Women's Basketball Release 2.26.16 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- All ten teams will be in action on Saturday, playing in the second to last game of the Patriot League regular season. Holy Cross will welcome Boston University will kickoff the day's games in a battle for the Turnpike Trophy at the Hart Center at 1:05 p.m. The day will wrap up with Army West Point paying Lehigh a visit for a tipoff at 7:30 p.m.

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_WBB
* All ten teams will be in action on Saturday and can be watched on the Patriot League network.
* Army senior Kelsey Minato became the first active player in Academy history to have her jersey retired.
* Loyola defeated Holy Cross on the road 59-49 to move up in the standings, joining the Crusaders and Navy in fourth place.
* Colgate recorded its highest output in the first half of a game this season with 41 points but ultimately fell to Lehigh, 83-74.
* Army celebrated senior night with its last home game of the regular season and win over Boston U. ,72-38.
* Bucknell tallied its 21st win of the season with a 69-55 victory over Lafayette, tying the program record.
* Navy held American to just six points in the fourth quarter to secure a 65-52 win at Alumni.
* Colgate senior Josie Stockill reached 1,000 career points on a three-point play in the first quarter at Lehigh.
* Army’s Kelsey Minato and Bucknell’s Jacquie Klotz rank No. 2 & 3, respectively, in the nation in three-point field goal percentage with Minato hitting 48.8 percent and Klotz making 47.8 percent.

Patriot League Notebook

Seeding Still To Be Determined
Four of the five home teams earned victories Wednesday evening during women’s basketball Patriot League action. With wins by Army West Point, Bucknell, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, and Navy there are still many scenarios in which the final two games could play out and impact the standings. However, the Black Knights and Bison are guaranteed at least a No. 2 seed and home game in the quarterfinals, as both sit five games ahead of the next team with a 15-1 record. While the next four teams -- Lehigh, Loyola, Holy Cross, Navy -- all earn first round byes, it’s still anyone’s game for the remaining two home games. The Mountain Hawks hold a slight advantage in third at 10-6, while the other three sit tied for fourth with a 9-7 record. The first round teams have also already been determined, but the hosts of those games have not been established as each of the four teams are still within reach of each other.

Down to the Wire, Just Two More Games to Go
The end is in sight as just two more games remain in the Patriot League regular season schedule. With the top six teams locked in, the final two games will determine the seeding for all ten teams in the tournament. Holy Cross welcomes Boston University in the battle for the Turnpike Trophy to open the day’s events at 1:05 p.m. An important game in Hamilton will take place between Colgate and Lafayette at 4 p.m., while Loyola Maryland will play American in D.C. at the same time. Both of the League leaders -- Army West Point and Bucknell -- will play in the evening, with Bucknell hosting Navy at 7 p.m. Lehigh will then welcome the Black Knights a half hour later onto the court at Stabler Arena in hopes of an update. All five games can be seen on the Patriot League Network.

Army Class of 2016 Makes Mark in History
After the conclusion of Wednesday night’s game, the Black Knights honored the Class of 2016 with a special banner ceremony to recognize the winningest class in Academy history. The group of five seniors -- Brianna Johnson, Brigette Ocran, Aimee Oertner, Kelsey Minato , Jean Parker -- are currently tied with Lehigh’s Class of 2011 for the most victories over a four-year span in Patriot League history (94 wins). In addition, Minato became the first active player in Academy history to have her jersey retired. Two banners are now hand from the rafters in Christl Arena, symbolizing the group’s accomplishments.

Looking to Join 1,000 Point Club
The Patriot League recently welcomed Colgate senior Josie Stockill to the 1,000 Point Club, when she reached the milestone on a three-point play, with 3:51 left in the first quarter at Lehigh, and finished the night with 14 points to bring her career total to 1,010. Stockill becomes the 20th Raider to reach the mark and sits at 19th in school-history scoring. She is also the fourth player -- third senior -- in the Patriot League to reach the feat this season and is the 97th in the League’s history to join the club. Before her, Bucknell junior Claire DeBoer joined the 1,000 point club when she reached 1,001 career points with her first basket against Colgate at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 13. She entered the game with 999 career points, after scoring 15 in the Bison’s win over Lehigh on Feb. 10, and reached the accomplishment with a layup with 1:54 left in the first quarter to give Bucknell a 20-8 lead over the Raiders. DeBoer is the 22nd player in program history to achieve the scoring milestone. Holy Cross senior Lisa Mifsud tallied exactly 1,000 career points with a trey at the 4:07 mark in the fourth quarter against Bucknell on Feb. 6. She was the second senior in the League to reach the milestone, as Lafayette senior Jamie O’Hare joined the club on January 9, when the Leopards defeated Boston University 71-56 at the Kirby Sports Center. With three more games left in the Patriot League regular season, two other players are inching closer towards the mark and will look to attain it over the course of the remaining games. Lehigh junior Lexi Martins, who hit exactly 800 career rebounds with 15 against Holy Cross on Feb. 13, is also approaching the 1,000 career-point mark with 987 points. Martins will become the 98th Patriot League women’s basketball player to join the 1,000 point club if she reaches the mark this season.

Army’s Kelsey Minato on Pace to Set Patriot League Scoring Record
Army West Point’s senior All-America candidate Kelsey Minato became the Academy’s all-time scoring leader on Wednesday, Feb. 10 against Colgate when she buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 27 seconds on the clock in the third quarter. She surpassed Kevin Houston’s (USMA’87) record of 2,325 and finished with 29 points to bring her career total to 2,336. Earlier in the season, Minato also became the first women’s basketball player at West Point to reach 2,000 career points. The senior guard now has 2,422 career points and is just 41 points away from breaking the women’s basketball Patriot League scoring record of 2,462 points -- held by Bucknell’s Molly Creamer (1999-03). Minato is currently averaging 23.4 points per game and is mathematically projected to accumulate 46.8 points over the course of the final two games of the regular season to bring her point total to 2,468.8 and surpass the milestone by 6.8 points.

Follow the Action on the 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.

2016 Patriot League Tournament
The 2016 Patriot League Tournament, featuring all 10 teams playing at campus sites, begins with the first round on Saturday, March 5 (#10 seed plays at the #7 seed and the #9 seed visits the #8 seed) followed by the quarterfinals two days later (#1 overall seed hosting the 9/8 winner and the #5 seed playing at the #4 seed on one half of the bracket and the #2 seed at home against the 10/7 winner with the #6 seed at the #3 seed on the other side). The four remaining squads then move to on the semifinals and championship, which will be hosted by the highest-seeded semifinal team on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12. The first round and quarterfinal games will be shown on Patriot League Network as will the semifinals, while the championship game will be aired on CBS Sports Network. All Patriot League Tournament games will be played at the site of the higher seed.
More information can be found on the women’s basketball championship page, here.

Team Notebook

AMERICAN (6-21, 4-12) The Eagles were hampered by only scoring six points in the final quarter and fell to the Midshipmen 65-52 win on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall … The game featured six lead changes and four tied scores … American led for 23:52 and posted its largest lead of 11 points, after a three-pointer from freshman Cecily Carl, with 6:18 on the clock in the second quarter ... Junior Lauren Crisler and Ari Booth both led the way with 12 points and six rebounds apiece … Carl followed with 11 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Maria Liddane pitched in 10 points and eight assists.

ARMY WEST POINT (24-2, 15-1) The Black Knights earned their 14th straight victory and now have a program record of 15 wins in Patriot League action after a 72-38 victory over the Terriers on Wednesday night at Christl Arena on Senior Night … Trailing Boston University 5-0 at the start of the game, senior Kelsey Minato drilled three treys and senior Brigette Ocran added a jumper in a matter of two minutes to give Army an 11-7 lead … The Black Knights held the Terriers to just four points the rest of the quarter and netted 11 points of their own, including back-to-back three-point baskets from senior Jean Parker to close out an 11-4 run … Army maintained control the rest of the way, increasing the lead to 34 in the fourth period to seal the victory … The Black Knights’ senior class of Brianna Johnson, Minato, Aimee Oertner, Parker, and Ocran all appeared in the starting lineup, with Ocran making her first collegiate start … After the game, the Class of 2016 was honored with a banner for earning its 94th win, tying Lehigh’s Class of 2011 for the most total wins over a four-year period in Patriot League history … Minato, who led the team with 30 points and added seven rebounds, also became the first active player in team history to have her jersey retired … Oertner extended her career-best double-digit scoring streak to seven games with 14 points, scoring 10 of them in the third quarter … She also added seven boards, six blocks, and three assists … Parker tallied nine points, while Johnson posted career highs of nine rebounds and six assists.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY (3-24, 3-13) After opening the game on a 5-0 run, the Terriers were halted by the Black Knights and fell to the League leaders 72-38 on Wednesday night at Christl Arena … Sophomore Corrinne Williams led BU with 11 points and four rebounds, and classmate Meghan Doogan pitched in eight points.

BUCKNELL (21-6, 15-1) An overall 54.0 shooting percent helped lift the Bison to a 69-55 win over the Leopards at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night … Bucknell led throughout the entire game, but Lafayette was on the home team’s tail for the first half of the contest and was only down by four going into the break, 35-31 … The Bison opened the third quarter with five points and then ended it on an 18-7 run to take an 18-point lead over the Leopards, 60-42, helping Bucknell keep Lafayette at bay throughout the remainder of the game to secure the home win and improve to 12-1 on the season at Sojka … The win also marked the team’s 21 of the season, tying the program record … Sophomore Jacquie Klotz notched her 12th double-double of the season, leading the Bison with 24 points and 10 rebounds … She shot 8-of-13 from the field, which included a 5-of-7 mark from beyond the arc … Freshman Kaitlyn Slagus pitched in 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while junior Claire DeBoer added 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

COLGATE (4-22, 2-14) The Raiders couldn’t comeback from a Mountain Hawk 15-3 run in the third quarter and dropped Wednesday’s contest at Stabler Arena, 83-74 … In a close first half, Colgate only trailed Lehigh by two-points going into the break, 43-41 … The 41 points were the most netted by the Raiders in a first half this season … The start of the third quarter saw the two teams trade points until they were tied at 48-48 … The Mountain Hawks took a 12-point, and the Raiders knocked the lead down to four, three times in the final quarter, but were unable to get any closer … Sophomore Ariel Etheridge netted a career-best 21 points and added four rebounds, while junior Katie Curtis followed with 17 points, five assists, three steals, and grabbed a career-high seven boards … Senior Josie Stockill reached 1,000 career points on a three-point play with 3:51 left in the first quarter and finished the night with 14 points to bring her career total to 1,010 … She also hauled in eight rebounds, had two assists, and two blocks.

HOLY CROSS (12-15, 9-7) The Crusaders were down by just three points at the break but the Greyhounds went on an 11-3 run in the third quarter that they used to secure the 59-49 win at the Hart Center on Wednesday ... Senior Molly Hourigan netted the game’s first basket a minute into the contest, but Loyola Marlyand quickly responded with a trey and added seven more points to lead 10-2 … The Crusaders knotted the score at 18-18 midway through the second quarter on an Hourigan layup, but the Greyhounds once again responded with a trey to take the lead again … After trailing 26-23 going into the break, Holy Cross tied the score again (38-38) on a Hourigan three-point play with 3:19 on the clock in the third period … Loyola ended the quarter on an 11-3 run to hold an 49-41 advantage going into the final period and used it to secure the win … Hourigan notched a game-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with her seven rebounds and three blocks … Sophomore Katie Doherty finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and a pair of steals, while senior Lisa Mifsud totaled 12 points, three steals, and a game-high seven assists.

LAFAYETTE (6-20, 4-12) The Leopards fell behind in the third quarter after an 18-7 run by the Bison and couldn’t make up ground, falling to the League leaders 69-55 at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night … Bucknell led throughout the entire game, but Lafayette was on the home team’s tail for the first half of the contest and was only down by four going into the break, 35-31 … The Bison opened the third quarter with five points and then ended it on an 18-7 run to help keep Lafayette at bay throughout the remainder of the game ... Senior Jamie O’Hare led the Leopards with 17 points, while freshman Angela Ribarich was two shy of her personal-best with 15 points … Freshman Alex Cantwell swiped a career-high five steals to help Lafayette hold the advantage in the category, 15-9.

LEHIGH (17-10, 10-6) A 15-3 run in the third quarter helped the Mountain Hawks pull away from the Raiders and maintain the lead the rest of the way, securing an 83-74 win at Stabler Arena on Wednesday … In a close first half, Lehigh only led Colgate by two-points going into the break, 43-41 … The start of the third quarter saw the two teams trade points until they were tied at 48-48 … The Mountain Hawks then began their 15-3 run, which was capped off by a Quinci Mann trey, to go ahead by 12 points … The Raiders knocked the lead down to four, three times in the final quarter, but were unable to get any closer … Four Lehigh players scored in double-figures for the first time since Jan. 13, with junior Lexi Martins leading the way with her 21st double-double this season of 19 points and 14 rebounds … Mann also contributed 19 points and added five assists, while sophomore Bernadette Devaney chipped in a career-high 12 points … Senior Elizabeth Sharlow rounded out the quartet with 10 points and six rebounds.

LOYOLA MARYLAND (12-15, 9-7) For a second-straight game, the Greyhounds held their opponent to single digits in the first quarter which helped propel them to an important 59-49 win over the Crusaders on Wednesday night at the Hart Center … Holy Cross netted the game’s first basket a minute into the contest, but junior Lisa Mirarchi quickly responded with a trey to put Loyola Maryland ahead … The Greyhounds followed up with seven-straight points to then lead 10-2 … The Crusaders knotted the score at 18-18 midway through the second quarter, but senior Colleen Marshall hit a trey to put the visitors out in front again … Holy Cross came back to tie the score again at 38-38 in the third period, but Loyola ended the quarter on an 11-3 run to hold an 49-41 advantage and remain ahead the rest of the way … Marshall and sophomore Bri Betz-White each contributed 16 points … Marshall also added seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Betz-White pitched in three boards and three assists … Mirarchi followed with 11 points and four boards, and senior Jeneh Perry pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds in addition to chipping in eight points and four assists.

NAVY (15-12, 9-7) The Midshipmen outscored the Eagles 20-6 in the final quarter to secure a 65-52 win on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall, marking the 12th year in a row that they have won on Senior Night … The game featured six lead changes and four tied scores … Navy held the advantage for 13:25 and captured its largest lead of 13 points with four seconds remaining in the game, ending the game with 11 unanswered points … Senior Peri Curtis made her senior night memorable as she led the Mids with 13 points, after opening the game with the team’s first eight points … She also tallied eight rebounds, three assists and four steals … Junior Sarita Condie grabbed six rebounds and recorded five helpers and notched all ten of her points in the second half of the game … Freshman Molly Sanders posted a career-high 10 points, while freshman Christina Potts and sophomore Haley Unger each chipped in nine points.