Feb. 20, 2015

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 2.20.15 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - American and Army have already nailed down home games for the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League tournament and will meet for the second time this season in a showdown that will go a long way to determining the top seed.

The Black Knights won the previous encounter, but the first place Eagles will have them on their home court in one of five Saturday afternoon contests. In other 1 p.m. matchups, Holy Cross hosts Navy and Boston University welcomes Bucknell. Lehigh travels to rival Lafayette at 2 p.m. and Colgate entertains Loyola Maryland at 4 p.m. All five games will be available on the Patriot League Network.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB

*American and Army have locked down home games for the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.
*American (18-8, 13-2) won its fifth straight game on Wednesday with a 58-50 win over Boston University.
*Army (20-5, 12-3) rallied from an eight-point deficit late in the game to edge Colgate 48-47 at Christl Arena.
*Navy (15-11, 9-6) completed a season sweep over Lehigh with a 50-44 victory Wednesday at Stabler Arena.
*Lehigh (17-8, 9-6) lost for the third time in five games to fall into fourth place following a 50-44 setback to Navy.
*Holy Cross (12-16, 8-7) shot nearly 45-percent from the field in a 59-53 win over Lafayette.
*Bucknell (16-10, 8-7) connect on 6-of-9 from behind the arc in a 72-61 victory at Loyola Maryland.
*Lafayette (12-14, 5-10) lost for the eighth time in 10 games with a 59-53 loss on Wednesday at Holy Cross.
*Loyola (7-19, 5-10) lost 72-61 to Bucknell despite forcing the Bison into 19 turnovers.
*Colgate (5-21, 4-11) suffered its fifth Patriot League setback by two points or less following a 48-47 loss at Army.
*Boston University (5-21, 2-13) is a lock to be on the road in the opening round of the PL playoffs after a 58-50 loss to AU.

Patriot League Notebook

Navy Grabs Key Road Win Against Lehigh
Navy held Lehigh to just 25-percent shooting on its home floor and completed a season sweep of the Mountain Hawks with a 50-44 win Wednesday at Stabler Arena. The win moved the Mids into a third-place tie with Lehigh and secured the head-to-head tiebreaker. First place American extended its winning streak to five games with a 58-50 win at Boston University and Army won its 11th in a row by edging Colgate 48-47. Bucknell received 47 points from Jacquie Klotz and Audrey Dotson to down Loyola Maryland 72-61 and Holy Cross got a balanced effort in a 59-53 win over Lafayette.

American Hosts Army with First Place on the Line
American has held sole possession of first place in the Patriot League standings since the fourth week of the League season, but the Eagles could get company this weekend when Army comes to Washington, D.C. for their second meeting. The Black Knights won the previous encounter 68-60 and a win at 1 p.m. on Saturday would not only pull them into a tie atop the standings but also give them a leg up in the tiebreaker. In other 1 p.m. matchups, Holy Cross hosts Navy and Boston University welcomes Bucknell. Lehigh travels to rival Lafayette at 2 p.m. and Colgate entertains Loyola Maryland at 4 p.m. All five contests will be available on the Patriot League Network.

If The Season Ended Today ...
With each team having three games left in the regular season, the Patriot League Tournament would shape up as follows based on the current standings: Lafayette (7) would host Boston University (10) and Colgate (9) would travel to Loyola Maryland (8) for first round games on Wednesday, March 4. In the quarterfinal round on Friday, March 6, American (1) would face the 8/9 winner at Bender Arena with Army (2) taking on the 7/10 winner in West Point, N.Y. Navy (3) would square off against Bucknell (6) at Alumni Hall and Lehigh (4) would host Holy Cross (5) at Stabler Arena.

... But That Could All Change This Weekend
American and Army are locked in as the top two seeds, with the order still to be determined, and Boston University will be the No. 10 seed in the PL Tournament and on the road for the first round. In addition to the showdown at the top of the standings on Saturday, the Navy-Holy Cross and Colgate-Loyola matchups feature teams currently separated by one game.

And Down the Stretch They Come
Here are the final three games for each team to conclude the Patriot League regular season: American, 12-3 (Army, @Navy, Bucknell), Army, 12-3 (@American, Boston U., Lafayette), Navy, 9-6 (@Holy Cross, American, Loyola), Lehigh, 9-6 (@Lafayette, @Bucknell, Colgate), Holy Cross, 8-7 (Navy, @Loyola, Boston U.), Bucknell, 8-7 (@Boston U., Lehigh, @American), Lafayette, 5-10 (Lehigh, @Colgate, @Army), Colgate, 4-11 (Loyola, Lafayette, @Lehigh), Boston U., 2-13 (Bucknell, @Army, @Holy Cross).

Who Owns TieBreakers?
With a win over American on Saturday, Army would not only move into a first place tie with the Eagles but also complete a season sweep and secure the head-to-head tiebreaker. Navy did just that on Wednesday with a win over Lehigh and Holy Cross already owns tiebreakers against both Navy and Bucknell. Lehigh owns a head-to-head tiebreaker with Holy Cross and still has a game left against Bucknell. The Bison own the tiebreaker with Navy. Lafayette swept Loyola Maryland during the regular season to get a leg up in battle for first round home court games. The Raiders are one game behind the Leopards and Greyhounds but can help their own cause when they go heads-up with those teams on Saturday and Wednesday.

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. Additionally, last Sunday's regular season contest between defending Patriot League Champion Army and Bucknell from Sojka Pavilion was carried live by CBS Sports Network. 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 Carries Pair of Regular Season Games
The American Sports Network (ASN) broadcast 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 were 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. In addition to women's basketball, ASN has produced content for Patriot League men's basketball, football and men and women's soccer during the 2014-15 season.

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.

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.

Patriot League Games

Bucknell Bison (16-10, 8-7) at Boston University Terriers (5-21, 2-13)
Case Gym; Boston, Mass. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Bucknell continues its push for a top-four spot in the Patriot League Tournament on Saturday at Boston University
*The Bison currently sit in sixth place in the PL standings, one game behind Lehigh and Navy with three games left.
*Boston University is locked in as the No. 10 seed for the Patriot League Tournament.
*Bucknell owns a tiebreaker with third place Navy, but was 0-2 in the regular season against fifth place Holy Cross.
*Boston University has scored more than 60 points in Patriot League contests only 2x this season (both losses to Lehigh)
*Bucknell defeated the Terriers 72-56 in Lewisburg, Pa. on Jan. 24.

Navy Midshipmen (15-11, 9-6) at Holy Cross Crusaders (12-16, 8-7)
Hart Center, Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Holy Cross looks to sweep the season series against Navy with a win Saturday at the Hart Center
*Navy would take a two-game lead on the Crusaders with a victory.
*Holy Cross could jump from sixth place to third place in the standings with a win Saturday and a loss by Lehigh.
*Navy has never lost to Holy Cross at the Hart Center (6-0) under Stefanie Pemper.
*Holy Cross leads the all-times series with Navy 40-16, including a 60-44 win at Annapolis, Md. in January.
*Navy swept Holy Cross in the regular season in 2014, but lost to the Crusaders in the quarterfinals of the PL Tournament.

Army Black Knights (20-5, 12-3) at American Eagles (18-8, 13-2)
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Army tries to tie a program record with 12 straight wins against first place American
*American can take a two-game-lead on Army with two games to play with a win over the Black Knights
*Army can sweep the season series with American and take over the top spot in the PL standings with a win on Saturday.
*American has won five straight since losing 2-of-3 to finish the month of January.
*Army is in the top ten nationally in scoring defense at 52.7 points per game.
*American is 7-4 at home this season, including a 6-1 record against Patriot League competition.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (17-8, 9-6) at Lafayette Leopards (12-14, 5-10)
Kirby Sports Center; Easton, Pa. - Saturday, 2 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Lehigh and Lafayette are tying to secure home playoff games heading into the penultimate weekend.
*Lafayette is in a race with Colgate and Loyola Maryland for a home playoff game in the first round.
*Lehigh is one of four teams (Bucknell, Holy Cross, Navy) fighting to host quarterfinal round playoff games.
*Lafayette has lost eight of ten games heading into Saturday's showdown with rival Lehigh.
*Lehigh senior Katie O'Reilly became the 17th 1,000 point scorer in program history earlier this month.
*Lafayette lost the previous meeting 65-60 in late January in Bethlehem, Pa.

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (7-19, 5-10) at Colgate Raiders (5-21, 4-11)
Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y. - Saturday, 4 p.m.
Coverage: Patriot League Network
*Colgate sits a game behind Loyola Maryland and Lafayette heading into Saturday's game against the Greyhounds.
*Loyola Maryland currently sits in eighth place in the Patriot League standings and would host a first round playoff game
*Colgate won the previous encounter 72-45 at Reitz Arena in January.
*Loyola owns wins over third place Navy and fourth place Lehigh this season.
*Colgate will honor four seniors prior to its final weekend home game of the season on Saturday against Loyola.
*Loyola Maryland is second in the Patriot League in steals at 8.7 per contest.

AMERICAN Senior guard Jen Dumiak scored 23 points and dished out seven assists to lead American (18-8, 13-2) to a 58-50 win in Boston University's Case Gym. Also scoring in double figures for the Eagles was junior Ari Booth with 10 points, while junior Michelle Holmes pitched in nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds ... American has won five in a row since losing two of three at the end of January. The Eagles started the Patriot League season by winning their first seven contests ... Holmes, Dumiak, Shaquilla Curtis and Arron Zimmerman have started all 26 games for head coach Megan Gebbia this season. The final spot in the lineup has been shared by Booth, Jordan Light, Emily Kinneston and Lauren Crisler ... American is 6-1 in Patriot League games played at Bender Arena this season, with only loss coming on Jan. 31 to Holy Cross.

ARMY The Black Knights (20-5, 12-3) became the first team in the Patriot League to reach 20 wins and also clinched a home game for the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament with a 48-47 win over Colgate. The Raiders led by eight with 6:50 remaining, but the hosts battled back and took the lead for good on a three-point field goal by junior guard Kelsey Minato with 1:15 remaining. Minato lead all scorers with 18 points ... This is the first time in program history that Army has reached the 20-win plateau in three consecutive years ... The Black Knights 11-game win streak is the longest since they won 12 in a row during the 2006-7 season ... Minato, a junior guard, is the third all-time leading scorer in program history at 1,683 points, which is also eighth all-time in Patriot League history.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY Junior guard Troi Melton scored a career high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field but couldn't prevent the Terriers (5-21, 2-13) from losing for the ninth time in 10 games following a 58-50 setback to first place American. Courtney Latham scored eight points and grabbed wight rebounds for Boston University ... The Terriers final home game on Saturday was moved to a 1 p.m. start due to inclement weather. BU's lone senior, Mollie McKendrick, will be honored prior to the contest against Bucknell. The Mildura, Australia native has appeared in nearly 100 games and scored almost 600 points in her four-year career.

BUCKNELL Freshman Jacquie Klotz continued her stellar play and sparked the Bison (16-10, 8-7) to a 72-61 road win at Loyola Maryland. Klotz, the two-time reigning Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the week, shot 9-for-10 from the field for a career-high 26 points and added 10 rebounds in 34 minutes for Bucknell. Senior forward Audrey Dotson added 21 points as the Bison enjoyed their highest scoring output in nearly a month ... Bucknell netted a season-high 26 free throws on 30 attempts in the win against the Greyhounds ... The Bison used a 17-0 run late in the first half to turn a 10-point deficit into a seven-point lead ... Klotz has led Bucknell in scoring over three of the last four games, averaging nearly 17 points per contest.

COLGATE The Raiders (5-21, 4-11) suffered theor fifth loss by two points or less following a 48-47 setback at Army on Wednesday. Seniors Missy Repoli and Carole Harris combined for 23 points in the loss to the Black Knights ... Repoli hit two 3-pointers in the game to give her 159 career treys. That pulls the senior captain into a second-place tie alongside Meghan Curtin (2003-06) on Colgate's all-time list ... The Raiders were credited with a season-low four assists. Mariah Jones had two of the four to lead the team in assists for the 19th time this year ... Colgate will honor seniors Steph Schultz, Repoli, Harris and Jones prior to its final weekend home game this Saturday against Loyola Maryland.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders (12-16, 8-7) kept pace with Bucknell and Navy in the race for a home game in the postseason following a 59-53 win over Lafayette in the Crusaders 500th game at the Hart Center. Raquel Scott scored 15 points and collected seven rebounds to lead Holy Cross and senior forward Emily Parker recorded her fifth career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds ... The Crusaders will host its annual Play 4Kay game during Saturday's game with Navy to raise money and awareness for breast cancer ... With the game knotted at 41-41 at the 14:31-mark of the second half, the Crusaders went on a 13-4 scoring surge to gain the 54-45 lead with 5:37 left in the contest. Parker and freshman Tricia Byrne scored four points apiece during the rally.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards (12-14, 5-10) erased a 15-point halftime deficit to take a 39-38 lead on an Emily Homan layup with 15:55 remaining, but Holy Cross went on a 16-6 run en route to a 59-53 win. Homan led all players with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds ... Junior guard Jamie O'Hare registered five or more assists for the third straight game ... Lafayette will honor seniors Homan, Maddie Peabody, Brya Freeland and Linnel Macklin prior to Saturday's contest against rival Lehigh. Public address announcer Jim Finnen, a fixture behind the mic for 50 seasons, will also be recognized prior to the Leopards final regular season home game ... Lafayette is 8-4 at Kirby Sports Center and 4-10 on the road.

LEHIGH Sophomore forward Lexi Martins snared a career-high 17 rebounds but was held to four points in the Mountain Hawks 50-44 loss to Navy. Senior Sarah Williams led Lehigh (17-8, 9-6) offensively with 12 points and three assists ... The Mountain Hawks struggled through one of their worst shooting nights of the season, finishing the game shooting 25 percent (16-for-64) from the field, 31.3 percent (5-for-16) from three-point range and 50 percent (7-for-14) from the free throw line ... Lehigh enters Saturday's contest leading the league in scoring offense (70.3 ppg) and rebounding offense (41.7 rpg) and ranking second in scoring margin (+5.8 ppg), field goal percentage (43 percent) and rebounding margin (+8.5 rpg) ... The Mountain Hawks have lost 3-of-5 and slipped to fourth place in the Patriot League standings.

LOYOLA MARYLAND Junior guard Colleen Marshall scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Greyhounds (7-19, 5-10) in a 72-61 loss to Bucknell. Loyola Maryland took a 26-16 lead on a layup by Jeneh Perry with 6:49 remaining in the first half before the Bison went on a 17-0 over the next five-plus minutes. Nai Brown and Lauren Daugherty scored 10 points apiece in the loss ... Freshman guard Bri Betz-White has played the most minutes (32.3 per game) of any Patriot League rookie this season and has scored more points than any newcomer in the league with an average of 9.3 per game ... Loyola is 5-1 at home when holding its opponent to 55 points or less.

NAVY The Mids (15-11, 9-6) completed a season sweep of Lehigh with a 50-44 win at Stabler Arena. Freshman guard Taylor Dunham led a balanced Mids attack with 12 points and Justice Swett snared 13 rebounds and made four steals for the visitors. Navy pushed a nine-point halftime advantage to as much as 14 in the final 20 minutes and held the Mountain Hawks to 16-for-64 (25-percent) shooting on the night ... Swett's 13 rebounds were the most for a Navy player this season and she also recorded half of the Mids eight steals on the evening ... A total of 11 Mids are averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time a game this season which is the most in school history since minutes were available starting with the 1989-90 season.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (2.9-2.15)

American guard Jen Dumiak and Bucknell freshman guard Jacquie Klotz, were named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Women's Basketball weekly award winners for their performances in games from Feb. 9-Feb. 15.

Dumiak averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 assists and 8.0 assists per game in the Eagles Patriot League wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. The Carlsbad, Calif. native shot 64-percent from the floor and had a 5.0 assist-to-turnover ration. This is the fourth weekly award for Dumiak this season and fifth all-time.

Klotz averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as Bucknell split contests with Army and Navy. This is the second consecutive Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for the West Windsor, N.J. native.

Honorable mention status for the week ending Feb. 15 goes to Army junior Kelsey Minato, Lafayette senior Emily Homan and Loyola Maryland junior Colleen Marshall.

Lids Team Sports Player of the Week
JEN DUMIAK, AMERICAN Gr., G, 5-10; Carlsbad, Calif.
Dumiak had a pair of outstanding all-around games for the Eagles in wins over Lehigh and Lafayette last week. The Carlsbad, Calif. native tallied 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a come-from-behind win over the Mountain Hawks and followed that up with 15 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a win at Lafayette. Dumiak surpassed 2014 graduate Alexis Dobbs for second place on AU's career assist list with 435 career helpers.

Lids Team Sports Rookie of the Week
JACQUIE KLOTZ, BUCKNELL Fr., G, 6-0; West Windsor, N.J.
Klotz averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as Bucknell split a pair of conference games against Army and Navy last week. The West Windsor, N.J. native led Bucknell in both points (17) and rebounds (8) for the second straight game in the Bison's 51-50 win over Navy on Wednesday. It is the second consecutive Lids Team Sports Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for Klotz.

Honorable Mention

KELSEY MINATO, ARMY Jr., G, 5-8; Huntington Beach, Calif.
Minato averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game last week as the Black Knights swept games with Holy Cross and Bucknell.

EMILY HOMAN, LAFAYETTE Sr., F, 6-3; Upper Darby, Pa.
Homan averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds and collected back-to-back double-doubles as Lafayette split games with Loyola and American.

COLLEEN MARSHALL, LOYOLA MARYLAND Jr., G, 5-9; Gaithersburg, Md.
Marshall scored a career-high 35 points and tied a school record with seven 3-pointers in a 66-55 victory over Boston U.