Jan. 8, 2009
Center Valley, Pa. - The 2009 Patriot League men's basketball schedule gets underway on Saturday with four afternoon contests. Lehigh visits American in a matchup of the League's top two teams in the preseason poll at 2 p.m., while Bucknell is at Navy in an ESPNU-televised contest at 5 p.m. In between, Lafayette visits Holy Cross and Colgate goes to Army to complete the opening slate of games.
Patriot League Men's Basketball Release - 1.8.09 
Patriot League Notebook
Patriot League Play Opens On Saturday
A matchup between the top two teams in the Patriot League preseason poll and a nationally-televised rematch of one of the League's most memorable games highlight the first slate of League contests on Saturday. The schedule opens when Lehigh, picked second in the preseason, visits defending champion and preseason favorite American at 2 p.m. The afternoon slate of contests concludes with the Patriot League's 2009 debut on ESPNU, with Bucknell visiting Navy at 5 p.m. in a rematch of the triple overtime classic won by the Bison, 87-86, at Navy in last year's Patriot League quarterfinals. Lafayette is at Holy Cross and Colgate visits Army in the other afternoon matchups. All games that are not broadcast on ESPNU are available for a small monthly fee via the Patriot League All-Access package at www.patriotleague.com.
The Bucknell/Navy game is the first of six regular-season Patriot League contests to be broadcast on ESPNU. Bob Socci and John Feinstein will return to call the action together for the sixth consecutive season.
Wrapping up The Non-League Portion of the Schedule
Navy, American and Colgate each earned victories in their final tune-up before Patriot League action begins on Saturday. The Mids scored the final eight points of the game in the last 1:52 to rally for a 66-62 win at Elon on Monday. Navy finished its non-League slate with an 11-4 record, matching the 1998-99 and 1999-00 teams for the most wins in non-League action. American continued its hot play of late on Monday, leading by as many as 21 points in a 62-50 victory at home against Columbia. The Eagles have won three consecutive games, all of which were decided by double digits. Colgate snapped a three-game losing skid with a double-digit victory of its own, knocking off NC Central, 68-58, on the road.
The remaining Patriot League squads all fell in their contests, as the Patriot League recorded a 49-64 non-League mark heading into League action. Navy, American, Army and Holy Cross have all completed their non-League schedules, while Lehigh will not play another non-League contest if its postponed game at Washington is not made up. Lafayette, Colgate and Bucknell each have one more non-League game scheduled for February.
Streaks On the Line in Annapolis
A national television audience on ESPNU will tune in to see a matchup between Navy and Bucknell that features plenty of streaks. The Mids are trying to stay perfect at home with a 7-0 mark coming into the day, while the Bison are trying to end this year's 0-8 mark on the road and nine-game road losing streak. Navy is also trying to end a seven-game losing streak in Patriot League openers. The Mids have not won their first League game since defeating Bucknell at home on Jan. 10, 2001.
Navy, Lehigh Enter League Play With Double-Digit Wins
Navy and Lehigh both finished impressive non-League campaigns with double-digit victories. The Mids have won 11 non-League contests for just the third time as a Patriot League member, doing so in back-to-back years in 1998-99 and 1999-00. Lehigh set school records with 10 non-League victories and five non-League road wins. No team had double-digit victories before Patriot League play last season, though Holy Cross did record a 10th non-League win later in the year.
Eagles, Mountain Hawks Among Nation's Best On Road
Only 11 Division I teams have recorded five or more road victories this season, and two of those squads reside in the Patriot League. Lehigh (5-2) and American (5-5) have each notched five victories on the road, trailing only the six of Butler, St. Bonaventure and VMI for the Division I lead.The Mountain Hawks have a chance to join the group with six road wins when they play at American on Saturday, while the Eagles are on a four-game homestand after being one of eight squads in the country to play 10 of their first 12 games on the road.
Navy Completes Perfect Non-League Home Record
For the first time in its Patriot League history, Navy will begin League action on Saturday with an unblemished home record. The Mids completed a 7-0 mark in their non-League home schedule with a 75-70 victory over Wofford on Jan. 2. It is Navy's first ever perfect non-League home mark, and the Mids have won nine consecutive non-League home games overall.
Patriot League All-Access Returns in 2009
Watch the majority of Patriot League Men's and Women's Basketball regular-season League and tournament games on high-speed Broadband on the Patriot League All-Access package. For $9.95 a month, this cutting-edge technology takes you from your seat to the sideline with multi-camera coverage. Visit your school's website or www.PatriotLeague.com for more information.
West Coast Bias
The Patriot League is firmly cemented in the Eastern part of the United States, but a group of players from well outside the region are making sure the Western influence is felt throughout the League. Four of the League's top five scorers come from the Western part of the country, with Navy's Kaleo Kina (Arizona) in first at 19.2 points per game, American's Garrison Carr (Washington) next at 18.4 per game, Lafayette's Andrew Brown (Colorado) in fourth with 15.1 points per contest and Lehigh's Marquis Hall (Oregon) fifth with 14.4 points per game.
Checking Up on the Career Lists
In addition to this season's scoring outburst, the quartet from the west is also carving out impressive numbers in the Patriot League career record book. Kina, Brown and Carr are the top three active career scorers in the Patriot League, and have all joined the League's 1,000-point club. Kina and Brown are both over 1,200 points, with Kina holding the top mark among active players with 1,275 career points. American's Derrick Mercer is the final active member with 1,000 points, and leads all active players and places ninth in League annals with 429 career assists. Hall is next among active players with 327 career assists, with Kina and Brown right behind to join Mercer as players with more than 1,000 points and 300 assists. Colgate's Alex Woodhouse is 10th with 140 career blocks, while Kina places 18th with 160 steals. Brown and Carr both have impressive standing in the three-point career leaderboard. Brown is sixth all-time with 258 three-pointers. Carr's 239 three-pointers are ninth in Patriot League annals, and his 41.3 three-point percentage is fourth in League history.
Patriot League Games
Lehigh (10-4, 0-0 PL) at American (8-6, 0-0 PL), 2 p.m., Saturday
Bender Arena; Washington, D.C.
Series: American, 17-11 Streak: American, Two Wins
Last Meeting: American, 82-74 (2.10.08) Last Lehigh Win: 56-54 (2.3.07)
Lehigh and American face off at Bender Arena in a matchup of the top two teams in the Patriot League preseason poll...American was picked to defend its title, while the Mountain Hawks were selected second...American swept the season series last year, including an 82-74 victory at home when the teams last met on Feb. 10...That victory started American's active streak of seven consecutive home wins against Patriot League opponents, including three in the Patriot League Tournament...Lehigh had won the previous four contests in the series before last year's American sweep...The teams are opening the League schedule against each other for the fifth year in a row...The Eagles hold a 17-11 lead in the all-time series, while the teams are tied, 7-7, in regular-season Patriot League matchups.
Lehigh Lehigh saw its five-game winning streak come to an end with a 73-64 loss to Princeton on Wednesday...The Mountain Hawks fell for just the second time on the road, and are now 5-2 both at home and on the road to compile their 10-4 record...Zahir Carrington led the Mountain Hawks with 20 points and 11 rebounds, recording his Patriot League-best third double-double of the season...Marquis Hall had 11 points in the game...Lehigh hit just 32 percent of its shots, and made 27-of-41 free throw attempts...Lehigh had only five assists with 13 turnovers in the contest...Lehigh cut an 11-point deficit to four with 5:44 left, but would get no closer...The Mountain Hawks recorded a school record for non-League wins and non-League road wins this season...With a victory on Saturday at American, Lehigh would join a group of only three Division I teams that have recorded six road wins this season.
American The Eagles earned their third straight victory with a 62-50 triumph over Columbia on Monday...All of the wins have come by double digits as American improved to 8-6 on the year, and 3-1 at home...The Eagles have played the first two of a four-game homestand, which continues against Lehigh and finishes up with Bucknell on Wednesday...American finishes its non-League slate with a winning record for the third year in a row...Garrison Carr had 23 points while connecting on 7-of-9 three-pointers after making his first seven from long range...Carr moved into the Patriot League career top 10 with 239 three-pointers...The Eagles shot 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from long range as a team...American held a 26-23 lead at the break, but started the second half on a 14-7 run to push the lead to double digits...The Eagles led by as many as 21 points later in the game...Derrick Mercer had 12 points and recorded game highs with seven rebounds and seven assists...Brian Gilmore had 11 points for the Eagles...American will try to match its season high with a fourth straight win when it faces Lehigh on Saturday.
Lafayette (4-10, 0-0 PL) At Holy Cross (5-10, 0-0 PL), Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Hart Center; Worcester, Mass.
Series: Holy Cross, 28-14 Streak: HC, One Win
Last Meeting: HC, 77-57 (2.9.08) Last Lafayette Win: 60-52 (1.12.08)
Lafayette and Holy Cross begin their Patriot League schedules in Worcester on Saturday afternoon...The teams split the season series last year, with each winning on their own home court...Holy Cross notched a 77-57 win at home on Feb. 9 after Lafayette had snapped a seven-game series win streak for the Crusaders with a 60-52 victory to open the 2008 League schedule in Easton on Jan. 12...Lafayette has not posted a victory in Worcester since Jan. 17, 2004, as the Crusaders have won the last five meetings on their home court...Holy Cross holds a 28-14 edge in the all-time series, and a 24-12 advantage in regular-season Patriot League games.
Lafayette The Leopards began a short two-game road trip with an 84-70 loss at Penn on Tuesday...Lafayette fell to 4-10 on the season and dropped its second consecutive game...Freshman Ryan Willen scored a career-high 17 points in the contest to lead three Leopards in double figures...Andrew Brown and Michael Gruner each recorded 12 points...Freshman Nick Petkovich also tallied a career-high with nine points...Lafayette fell behind by as many as 26 points, but was able to cut it to a 70-61 deficit with 2:53 remaining...Lafayette had an 18-for-21 effort at the foul line for its best free throw shooting night of the season...The Leopards are trying to begin Patriot League play with a win in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2004 and 2005.
Holy Cross The Crusaders finished up their non-League schedule with a 5-10 record after falling at Central Florida, 70-57, on Tuesday...Holy Cross also fell to 1-7 on the road...One game after setting a career-high with 15 points, sophomore Andrew Keister bettered that mark by scoring 18 points on Tuesday...Keister hit 7-of-10 shots in the contest...R.J. Evans and Andrew Beintert each contributed 14 points, with Evans notching a team-high eight rebounds...Holy Cross was close throughout, and trailed by just five points with 8:30 left before Central Florida began to pull away...The Crusaders are trying to open Patriot League play with a win for the third time in the last four years.
Colgate (4-9, 0-0 PL) at Army (4-10, 0-0 PL), Saturday, 4 p.m.
Christl Arena; West Point, N.Y.
Series: Tied, 51-51 Streak: Army, One Win
Last Meeting: Army, 59-57 (OT) (2.9.08); Last Colgate Win: 50-44 (1.12.08)
Colgate and Army play their Patriot League opener at Christl Arena on Saturday afternoon...Colgate has defeated Army in the Patriot League opener for the last four seasons...The Black Knights have not opened League play with a victory since 2002...Army snapped Colgate's seven-game series win streak with a 59-57 victory at home in overtime when the teams last met on Feb. 9, 2008...The series is tied, 51-51, overall, while Colgate holds a 30-6 edge in Patriot League regular-season competition against Army.
Colgate Colgate snapped a three-game losing skid and improved to 4-9 overall with a 68-58 win at NC Central on Tuesday...The Raiders moved to 2-4 on their eight-game road trip, which finishes up at Lafayette on Wednesday...Colgate is 4-5 on the road this season...Ben Jonson had a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds in the victory...Alex Woodhouse had 11 points, while Yaw Gyawu had 10 and freshman Nick Pascale had a career-high nine...Colgate opened up a 32-23 lead at halftime, and went up by as many as 15 in the second half...Colgate hit 56 percent (23-of-41) of its shots in the game...The Raiders are trying to win their fifth consecutive Patriot League opener against Army.
Army The Black Knights opened a three-game homestand with a 59-54 loss to Fairfield on Tuesday...It was Army's final non-League contest of the year, as it finishes that portion of the schedule with a 4-10 record...Army cut a 15-point deficit to just one, but Fairfield closed the game with a 9-5 run to hold on for the victory...Army freshman Julian Simmons had a career-high 19 points in the contest, his fourth double-digit scoring game of the year...He also had career bests with four three-pointers and four rebounds...Simmons' 19 points is the most by an Army freshman since Chris Walker had 23 against VMI in 2006-07... Eric Zastoupil followed with nine points...Army was down just 50-49 with 3:28 left...The Stags' 59 points were the fewest by an Army opponent in a loss since Presbyterian scored a 59-43 win on Dec. 1...Army opens League play with two straight and five of its first six games at home...The Black Knights are trying to snap a six-game losing streak in Patriot League openers.
Bucknell (3-11, 0-0 PL) at Navy (11-4, 0-0 PL), Saturday, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
Alumni Hall; Annapolis, Md.
Series: Navy, 30-25 Streak: Bucknell, One Win
Last Meeting: Bucknell, 87-86 (3OT) (3.5.08); Last Navy Win: 78-72 (2.9.08)
Bucknell and Navy meet in an ESPNU telecast of a rematch of the triple overtime thriller won by the Bison, 87-86, in the Patriot League quarterfinals last season...Bucknell's John Grifin hit a long-range shot at the buzzer to give Bucknell the win...The teams are meeting at Navy for the third straight time...The Mids snapped a seven-game Bucknell series win streak with a 78-72 triumph at home on Feb. 9 of last year...Bucknell has opened Patriot League play with a win over Navy in each of the last three seasons, and has won four straight League openers overall...Navy has not begun League play with a win since 2001...The Mids are 7-0 at home, while the Bison are 0-8 on the road...Navy holds a 30-25 advantage in the all-time series, but Bucknell has a 19-15 edge in Patriot League regular-season games.
Bucknell The Bison lost for the fifth straight time, falling at Cornell, 75-64, on Tuesday...Bucknell dropped to 3-11 on the season, and 0-8 on the road...Bucknell is currently on a four-game road trip, with games at Navy and American before coming back home to face Holy Cross on Jan. 17...Bryan Cohen led the Bison with 20 points, while G.W. Boon scored 15...Bucknell cut a 22-point deficit all the way down to six with 40 seconds left, but would get no closer...Bucknell saw its five-game winning streak against Cornell come to an end...Justin Castleberry had eight points, while Darryl Shazier scored seven and dished out three assists...The Bison are trying to win their fifth consecutive Patriot League opener, as Head Coach Dave Paulsen coaches his first Patriot League game...Bucknell has started 2-0 or better in Patriot League action for the last four years.
Navy Navy concluded one of its best non-League campaigns with a 66-62 victory at Elon on Monday...The Mids improved to 11-4 with their third straight win, and matched the 1998-99 and 1999-00 teams for the most non-League wins since joining the Patriot League...Head Coach Billy Lange won his 100th career game, and improved to 61-70 in his fifth season at Navy...The Mids scored the last eight points of the game in the final 1:52 to earn the victory...Adam Teague hit a three-pointer to cut Navy's deficit to one, and Mark Veazey tipped in a miss for a 63-62 lead and the eventual game-winning basket with 42 seconds left...Teague and Chris Harris hit three free throws down the stretch to seal the win...Navy improved to 6-1 in games decided by five points or less...Harris led Navy with 14 points, while Clif Colbert and Kaleo Kina each scored 13...Teague finished with 11 points in his home state...Navy has won two consecutive games against Southern Conference opponents (Wofford and Elon)...The Mids are the only Patriot League team to play a SoCon foe this year...Navy tries to snap a seven-game losing streak in Patriot League openers when it takes on Bucknell...The Mids last began Patriot League play with a win when they beat Bucknell, 89-67, at home on Jan. 10, 2001.
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