Jan. 31, 2008

By the time Army and Bucknell finish their game on Sunday afternoon, all eight Patriot League teams will have played the first meeting against one another this season. The other three matchups to conclude the first half of the Patriot League schedule are all on Saturday, with Lehigh at Holy Cross at Noon, American at Lafayette at 1 p.m. and Colgate at Navy at 7 p.m. Army and Bucknell will tip off at Noon on Sunday. The Lehigh/Holy Cross and Army/Bucknell games will both be shown live on ESPNU. Lafayette has a one-game lead with a 5-1 record in the Patriot League, followed by Lehigh and Bucknell in a second-place tie at 4-2. Navy and American are tied for fourth at 3-3, with Colgate and Army right behind at 2-4. Holy Cross sits in eighth place with a 1-5 mark.

Patriot League Men's Basketball Release - 1.31.08

Patriot League Notebook

Lehigh Becomes First League Team Since 2003 to Win at Bucknell

Wednesday was a night to end long streaks in Patriot League men's basketball, and none was bigger than Lehigh snapping Bucknell's 38-game home winning streak against Patriot League opponents with a 56-54 win in Lewisburg. Navy scored its first victory at American since 1991 with a 77-66 triumph, while Colgate ended Holy Cross' seven-game series win streak by beating the Crusaders, 58-46, in Hamilton. Lafayette notched the biggest margin of victory in Patriot League play this season and moved back into sole possession of first place with an 83-58 triumph over Army. The night also featured a pair of outstanding individual performances in career-high scoring efforts. Navy's Greg Sprink scored 36 points, the most for a Patriot League player this season, while Lafayette's Andrew Brown notched 34 points and tied a school record with nine three-pointers.

Patriot League Weekend On ESPNU

Before the big football game captures everyone's attention on Sunday night, the Patriot League will have its share of the national television spotlight with a pair of Noon starts on ESPNU this weekend. Lehigh visits Holy Cross on Saturday, while Army travels to Bucknell on Super Bowl Sunday. Bucknell makes its third appearance on the network this season, and looks to build on its 2-0 record in the games. Army won at Navy in an ESPNU televised game on Sunday, while Holy Cross lost its only appearance to Bucknell on Jan. 18. Lehigh plays in its first ESPNU-televised game of the season. The Lehigh/Holy Cross contest is part of ESPN's Student Spirit Week presented by Allstate.

Streak Snappers

When the second round of Patriot League play starts, plenty of new streaks will be on the line. Another set of long streaks ended on Wednesday, none bigger than Lehigh snapping Bucknell's 38-game home win streak against Patriot League opponents that dated back to 2003. The Mountain Hawks and Colgate ended seven-game series losing streaks against Bucknell and Holy Cross, respectively. That's not the first time teams have ended long skids against the recent League powers, as Navy ended a 17-game slide against Holy Cross and Army stopped a 13-game streak against the Crusaders. Lafayette made up for years of frustration by ending an eight-game slide against Bucknell and a seven-game streak against Holy Cross. Navy put an end to American's six-game home winning streak in their series on Wednesday, winning in Washington for the first time as a Patriot League member. Every matchup this weekend has at least a four-game series win streak on the line.

Career Performances

Through six games, some of the top Patriot League players are engaged in a contest of whatever you can do, I can do better. Navy's Greg Sprink produced the top point total of the season, and scored a career high, with 36 points at American on Wednesday. That came three days after Army's Jarell Brown notched his career high and had the high point total of the year with 35 against Navy. Lafayette's Bilal Abdullah and Andrew Brown have both scored a career-high 34 points in League play, with Abdullah hitting the mark against Navy on Jan. 19 and Brown notching the total against Army on Wednesday. Last year's top individual effort in overall and League play was a 33-point game by Holy Cross' Tim Clifford against Navy on Feb. 15. The Patriot League already boasts seven performances of 33 points or more this season, with three by Sprink and two by Jarell Brown. Sprink is averaging 28.2 ppg in League play, and three others players are over 18 points per game in League action after none finished with more than Sprink's 17.9 a year ago.

Leads, Home Court Still Not Safe

Two more Patriot League teams came back from a second-half deficit on Wednesday, and another pair won on the road. With those results, 16 of the 24 winners in Patriot League games have trailed in the second half, with nine of those comebacks from six points or more down. The home/road split of winners is an even 12-12, and six of the eight teams are at or above .500 on the road in League action.

Nine is Fine

The Patriot League is in exclusive company with every team recording at least nine wins on the season to date. The Atlantic Coast Conference is the only other league where every member has at least nine wins against Division I opponents. By the end of Sunday's action all but one Patriot League team will have 10 wins or more, as the remaining nine win teams, Army and Bucknell, square off in Lewisburg.

RPI Top 20

After creeping up in recent weeks, the Patriot League made a two-spot jump to No. 19 in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI rating through Wednesday's games. The League has a .4797 weighted RPI, which is all the way up from a .4780 on Monday. The Patriot League moved past the Southland and Big West Conferences, and is now just .0008 points away from overtaking the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for 18th position. Lafayette leads all Patriot League teams at No. 128 in the RPI, while Holy Cross is at No. 148. The Patriot League joins the Missouri Valley Conference as the only Mid-Major leagues to place every team above No. 275, with Navy coming in just ahead at No. 274 after its win at American.

Time to GET SIRIUS

The February schedule of Patriot League games on SIRIUS Satellite Radio is out, and every team will make at least one appearance the rest of the way. The League has five games remaining on its schedule, with American at Lafayette on Saturday, Lehigh at American on Feb. 10, Holy Cross at Bucknell on Feb. 16, Lehigh at Lafayette on Feb. 23 and Lafayette at American on March 1. All seven games of the 2008 Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament will also be aired. In addition to the Patriot League package, Army and Navy have instiutional packages which will feature games against Colgate, Bucknell, Lafayette and Lehigh.

Patriot League Games

Lehigh (11-9, 4-2) at Holy Cross (10-9, 1-5), Saturday, Noon (ESPNU)

Hart Center, Worcester, Mass.

Series: Holy Cross, 30-10 Streak: Holy Cross, Four Wins Last Meeting: HC, 62-50 (2.25.07)

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks won their fourth game in a row and moved into a tie for second place in the Patriot League with a 56-54 triumph at Bucknell on Wednesday...It ended Bucknell's 38-game home winning streak against Patriot League foes, and snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Bison...It was Lehigh's first win at Bucknell since a 60-56 victory on Jan. 15, 2003, the first game at Sojka Pavilion...The Mountain Hawks went ahead for good with a 5-0 run to to claim a 47-42 lead on a layup by Prentice Small with 4:39 left...After Bucknell closed to within two points with eight seconds left, Small sank a pair of foul shots to seal the win...Zahir Carrington led all scorers with 19 points, and connected on 9-of-10 foul shots...Marquis Hall and Bryan White each had 13 points, while Small had seven...The quartet combined for all but four of Lehigh's points...White also added 11 rebounds...Lehigh went 20-of-27 at the foul line, and made 15 more foul shots than Bucknell...The Mountain Hawks will try to end another losing streak when they visit Holy Cross on Saturday...They have lost four in a row to the Crusaders, and have not won at the Hart Center since 1998, a span of 11 games.

Holy Cross The Crusaders dropped to 1-5 in the Patriot League with a 58-46 loss at Colgate on Wednesday...They have lost six of the last seven overall...Holy Cross saw its seven-game win streak against Colgate come to an end...The Crusaders were down by one at halftime, and led by as many as five points in the second half...They were still within five with two minutes to play, but Colgate went on a 10-3 run to seal the win...Tim Clifford led the Crusaders with 11 points and seven rebounds...Greg McCarthy and Andrew Beinert both had eight points and six rebounds...The Crusaders played without injured starters Pat Doherty and Alex Vander Baan for the second game in a row...Holy Cross is in search of its fifth consecutive win against Lehigh and 12th in a row at home...The Crusaders have won 16 of the last 18 contests in the series overall.

American (11-10, 3-3) at Lafayette (14-7, 5-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pa.

Series: American, 19-16 Streak: American, Five Wins Last Meeting: American, 78-67 (2.23.07)

American The Eagles lost their second home game in a row, falling 77-66 to Navy on Wednesday...It was just their second loss in the last 16 games against the Mids, and first home loss to Navy in seven Patriot League matchups...They had not lost at home to Navy since 1991...The Eagles took a two-point lead into the half, but saw Navy rally to claim a 52-44 edge...American closed the gap to 55-53 with 7:23 left, but Navy scored the next seven points and the Eagles never came within five the rest of the way...Brian Gilmore tied a career-high with 16 points, while Travis Lay had 15 and nine rebounds and Garrison Carr added 11...Carr hit three three-pointers, and his total of 83 is just four away from breaking the school record...American held a 47-31 rebounding advantage, totaling its most rebounds of the season...The Eagles pulled down 21 offensive rebounds...American is in search of its sixth straight win over Lafayette...All five of the victories in the current streak are by double digits...They have won the last two in Easton.

Lafayette The Leopards moved back into sole possession of first place in the Patriot League with an 83-58 win over Army on Wednesday...Lafayette has now won 10 of the last 11 against the Black Knights, and the last six in Easton...Andrew Brown scored a career-high 34 points and tied his own school record with nine three-pointers in the game...He also hit nine threes against Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 21 of this season...The Leopards had a 12-0 lead to start the game, and held a 12-point advantage at halftime...Brown's final three of the night gave Lafayette a 60-39 lead with 9:36 left, and they led by as many as 27 down the stretch...Brown's nine threes also tied the Kirby Sports Center mark established in 1995...He has led the Leopards in scoring 11 times this season in 20 games played...Bilal Abdullah and Matt Betley joined Brown in double figures with 10 points apiece as the Leopards shot a season-best 58.1 percent from the floor...All 13 Lafayette players saw action in the game, and nine scored...Lafayette looks to break a five-game losing streak against American on Saturday...The Leopards last beat the Eagles, 98-93, in overtime on Feb. 19, 2005 in Easton...Lafayette has already snapped series losing streaks of eight (Bucknell) and seven (Holy Cross) games in Patriot League action this season.

Colgate (10-10, 2-4) at Navy (10-11, 2-3), Saturday, 7 p.m.

Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md.

Series: Tied, 20-20 Streak: Colgate, Five Wins Last Meeting: Colgate, 70-62 (2.24.07)

Colgate The Raiders snapped a four-game losing skid with a 58-46 win over Holy Cross on Wednesday...It also ended a seven-game losing stretch in the series against Holy Cross...Colgate trailed, 31-26, in the second half before scoring nine consecutive points to take the lead for good...Kyle Roemer scored seven points during the run...The Raiders put the game away with a 10-3 run in the final two minutes...Roemer led the Raiders with 15 points, while Alex Woodhouse and Mike Venezia each had 10...Woodhouse also pulled down eight rebounds...Colgate connected on 13-of-20 shots in the second half while outscoring Holy Cross, 35-24...The Raiders held Holy Cross to 37 percent from the field, including 23 percent from three-point range...Colgate has won the last five and 10 of the last 11 meetings against Navy to even the all-time series at 20-20...The Raiders have won the last two at Alumni Hall.

Navy The Mids pulled to .500 in the Patriot League for the third time this season with a 77-66 win at American on Wednesday...Navy snapped its three-game losing skid against the Eagles and won for the second time in the last 16 meetings...The Mids also earned their first win at American as a Patriot League member, ending a six-game skid in Washington...Greg Sprink scored a career-high 36 points in the victory, and tied a Patriot League record with 17 made free throws...It was the most points by a Patriot League player this season, and most for Navy since Michael Heary had 38 on Jan. 28, 1997...Sprink went 17-of-18 at the line, and is the first of the four Patriot Leaguers that share the mark to make 17 in only 18 attempts...Sprink scored 13 of Navy's final 17 points in the final five minutes...Navy used a 12-2 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 52-44 lead with 10:04 left...After American cut the lead to two, the Mids pushed the advantage back to 62-53 with 5:40 left and led by at least five points the rest of the way...Chris Harris scored 15 in the game...Navy forced 17 American turnovers while committing only eight of its own...The Mids were 24-of-27 at the foul line...Navy tries to snap a five-game skid against Colgate, and move above .500 in League play for the first time this season, on Saturday...All of the losses in the losing streak have come by single digits.

Army (9-11, 2-4) at Bucknell (9-11, 2-4), Sunday, Noon (ESPNU)

Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.

Series: Bucknell, 37-14 Streak: Bucknell, 15 Wins Last Meeting: Bucknell, 68-47 (3.4.07)

Army The Black Knights fell behind early and lost at Lafayette, 83-58...They have still not won at Lafayette since the 2001-02 season...Army got into a 12-0 hole to start the game, but did rally to close the deficit to five before Lafayette took a 12-point lead at halftime...The Black Knights came no closer than the halftime deficit in the second half...Doug Williams led the team with a career-high 19 points and hit all seven foul shots...The Black Knights did most of their damage inside, outscoring Lafayette, 30-14 in the paint...Jon Sizemore had six points, five rebounds and three assists, all career highs...Jarell Brown missed the last 10 minutes of the game with a back injury...Army concludes a three-game road stretch at Bucknell on Sunday...They have lost 15 in a row to the Bison, and look for their first victory in the series since a 60-55 win on Feb. 14, 2001.

Bucknell The Bison saw their 38-game home winning streak against Patriot League opponents come to an end with a 56-54 loss to Lehigh on Wednesday...Bucknell's streak had been the best in the nation within a conference, dating all the way back to a loss to Colgate on March 2, 2003...The Bison also had a seven-game winning streak against Lehigh snapped...Bucknell was down five at halftime, but came back to tie the game at 38 on a Rob Thomas jumper with 13:17 to go...Lehigh opened up a six-point lead, but Bucknell came back again to close it to two with eight seconds left...The Bison missed a full-court heave at the buzzer...Thomas paced Bucknell with 11 points, while John Griffin had 10...The Bison played the final 13:35 of the second half without head coach Pat Flannery, who was feeling under the weather and returned to the locker room...The Bison make their third appearance on ESPNU this season...They won their previous two ESPNU games, beating Navy and Holy Cross...They also put a 15-game win streak against Army on the line...They have not lost to Army in Lewisburg since Jan. 29, 1997, a span of 12 games that includes matchups in the last two Patriot League Tournaments.