Dec. 29, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - Each Patriot League men's basketball team has one game left in the calendar year, with four of those coming at home on Tuesday. American tips off the week on Monday when it visits Manhattan to complete a five-game road trip. Six teams hit the floor on Tuesday, with Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Navy all playing at home. Navy's Chris Harris received Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week honors, while Holy Cross freshman R.J. Evans earned his fourth Rookie of the Week award of the year.

Patriot League Men's Basketball Release - 12.29.08

Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week (Dec. 22-28)

Chris Harris, Navy Jr., G, 6'2, 185, Mechanicsville, Va./Benedictine/Fork Union

Harris receives the first Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week award of his career after scoring a career-high 30 points and making a career-best eight three-pointers as Navy hung tough in a 78-68 loss at No. 18/16 Villanova on Monday. Harris made 9-of-15 shots in the game, and hit on 8-of-10 three-point attempts. He also nailed all four of his foul shots. The eight three-pointers tied a record for a Villanova opponent, and led a 14-of-28 effort from long range for the Mids. Harris scored Navy's first 12 points of the game, and helped the Mids stay close in the first half by notching 18 of Navy's 28 first-half points. The eight three-pointers are the third-most in a game in Navy history, and Harris has now made at least seven three-pointers in a game four times in his career. Harris moved into third place in Navy annals with 155 career three-pointers, and became the 24th player in school history to score 30 points in a game.

Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week (Dec. 22-28)

R.J. Evans, Holy Cross Fr., G, 6'`3, 200, Salem, Conn./Norwich Free Academy

Evans earns his fourth Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week honor after an outstanding effort in a pair of games for the Crusaders. He opened the week with 16 points, four rebounds and three steals in Holy Cross' 58-53 loss to Ohio on Monday. Evans led Holy Cross back to the win column with the best performance of his young career on Saturday, as he recorded career highs with 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Crusaders past San Francisco, 97-88. It was the first double-double of his career. Evans led the Crusaders in scoring in both games as he averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the pair of contests. He shot 57.1 percent from the field (16-of-28) and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from three-point land in the two games. Evans has scored in double figures six straight times and on nine occasions overall this season. Evans is seventh in the Patriot League with 12.9 points per game, a mark that makes him the top scorer among Patriot League freshmen and for the Crusaders.

Patriot League Notebook

One More Game Before the New Year

Each Patriot League men's basketball team has one game left in the calendar year, with four of those coming at home on Tuesday. American tips off the week on Monday when it visits Manhattan to complete a five-game road trip. Six teams hit the floor on Tuesday, with Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Navy all playing at home. The Bison play St. Bonaventure, the Crusaders host Siena, the Leopards face Princeton and the Mids play their first home game in four weeks against Longwood. Colgate visits TCU and Army is at Florida Gulf Coast to complete Tuesday's action. Lehigh ends the 2008 portion of the Patriot League season when it visits NJIT on Wednesday afternoon for a New Year's Eve matchup.

Three Winners in Weekend Action

Home was where victories could be found in Patriot League action over the weekend, as Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh all recorded a win on their home court. The Crusaders did it with an uncommon offensive outburst, rallying from a 13-point deficit to defeat San Francisco, 97-88, on Saturday. It was the most points for the Crusaders since 2002, and the most against a Division I opponent since 1996. Lafayette ended its eight-game losing streak with a 70-63 win over Towson, while Lehigh cruised to a 72-57 victory over Longwood. Last week's road games were not as kind, as Patriot League teams went 0-6 against a very tough slate that included nationally-ranked Villanova, Maryland and Cal.

Lehigh Still Off to Best Start Since 1980

Another win on Sunday means Lehigh is still enjoying its best start since 1980. The Mountain Hawks improved to 8-3 with a win on Sunday against Longwood. They have already tied the school record with eight non-League victories, which was previously done in only the 2002-03 and 1990-91 seasons. Lehigh has won three consecutive games, and is doing well both at home (4-2) and on the road (4-1). The Mountain Hawks try to set a school record with their ninth non-League win when they go to NJIT on Wednesday.

Eagles, Raiders Getting Used to the Road

Road games are nothing new for a pair of Patriot League teams who are starting to get used to traveling to step on the court. No one has played more road games than American, which is already 4-5 on the road as it plays 10 of its first 12 contests away from Bender Arena. The Eagles are one of only eight teams in the country to play 10 of their first 12 games as true road contests. Colgate still has five more games to go on its eight-game road trip.

Mercer Joins Carr as 1,000-Point Scorer at American

For the first time since 1996, the American Eagles have a pair of players on the floor who have eclipsed 1,000 points in their career. One game after his backcourt partner and classmate, Garrison Carr, hit the milennium mark, senior guard Derrick Mercer joined the 1,000-point club with 12 points in American's 67-51 loss at Maryland on Monday. He became the 67th Patriot Leaguer and 28th American player to record 1,000 career points. The last American teammates to both have 1,000 points were Tim Fudd and Darryl Franklin during the 1995-96 season. Mercer now has 1,011 career points, making him the fourth active player in the 1,000-point club. In addition to Carr, Navy's Kaleo Kina (1,231 points) and Lafayette's Andrew Brown (1,200) are both in the group and among 43 players in League annals with 1,200 or more career points.

Lehigh's Szalachowski Named to Senior CLASS Award List

Senior Matt Szalachowski has been chosen as a candidate for the 2008-09 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports. Szalachowski is one of 60 basketball players from around the country who was chosen (30 male and 30 female). Based on criteria focusing on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition, the award winners will be selected by national balloting of head basketball coaches, national media and college basketball fans. Army's Jarell Brown was on the initial list from the Patriot League last season.

This and That

Navy senior guard Kaleo Kina became the fifth student-athlete in Patriot League history to earn three consecutive Player of the Week awards on Dec. 14. Kina was also one of four finalists for CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Player of the Week honors on the same week....Lehigh junior guard Marquis Hall is on the nominee list for the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the top guard in college basketball....After posting a 2-1 record from Dec. 1-7, Navy was honored as the Mid-Major Team of the Week by Jeff Goodman in the FoxSports.com Weekly Wrap. The Mids had improved to 7-2 at the time...Navy has the best single-game shooting performance in the nation. The Mids' connected on 71.4 percent of their shots (25-for-35) in a 78-65 win over UT-San Antonio on Dec. 2.

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Team Notebooks

American The Eagles lost their lone game last week, falling at Maryland, 67-51, on Monday...It was the same date that American won at Maryland a year ago...The Eagles fell back below .500 at 5-6 on the season, with a 4-5 record in road games...Senior guard Derrick Mercer reached the 1,000-point plateau in the contest, scoring 12 points...Mercer also had six assists in the game, and ranks ninth in Patriot League annals with 417 career assists...He now has 1,011 points in his career, and joins classmate Garrison Carr in the 1,000-point club...Carr had 11 points in the game and has 1,030 in his career...American went 0-for-3 at the foul line in the game, becoming just the third team in Patriot League annals that did not convert a free throw...The Eagles finish a five-game road trip on Monday night at Manhattan, with American trying to record its second win on the journey...The contest also ends a string of 10 of the first 12 games on the road to start the season....Manhattan leads the all-time series, 4-1, with the teams meeting for the first time since 1997...Manhattan will be hosting Iraq War Veterans Appreciation Day against American, an event inspired by American Head Coach Jeff Jones and Manhattan Head Coach Barry Rohrssen's participation in Operation Hardwood this past summer...Both head coaches will dawn camouflage jackets on the sidelines in conjunction with the event.

Army The Black Knights just missed out on a solid win, as they surrendered a 14-point second-half lead and fell at home against VMI, 62-55, on Dec. 21...The Black Knights fell to 3-8...Army held the advantage before VMI went on a 37-16 run over the final 12:43 of the game to score the win...Army held VMI more than 40 points below its scoring average, as the Keydets entered the game No. 1 nationally with 103 points per game...It was the second straight season that Army held VMI under 70 points...Cleveland Richard led the Army offense with a career-high 19 points..The 19-point effort was the highest output for an Army plaer this season...Army leads the Patriot League in scoring defense at 61.3 points allowed per game...Army had a break for the holidays, and is back in action on Tuesday at Florida Gulf Coast...Army earned a 66-63 victory at home last season in the only all-time meeting between the schools.

Bucknell The Bison dropped a pair of road games last week, falling at Richmond, 79-57, on Monday and at Marist, 89-63, on Sunday...Bucknell fell to 3-8 on the season, and has lost all six of its road contests...G.W. Boon and Bryan Cohen each led the scoring with 14 points against the Spiders, while Patrick Behan contributed 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds...Bucknell was within three with 13:06 to play, but Richmond took over down the stretch...Boon and Cohen led the way again on Sunday, as Boon notched 14 points for the second straight game and Cohen scored 11 in the loss to the Red Foxes...Bucknell returns to its home court on Tuesday when it hosts St. Bonaventure...The Bison trail the all-time series, 4-1, and will try to earn payback for a 65-62 loss on the road to the Bonnies last season.

Colgate Colgate fell in the third of its eight-game road trip on Monday, as it was tripped up by California, 83-48...The Raiders are 3-7 for the season, and 1-2 on the current road trip that extends into the first two games of Patriot League play...Freshman Anthony Hill had a career-high 10 points in the game, while Ben Jonson had 10 points and seven rebounds...Freshman Yaw Gyawu added eight points in the game...Colgate was tied with six minutes to go in the first half, but Cal took control from that point...Colgate continues its road swing when it travels to the state of Texas this week, with a game at TCU on Tuesday before facing UT-San Antonio on Friday...Colgate is meeting TCU for the second time, with the Raiders winning the only matchup in the 1973-74 season.

Holy Cross The Crusaders scored their most points against a Division I opponent since 1996 in a 97-88 victory at home over San Francisco on Saturday...The win improved Holy Cross to 4-8 on the season, with a 4-2 record at the Hart Center...The Crusaders rallied from a 13-point deficit with nine minutes left by using a 17-1 run to take command...San Francisco would get no closer than five points after the decisive stretch...Colin Cunningham and R.J. Evans were the leading scorers, with each player contributing a career-high 26 points...Evans also added a career-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double, while Cunningham added six assists...Devin Brown had 22 points and five assists in the game, and connected on 11-of-12 foul shots...The three players combined for all of Holy Cross' points during the 17-1 run...Holy Cross' 97 points were its most since a 101-61 victory over Dowling on Nov. 23, 2002, and its most against a Division I opponent since defeating Lehigh 100-81 on Jan. 27, 1996...The Crusaders had three different players score 20 points for the first time since Nov. 18, 2005, against High Point...Holy Cross also played at Ohio on Monday, falling 58-53 on the road...The Crusaders dropped to 0-6 on the road this season...They are back in action on Tuesay when they host Siena...Holy Cross trails the all-time series with the Saints, 7-4, including an 84-77 loss in overtime on the road last season.

Lafayette The Leopards opened a three-game homestand by snapping an eight-game losing streak with a 70-63 triumph over Towson on Sunday afternoon...The Leopards improved to 3-8 on the season with their first victory since Nov. 18...They beat Towson for the second year in a row...Andrew Brown led Lafayette with 20 points, while Michael Gruner chipped in with 11 and Ryan Willen, Jeff Kari and Darion Benbow all scored nine...Lafayette opened up a three-point lead at halftime, and pushed the advantage to 10 with 7:29 remaining...Towson would come no closer than five points the rest of the way...Lafayette would go on to lead by as many as 12 points with 30 seconds remaining, thanks in part to a 10-for-12 performance from the free throw line in the final four minutes of the game...The Leopards continue the homestand and go for their second win in a row on Tuesday against Princeton...Lafayette trails, 43-17, in the all-time series with the Tigers, but scored a 76-71 victory on the road in overtime when the teams matched up last season.

Lehigh Lehigh continued its best start since 1980 with a 72-57 victory at home against Longwood on Sunday...It was the third straight win for the Mountain Hawks, who improved to 8-3 on the season...Lehigh has already tied the school record for most non-League wins with eight (2002-03, 1990-91 squads were the others with eight non-League victories)...Zahir Carrington and Phil Anderson each produced doubles-doubles, with Carrington scoring 17 points with a career-high 15 rebounds and Anderson tying his career-high with 16 points and setting a career-best with 12 rebounds...Carrington and Anderson are now 1-2 in the Patriot League in rebounding...Lehigh built a 30-13 lead in the first half, and went up by as many as 26 points to cruise to the victory...Lehigh held a 54-35 edge on the glass, and every player on the roster saw action...The Mountain Hawks were also scheduled to play on Tuesday at Washington, but the game was cancelled due to inclement weather in the Pacific Northwest...Lehigh will try to win its fourth game in a row and set a school record with a ninth non-League victory when it visits NJIT on Wednesday afternoon...The Mountain Hawks earned a 67-58 win at home in the first meeting between the schools last season.

Navy Navy fought until the end and played well at No. 18/16 Villanova on Monday, but came out on the losing end of a 78-68 final...The Mids fell to 8-4 on the season, and have lost three of four since a seven-game winning streak...The Mids completed their five-game road trip with a 2-3 record, which also includes a loss coming on a neutral court against Virginia Tech...Navy was facing a ranked opponent for the first time since 2002...Chris Harris kept the Mids close with a great shooting performance, scoring a career-high 30 points while hitting 8-of-10 three-point shots..Navy used a 13-6 run to close within 67-64 with 2:38 to play, but Villanova finished the game on an 11-4 spurt...Kaleo Kina had 15 points and eight rebounds...The Mids hit on 14-of-28 shots from three-point range...Harris and Kina became the first duo to score 30 points in separate games in the same season for Navy since John Clune and Don Lange in 1953-54...Navy is home for the first time since Dec. 2 when it faces Longwood on Tuesday...The Mids are trying to improve their 5-0 home record...They are 5-0 all-time agianst Longwood, including wins by 16 and 18 points in a pair of matchups last season.