Dec. 28, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - Exam and holiday breaks have concluded, and now every Patriot League team has at least three more non-League games to play with the start of the League season less than two weeks away on Jan. 9. After a light week where each team played just once, Holy Cross' R.J. Evans and Bucknell's Bryson Johnson earned the Patriot League/Anaconda weekly awards.

Patriot League Men's Basketball Release - 12.28.09

Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week (Dec. 21-27)

R.J. Evans, Holy Cross So., G, 6'3, 200, Salem, Conn./Norwich Free Academy
Evans had a strong performance in Holy Cross' loss to Sacred Heart on Tuesday, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting while also pulling down five rebounds. He made 4-of-7 foul shots in the game with an assist and a block in the 82-79 final. It was his third straight game leading the Crusaders in scoring, and second consecutive 20-point effort. Evans leads Holy Cross and is sixth in the Patriot League with 14.1 ppg. He receives his first Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week award after claiming eight Rookie of the Week honors last year.

Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week (Dec. 21-27)

Bryson Johnson, Bucknell Fr., G, 6'1, 180, Pictou, Nova Scotia/St. David Catholic (Ontario)
Johnson takes home his second Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week award after scoring 17 points in Bucknell's 101-69 loss at Notre Dame on Tuesday. Johnson came off the bench and posted the scoring production in only 22 minutes of playing time, hitting 4-of-9 shots and 6-of-6 free throws. Most of his field goals were from three-point range, as he went 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. Johnson also grabbed five rebounds and dished out an assist with no turnovers and two steals. He becomes the third Patriot League freshman to grab a pair of Rookie of the Week awards this season, joining teammate Mike Muscala and Lehigh's C.J. McCollum.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Jim Mower, Lafayette So., G, 6'3, 185, Harleysville, Pa./St. Joseph Prep
Mower scored 16 points and dished out four assists in Lafayette's 74-69 win at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Tuesday.

Zahir Carrington, Lehigh Sr., F, 6'7, 220, Philadelphia, Pa./Masterman
Carrington tallied a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds to help Lehigh past Marist, 66-55, on Tuesday.

Patriot League Notebook

Busy Schedule Heading Into League Play
Exam and holiday breaks have concluded, and now every Patriot League team has at least three more non-League games to play with the start of the League season less than two weeks away on Jan. 9. Each squad has multiple games this week, with Bucknell, Lehigh and Holy Cross playing twice before the New Year and then coming back with another game on Saturday. Every other Patriot League team plays two games this week, once before the New Year and once after. Two of Monday's contests are televised, with American at Florida on Fox Sports South and ESPN360.com and Holy Cross hosting George Washington on WCTR.

.500 Mark Before Christmas
Last week's schedule was frontloaded with Christmas on Friday, as every Patriot League team played its only contest of the week by Tuesday. The result was a 4-4 record, as Army, Lafayette, Colgate and Lehigh scored the wins. The Black Knights won their fourth straight by beating New Hampshire at home, while the Leopards took their third in a row by winning at St. Francis (N.Y.). Colgate claimed its first win of the year at Dartmouth, while Lehigh knocked off Marist. American, Bucknell and Navy all fell at BCS-level foes, while Holy Cross lost at home to Sacred Heart.

Black Knights, Leopards Stay Hot
After seeing little success in recent seasons, Army and Lafayette are looking like the 2010 season could bring positive results. The Black Knights have won four straight games to improve to 9-2 on the season, while the Leopards have claimed three in a row to run their mark to 7-5. Army previously had a five-game win streak from Nov. 17-30, while Lafayette also won three in a row from Nov. 19-24. The pair hold four of the six winning streaks of three games or longer in the Patriot League this season, as Lehigh and Bucknell are the only other teams to win three straight.

Army Doing It With Defense, Lafayette With Offense
Army and Lafayette lead nearly every major statistical category in the League, with the Black Knights holding the advantage in the defensive categories and the Leopards making their name on offense. Army is first in the Patriot League in scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, rebounding margin, three-point field goal percentage defense, steals and turnover margin. Lafayette holds the advantage in scoring offense, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, three-pointers made and assist/turnover ratio. The Leopards also pace the way in one defensive category, blocked shots.

Coaching Milestones
Lafayette Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon recorded his 200th career victory on Dec. 12, as the Leopards knocked off Long Island, 77-63. O'Hanlon earlier became the all-time Patriot League leader in overall games coached, and is now at 415. O'Hanlon's not the only Patriot League coach with big numbers on his record. American Head Coach Jeff Jones is within three wins of 300 for his career. Bucknell's Dave Paulsen is two wins shy of 275 for his career, while Colgate's Emmett Davis is one away from 150. Navy's Billy Lange needs two more wins to record 75 victories at the Academy.

Three-Man Race for Active Lead
Lehigh's Marquis Hall, Colgate's Kyle Roemer and Navy's Chris Harris are engaged in a competitive race for the active Patriot League scoring lead. Hall had 16 points on Tuesday to boost his career total to 1,265, with Roemer just behind at 1,257. Harris is next with 1,242 points, but has made up ground on both Roemer and Hall this season. All three players are in the top 45 in scoring in League history.

Super Sophomores
A strong group of sophomores looks like it will have an impact in the Patriot League through the 2012 season. Five of the top nine and seven of the top 13 scorers in the League are sophomores. Colgate's Yaw Gyawu ranks third in the League with 14.9 points per game and Navy's Jordan Sugars (14.5), Holy Cross' R.J. Evans (14.1), Lafayette's Jim Mower (13.3) and Army's Julian Simmons (12.8) also rank in the top nine. American's Stephen Lumpkins leads the Patriot League with 8.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game, while Sugars is second with 8.4 rebounds per contest. Mower, Holy Cross' Devin Brown, Simmons, Sugars and Bucknell's Bryan Cohen give sophomores five of the top six spots in the League in three-point field-goal percentage, with Mower, Sugars, Simmons and Brown placing in the top seven in three-pointers made.

Northeast Rivals
The Patriot League and Northeast Conference have already faced off 22 times, with the Patriot League holding a 15-7 advantage in the meetings. The Patriot and Ivy League matchups are beginning to crank up with the Patriot League now leading, 8-6. The Patriot and Ivy League match up seven more times this season, all coming after the New Year. The Patriot League plays two more games against the NEC in 2010.

Hall, Avworo Up For Cousy Award
Lehigh senior guard Marquis Hall and Navy junior guard O.J. Avworo were named to the initial list for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the top male collegiate point guard across all divisions. There are 73 candidates on the list, which Hall appears on for the second straight year. Hall leads the Patriot League with 5.3 assists per game, while Avworo is next with 5.0 assists per contest. Hall has 437 career assists, which is in ninth place in League annals and only 16 off the Lehigh record. He is one of only four players in League history with at least 1,200 points and 400 assists. Hall has 1,265 career points, 40th in League annals. Hall was named the League's Preseason Player of the Year, and is a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award.

Scoring Duos
Navy and Colgate continue to get solid production from their prolific scoring duos. The teams boast four of the top five scorers in the Patriot League, with Navy's Chris Harris (19.9) first, Colgate's Kyle Roemer (16.1 ppg) second, Colgate's Yaw Gyawu third (14.9 ppg) and Navy's Jordan Sugars (14.5 ppg) fifth.

Patriot League on CBS College Sports
The Patriot League home for men's basketball coverage moves to the CBS College Sports Network in 2010, with 12 men's games on the slate including a pair from the Patriot League Tournament. The schedule featues regular-season games on Thursday night and Sunday afternoon, as well as the final Saturday of the regular-season. On the final two weekends (Feb. 21 and 27) a "Flex Game" schedule is in place where the televised contest will not be announced until a later date. One Patriot League quarterfinal game will be shown on March 3 at 7 p.m., while a semifinal contest will be televised on March 7 at 8 p.m. CBS College Sports Network is available through cable operators as well as on DIRECTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 152. The Patriot League Championship remains on ESPN2 and will be played on March 12 at 4:45 p.m.

Plenty Of Coverage on League Website
The Patriot League is expanding its men's basketball coverage on the League website. The composite schedule will include all live stat, audio and video links for games throughout the season, and a recap with links to school box scores and recaps will be provided after each night of games.

Keep Track of the Patriot League Through Social Media
In addition to visiting www.patriotleague.org, the Patriot League has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and has now started a blog to give more information on the action on the field. All three accounts are accessible through the multimedia link at the right-hand sidebar on the front page of www.patriotleague.org.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles played a solid first half but could not keep up in the second in a 76-57 loss at Penn State on Monday to fall to 2-10 for the season...The Eagles trailed by just six points at halftime, but gave up a 15-1 run to start the second half and could not recover...Vlad Moldoveanu and Nick Hendra scored 17 points apiece to lead the Eagles...Hendra went 4-for-4 from beyond the arc as he matched a career high...Stephen Lumpkins just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds...American now takes on another difficult test as it continues a six-game road trip by visiting Florida on Monday...Florida won the only previous meeting in 2000.

Army The Black Knights won their fourth game in a row with another spectacular defensive effort, limiting New Hampshire under 50 points in a 54-46 victory on Tuesday in West Point...Army has held three of its past four opponents under 50 points, including three consecutive Division I foes...Army improved to 9-2 on the season with the win, and has held its opponent under 60 points in all nine victories...Army has won 12 in a row overall when holding an opponent below 60 points...The game was close throughout the first half, but Army used a 13-0 run early in the second half to build an 18-point lead and pull away...The Black Knights improved to 6-0 at home this season, and have won seven in a row at home overall...Army's nine wins in its first 11 games marks the program's best start since the 2006-07 squad also started 9-2...Army's eight wins against Division I non-League competition match a school record set that season...Josh Miller led three Black Knights in double figures with 13 points, while Cleveland Richard and Jeremy Hence each added 11...Hence's total was a career-high as he made all five of his field goal attempts, including a three-pointer...Army held New Hampshire to 31.1 percent shooting for the game...The Black Knights have now had two winning streaks of at least four games this season...It is the first time Army has had two runs of that length in the same season since the Mike Krzyzewski-led Cadets accomplished the feat in 1978-79...Zach Spiker is the first Army coach to win nine of his first 11 games on the Black Knights' sideline since Tates Locke started 10-2 in 1963-64...Army is among the national leaders in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and steals...The Black Knights head west for their next two games, beginning with a trip to SMU on Wednesday followed by a trip to Portland on Saturday.

Bucknell The Bison dropped their fifth game in a row and fell to 4-8 on the season with a 101-69 loss at Notre Dame on Tuesday...Bucknell fell behind by 27 points at halftime before playing a more competitive second half...Bryson Johnson led the Bison with 17 points, while Stephen Tyree scored a season-high 15...It ended a road-heavy stretch for the Bison, who have only played two of their first 12 contests at Sojka Pavilion...Bucknell now has five of its next six games at home, with three coming this week...The Bison host MAAC opponents Loyola (Md.) on Monday and Marist on Wednesday before welcoming Richmond of the Atlantic 10 on Saturday...Bucknell is 4-0 all-time against Loyola (Md.), with the teams meeting for the first time since 1993...Bucknell trails the series with Marist, 3-2, with Marist scoring an 89-63 win at home last season...The Bison have lost both all-time meetings with Richmond, including a 79-57 road loss last year.

Colgate The Raiders earned their first win of the season after nine losses, as they used a dominating defensive effort and pulled away late in a 63-44 victory at Dartmouth on Tuesday...Colgate led by three points at halftime and seven with 4:45 left before closing with a 14-2 run to coast to the 19-point win...Yaw Gyawu scored 14 points to lead the Raiders, while Kyle Roemer had nine and three other Raiders scored eight each...The Raiders had not allowed 44 points or less to an opponent since they defeated Bucknell in the 2008 Patriot League Tournament semifinals...The Raiders visit New Hampshire on Wednesday, their last road action before beginning a five-game homestand on Saturday against Longwod...Colgate fell in close games to both teams last season, losing by three points at home against New Hampshire on December 3 and by five at Longwood on Feb. 21.

Holy Cross The Crusaders built an 11-point lead in the second half but could not hold on in an 82-79 home loss against Sacred Heart on Tuesday...Holy Cross dropped its third straight game, falling to 2-9 on the season...The Crusaders led by 11 with 12 minutes to play, but Sacred Heart scored nine straight to get back into the game and took the lead for good with just over four minutes to play...The Crusaders stayed within one point twice in the final three minutes, but Sacred Heart hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to seal the win...R.J. Evans led the Crusaders with 20 points and five rebounds, while fellow sophomore Devin Brown scored 19...Eric Meister tallied a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, matching the highest total for a Patriot League player this season...Holy Cross held a 47-34 advantage on the boards, but committed 23 turnovers...The Crusaders have a busy week ahead, hosting George Washington on Monday before visiting Stony Brook on Thursday and facing Central Connecticut State on Saturday...Holy Cross has lost both all-time meetings with GW, as the teams face off for the first time since 1996...The Crusaders face Stony Brook for the first time.

Lafayette The Leopards won their third straight game on Tuesday, building a 17-point second-half lead and holding on for a 74-69 win at St. Francis (N.Y.)...Lafayette improved to 7-5 for the season, and now has a pair of three-game win streaks this year...All three of Lafayette's consecutive wins have come against Northeast Conference opponents, and the Leopards are 5-1 against the NEC this season...Lafayette made 16-of-23 shots in the second half, shooting at a 70 percent clip after intermission...The Leopards made 12-of-15 shots in the first 11 minutes of the second half to push their lead to 60-43 with 7:12 to play...St. Francis (N.Y.) scored the next 10 points and got as close as three in the final 20 seconds, but Lafayette hit 9-of-12 free throws in the final minute to hang on for the win...Michael Gruner drained a pair with nine seconds left to seal the win...Jim Mower paced four players in double figures with 16 points, while Jared Mintz had 15, Ryan Willen scored 13 and Gruner had 11...Gruner also had a season-high seven assists as Lafayette recorded 22 assists on 26 field goals...Lafayette plays its last road game before a three-game homestand when it visits Delaware on Tuesday...The Leopards lead the all-time series, 52-19...Lafayette comes back to host Penn on Sunday.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks improved to 5-6 on the season, and 4-1 at home, with a 66-55 win over Marist on Tuesday...Zahir Carrington recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Marquis Hall led all scorers with 16 points...Lehigh built a 33-19 lead at halftime, and went up by as many as 21 points before Marist cut the gap to seven with 8:32 left...Marist got as close as four points, but Lehigh secured the win with a 7-0 run to take an 11-point advantage with 1:22 to play...Lehigh held Marist to 34.5 percent shooting for the game, while making 23-of-34 free throws...Gabe Knutson had 11 points and seven rebounds in the game, while fellow freshman C.J. McCollum had nine points and a team-high four assists...Carrington moved within 10 points of 1,000 for his career, while Hall increased his Patriot League-best career total to 1,265 points...The Mountain Hawks take to the road twice in the next three days, going to Longwood on Monday and Delaware State on Wednesday before hosting NJIT on Saturday...Lehigh won the only all-time meeting with Longwood at home last year..The Mountain Hawks also defeated Delaware State at home last season, and lead the all-time series, 2-1.

Navy The Mids were within seven points at halftime at Seton Hall on Tuesday, but were outscored by 31 in the second half and fell, 94-56...Navy dropped its fourth straight game to fall to 4-8 for the season...Chris Harris led Navy with 12 points in the game, and has scored in double figures in every game this year...Jordan Sugars just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds...Navy plays its first home game since Dec. 4 when it takes on Coppin State on Wednesday, and remains in Annapolis to play Elon on Saturday...Navy faces Coppin State for the first time...The Mids beat Elon on the road in the first-ever meeting last year.