 by a 44-42 score. Lafayette pulled away late for a 57-49 win over Loyola Maryland in front of roughly 1,700 enthusiastic Baltimore-area school children on Field Trip Day at Reitz Arena. Army ended a two-game slide with a 67-53 home victory against Holy Cross.

Lafayette Next up For Unbeaten American
Lafayette took American to the wire in the quarterfinal round of the 2014 Patriot League Tournament at Bender Arena before falling 51-49. The Leopards will take another crack for their first-ever win over the Eagles in Washington, D.C. when the two teams meet on Saturday at 2 p.m. In other afternoon contests, Lehigh travels to Holy Cross for a 1 p.m. tip, Boston U. welcomes Loyola Maryland at 2 p.m. and Colgate entertains Navy at 4 p.m. On Sunday, Army and Bucknell square off in West Point, N.Y. at 2 p.m.

Navy's Marina Muenster Earns ECAC Weekly Honor
Navy freshman forward Marina Muenster was named the Division I South Corvias Rookie of the Week by the Eastern College Athletic Conference for the week ending January 11. The Coppell, Texas native, who was also the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week, averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Mids in road wins over Boston University and rival Army.

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.

Jen Dumiak Free Throw Streak Ends at 35
American senior guard Jen Dumiak, in the top 10 nationally in free throw shooting at 93.2%, had her consecutive free throw streak snapped at 35 when she missed the second of two free throws in overtime of the Eagles 75-73 win at Lehigh. Dumiak, who finished the game with 22 points and nine assists, is also is highly ranked in assists at 6.5 per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.69. A list of other Patriot League players and teams who appear in the top 100 can be found on page 8 of this release.

Education Day, Field Trip Day a Rousing Success
No matter what you call them, programs that bring school children to Patriot League games have been an undeniable success again in 2014-15. Holy Cross, Lehigh and Loyola Maryland are among the institutions that have already conducted these midweek matinee games that combine exciting basketball entertainment with a pre-game educational component. Lehigh attracted more than 4,000 Lehigh Valley school children to its 85-67 win over Hampton on Dec. 2 and 2,300 Worcester-area kids attended Holy Cross' fourth annual "Get Fit with the Crusaders" contest against UMass-Lowell on Dec. 22. Loyola Maryland welcomed roughly 1,700 Baltimore school children to see the Greyhounds face Lafayette on Jan. 14. The Leopards will hold their own event on Jan. 21 when Holy Cross comes to Kirby Sports Center for an 11:15 a.m. game.

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. 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. 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.

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 win streak reached five on Wednesday as Shaquilla Curtis forced overtime at Lehigh with a three-point field goal with two seconds remaining. Senior guard Jen Dumiak scored five of her game-high 22 points in the extra period and the Eagles escaped Stabler Arena with a 75-73 victory. Dumiak also dished out nine assists and Curtis finished with a career high 16 points. Junior forward Michelle Holmes contributed 15 points and seven assists ... The crucial three-point field goal by Curtis was only her third trifecta of the season ... Dumiak missed her first free throw since a Dec. 20 contest at UMES, a stretch of 35 straight successful attempts. She has made 83 of 89 on the season (93.2 percent) and is ranked in the top 10 nationally.

ARMY The Black Knights ended a two-game losing streak by leading wire-to-wire in a 67-53 win over Holy Cross at Christl Arena. Junior guard Kelsey Minato scored 17 points to lead Army and senior forward Olivia Schretzman and junior guard Jean Parker added 15 apiece ... Minato scored in double figures for the 64th straight game to match the Patriot League mark set by Bucknell's Molly Creamer from 2000-03 ... Junior forward Aimee Oertner finished had a season-high five blocks against the Crusaders ... Freshman guard Daizjah Morris recorded a season-best seven points and three rebounds, while establishing a season standard of 13 minutes played ... Army hit 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field, marking its sixth 50-percent shooting game of the season.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers ended a nine-game losing streak and earned their first Patriot League win of the season with a 58-53 victory over Colgate at Case Gymnasium. Sophomore guard Sarah Hope scored 22 points on a career-high six three-pointers and eight field goals. The Medway, Mass. native also grabbed a personal best seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Meghan Green tallied her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds while playing a career- high 39 minutes ... Boston University shot 45 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from long-range, the best performance from beyond the arc this season ... BU was outscored 9-0 by the visiting Raiders to start the game but responded with a 9-0 run of its own ... It was the Terriers first win since Nov. 29 over Stephen F. Austin in the New Mexico Thanksgiving Tourney.

BUCKNELL The Bison earned their first win at Alumni Hall since 2009 when they defeated Navy 44-42 in overtime on Wednesday night. Bucknell sophomore forward Claire DeBoer finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead all players in both categories. The Grosse Pointe, Mich. native scored the only points of the extra session with a layup 2:29 into the overtime period which stood up for the two-point win ... The Bison are 3-0 in overtime games this season with victories over FDU (61-60), Colgate (77-75) and Navy (44-42) ... Bucknell's 11-5 record is its best this far into the season since 2000-01. Its 6-3 record on the road is the program's best since the 2005-06 season ... The Bison entered the game ranked ninth in the country in opponents' field goal percentage (33.7%) and held Navy to 25.8 percent on 16-of-62 shooting.

COLGATE The Raiders scored the first nine points of the game but came up on the short end of a 58-53 result against Boston University at Case Gym. Senior guard Missy Repoli scored 21 points to match her season-high, including a 5-of-6 shooting touch beyond the arc. Senior forward Carole Harris added 12 points and tied her career-high with 14 rebounds ... Only top-25 foes Rutgers and Georgia held Colgate to a lower shooting percentage this season than the 31-percent the Raiders shot at BU ... Colgate had two first-half scoring droughts of at least four minutes, and then the Raiders went the final 3:37 of the first half without a point.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders never led on Wednesday in a 67-53 loss to Army at Christl Arena. Junior guard Lisa Mifsud totaled 12 points, four assists and a career-best five steals and junior forward Raquel Scott scored 12 points -- all in the first half. Senior forward Emily Parker posted nine points and a team-best eight rebounds, while junior center Molly Hourigan tallied eight points and six boards ... Mifsud recorded her 200th career assist, while freshman guard Katie Doherty scored her 100th collegiate point during the contest ... Holy Cross has made 23 of its last 24 free throw attempts (95.85) spanning the last two games ... Holy Cross is one victory shy of earning its 700th win in program history. In 41 seasons, the Crusaders have compiled a record of 699-428 for a .620 winning percentage.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards fell behind by 14 points in the first half but closed on a 10-2 run to trail host Loyola Maryland by 29-23 at intermission. Lafayette then used a 15-0 run in the second half to post a 57-49 win over the Greyhounds. Senior forward Emily Homan paced the Leopards with a double-double finishing with 17 points and 10 boards. Senior guard Maddie Peabody added 13 points and three steals for Lafayette ... Homan scored in double figures in her 17th straight contest, dating to last season ... The Leopards outrebounded Loyola Maryland 41-27 and also sank 12-of-15 free throw attempts while the hosts only converted 1-of-3 ... Lafayette is expecting roughly 2,100 Easton Area School District students for its Education Day game against Holy Cross on Jan. 21.

LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks came out on the short end of an overtime thriller against first-place American Wednesday night at Stabler Arena as the Eagles came away with a 75-73 victory. Senior Katie O'Reilly scored a team-best 19 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Junior Kerry Kinek recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Sarah Williams turned out an all-around strong performance with 11 points, a season-high six assists and four rebounds ... Lehigh shot only 7-for-13 (53.8%) from the free throw line in the loss to the Eagles ... After playing three of four games at home, Lehigh now hits the road for contests at Holy Cross and Navy before hosting rival Lafayette at home on Jan. 25.

LOYOLA MARYLAND The Greyhounds shot 46.2% from the field in the first half but couldn't hold on to an early 14 point lead in a 57-49 to Lafayette on Field Trip Day in Reitz Arena. Freshman Bri Betz-White led Loyola Maryland with 15 points and junior guard Colleen Marshall added 14 ... It was the first Patriot League loss at home for the Greyhounds ... Roughly 1,700 Baltimore-area school children took part in the Field Trip Day activities that included an education related agenda in the auditorium prior to the contest and dancing on the Reitz Arena floor at halftime ... Colleen Marshall has scored 10-plus points in all five Patriot League contests this season.

NAVY The Mids had their three-game Patriot League win streak snapped with a 44-42 overtime loss to Bucknell. It was the Bison first win at Alumni Hall since 2009. Sophomore forward Ashanti Kennedy scored 11 points to lead Navy, which was one point shy of her career high. Reigning Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week Marina Muenster forced the overtime period with a putback in the final 30 seconds ... The setback was only the second home loss of the season for the Mids ... Bucknell outrebounded Navy 55-38. Muenster led the Mids with 10 rebounds ... Freshman guard Taylor Dunham dished out five of the Mids nine assists.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (1.5-1.11)

American senior guard Jen Dumiak and Navy freshman forward Marina Muenster were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Jan. 5-Jan. 11.

Dumiak averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in American's Patriot League wins over Loyola Maryland and Colgate. The Carlsbad, Calif. also made all seven of her free throw attempts and has now connected on 33 in a row. This is the third weekly award of the season for Dumiak and fourth all-time for the pre-season All-Patriot League selection.

Muenster averaged 9.0 points and 11.0 rebounds to help the Mids post wins at Boston University and Army. The Coppell, Texas native becomes the third different Navy freshman to capture Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Jan. 11 goes to Bucknell senior Audrey Dotson, Colgate junior Randyll Butler and Lafayette senior Emily Homan.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
JEN DUMIAK, AMERICAN Sr., G, 5-10; Carlsbad, Calif.
Dumiak captured her second consecutive Lids Team Sports Player of the Week Award and third in the last month by averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 assists and 1.5 steals in victories over Loyola Maryland and Colgate last week. The senior guard connected on nearly 62-percent from the field -- including f-of-6 from behind the arc -- and made all seven of her free throw attempts. Dumiak is currently third nationally with a 94.8 free throw percentage.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
MARINA MUENSTER, NAVY Fr., F, 6-2; Coppell, Texas
Muenster shot 66.7 percent from the floor and recorded double figures in rebounds twice to help Navy post road wins at Boston University and Army last week. After going scoreless on the first half against the Terriers, the Coppell, Texas native erupted for 14 second half points to finish with the first double-double (12 rebounds) of her career. In 15 minutes of playing time against rival Army, Muenster grabbed 10 rebounds and also delivered four crucial points in the final five minutes of a 53-50 victory.

Honorable Mention

AUDREY DOTSON, BUCKNELL Sr., F, 6-1; Vienna, Va.
Dotson averaged 18 points and nine rebounds as Bucknell split games with Lafayette and Holy Cross. A 16 point, 11 rebound effort against the Crusaders was the 15th double-double of her career.

RANDYLL BUTLER, COLGATE Jr., G, 5-8; Chicago, Ill.
Butler averaged 13 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists as Colgate split games with Holy Cross and American. Posted her third career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against the Eagles.

EMILY HOMAN, LAFAYETTE Sr., F, 6-3; Upper Darby, Pa.
Homan averaged 22 points and seven rebounds in Lafayette's 1-1 week. The senior forward has scored in double figures in every game this season for the Leopards.