Jan. 8, 2009
Center Valley, Pa.--Patriot League women's basketball teams recorded their best showing in non-League play in history, recording 60 wins against non-League foes. Starting this weekend, all eight teams will begin vying for a Patriot League championship. Lafayette will host preseason favorite Holy Cross on Saturday at 1 p.m., commencing the opening day of Patriot League competition.
Patriot League Women's Basketball Release 1.8.09 
Patriot League Notebook
In Review
The non-League season came to a close with seven mid-week games. Patriot League squads went 6-1 during mid-week contests this week, giving the Patriot League a 60-57 mark against non-League foes this season. Bucknell was the only team to play twice this week. The Bison garnered wins over Howard and Cornell to improve to 8-5. American picked up its 10th win of the season on Tuesday with a 60-43 triumph over Brown. Navy matched its win total from a season ago with an overtim victory at Fordham, improving the Mids' current record to 7-8. Army won its fourth straight contest with a 56-46 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday. Also extending its winning streak on Wednesday was Holy Cross, which claimed its third straight victory by beating Bryant. The lone Patriot League team to fall was Colgate, which dropped a 63-53 decision to Bryant.
On Deck
Patriot League play will tip off this weekend with a full slate of games on Saturday. Preseason favorite Holy Cross will open the season in Easton, Pa. against Lafayette at 1 p.m. In the other afternoon game, Colgate will host Army at 2 p.m. In the evening, the teams with the top two records will square off in Bethlehem, Pa. Lehigh, which currently holds the top record among Patriot League teams, will host 10-5 American at 7 p.m. Also at 7 p.m., Bucknell will host Navy.
Battle of the Leagues
Schools in the Patriot League and the Ivy League are widely regarded among the top academic institutions in the country. In addition to sharing academic goals, the two leagues also shared a basketball court 17 times this season. Patriot League schools battled the Ivy League more than any other conference this season. In the 11 meetings this season, Patriot League schools held a 12-5 advantage. In the final week of non-League play, Patriot League schools scored two wins against Ivy League opponents. American topped Brown on Tuesday, while Bucknell defeated Cornell on Wednesday.
Patriot League Progress
Six Patriot League schools are ahead of last year's pace at the start of League play. Of the League's eight teams, only two do not have more wins at the end at the start of the 2008-2009 Patriot League season than at the same point last season. Of those six teams, five have had improvements of three games or better. American, which claimed the top record in Patriot Leauge regular season play a year ago, has had the greatest improvement in its record of all eight Patriot League teams. The Eagles enter the Patriot League portion of their schedule with four more non-Leauge wins than they had last season.
Lifting The League
The Patriot League received a significant RPI boost in non-League play. Patriot League teams finished with a winning record against opposing conferences for just the second time in League history. Patriot League teams closed the non-League portion of their schedules with a 60-57 mark, the best regular season non-League mark in Patriot League history. The 2008-09 non-League mark tops the League's 1997-98 showing, in which Patriot League squads finished 50-49 in regular season non-League games. The 60 non-League regular season wins also established a new high, breaking the old mark of 52 regular season non-League victories set in 2006-07..
Consedine Receives WBCA Honorable Mention
Navy sophomore center garnered honorable mention for WBCA Player of the Month. Consedine was named Patriot League Player of the Week after averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds for the week. She became the 10th player in Patriot League history to record 100 career blocks, doing so in just 41 games. She currently has 105 career blocks. Consedine helped Navy record six wins in the first two months of competition, just one less win than the Mids recorded all of last season. In December, she led the Patriot League in scoring (18.2 ppg), free throw percentage (90.0%) and defensive rebounds (5.8 drpg). She also ranked second in rebounding (8.2 rpg), three-point field goal percentage (50%), three point field goals made per game (2.6) and blocked shots (9) in the month of December. Oklahoma senior center Courtney Paris was named WBCA Player of the Month.
Patriot League Tournament Tickets Now Available
Tickets are now available for the Patriot League women's basketball tournament. All eight Patriot League teams will compete in quarterfinal action at Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University starting March 7. The semifinals will be held Mar. 8 at Stabler Arena. The two remaining teams will compete for the title at the site of the highest remaining seed. Quarterfinal and semifinal tickets are $12 per day for adults and $6 per day for children and seniors. Two-day passes are $20 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. Group tickets are available through the Lehigh ticket office. Fans can purchase tickets for the first two rounds online by visiting the Lehigh athletics web page.
Patriot League All-Access Package Returns for 2008-09
The Patriot League and CBS College Sports announced that they are going to offer the majority of men's and women's basketball games as part of the Patriot League All-Access package, beginning with the opening day of League play on Jan. 10. Almost every regular-season and Patriot League Tournament game will be shown on high-speed broadband through the video streaming package. The cutting-edge technology takes viewers up close with multi-camera coverage. The monthly fee allows a subscriber to watch any Patriot League basketball games that are part of the package. The action tips off on Jan. 10 with the Patriot League season in full swing. Visit www.patriotleague.com or the school websites of Patriot League institutions for more information. PatriotLeague.com has launched an enhanced and upgraded All-Access Multimedia Player in partnership with CBS College Sports. This marks the third season for Patriot League All-Access, which includes more than 100 men and women's basketball games and a variety of Patriot League Championship events. The new All-Access is powered by Microsoft's Silverlight technology, providing increased web browser compatibility and a redesigned user-friendly, state-of-the-art interface. Those that do not have Silverlight on their computers, which was utilized by NBC during its Olympic internet coverage in Beijing, will be required to perform a quick one-time download of Silverlight before accessing the new video player. The enhanced All-Access gives fans the highest-quality streaming experience and the most online video coverage of the Patriot League. The new multimedia player also offers an improved search engine, which allows users to quickly locate videos they are interested in. Fans can search by sport, type of video and date to easily navigate to the newest content.
Patriot League Games
Holy Cross (5-10) at Lafayette (6-9), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pa.
Series: Holy Cross, 31-5 Streak: Holy Cross, Four Wins Last Meeting: Holy Cross, 60-48 (2.9.08)
Holy Cross The Crusaders enter Patriot League play riding a three-game winning streak. Holy Cross topped Bryant on Wednesday to garner its fifth win of the season. Coach Bill Gibbons' squad has won four of its last five, with the lone loss coming at Saint Joseph's. The Crusaders are hoping to duplicate the success of last season, when the entered Patriot League competition with a losing record but tallied a 10-4 mark in League play and advanced to the Patriot League title game. Preseason Player of the Year Briana McFadden continues to lead the League in scoring with 16.0 points per game. She also ranks second on the team with 4.7 rebounds per contest. Fellow-junior Bethany O'Dell with 11.2 points per game, despite an ankle injury that kept her out of three games. Holy Cross has won seven of its last nine meetings against Lafayette, including four straight victories.
Lafayette The Leopards commence Patriot League play with a 6-9 record. Lafayette has lost all nine of its games away from the friendly confines of the Kirby Sports Center, but the Leopards will look to extend their home winning streak to seven games. The last home loss for Lafayette was to American in the final regular season game of last season on Mar. 1, 2008. The Leopards will be looking for their first win against Holy Cross since scoring a 61-58 win in Easton on Jan. 6, 2007. Sophomore LaKeisha Wright ranks fourth in the Patriot League in field goal percentage, shooting at a 50.8 percent clip. She and senior Cristin Zavocki provide the Leopards with nearly 40 percent of their scoring output. Zavocki (10.8 ppg) and Wright (10.6 ppg) combine to score over 21 of Lafayette's 55.7 points per game. The Leopards have thrived on close victories. Excluding Lafayette's 21-point win over NJIT, the Leopards average margin of victory has been 4.6 points per game, including a pair of overtime wins.
Army (9-5) at Colgate (4-11), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y.
Series: Army, 21-15 Streak: Army, Five Wins Last Meeting: Army, 74-54 (2.9.08)
Army After dropping four of its first five games, Army has rattled off victories in eight of its last nine contests. The Black Knights' only loss in their last nine games was to nationally ranked Rutgers at the Maggie Dixon Classic. Army's last road loss was Nov. 25 at St. John's. The Black Knights lead the Patriot League in scoring defense, limiting their foes to just 53.9 points per game. With 58 blocks, Army has swatted more shots than any other team in the Patriot League. Forward Erin Anthony has sprung to life as a sophomore, averaging 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She ranks second in the Patriot League with four double-doubles.
Colgate The Raiders begin Patriot League competition three more wins than they attained all of last season. Colgate has received a boost from George Mason transfer Tayler Wejnert. The sophomore guard was not eligible to compete during the first semester due to transfer rules. She has averaged 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game since joining the lineup on Dec. 28, despite averaging less than 20 minutes per game. Additionally, freshman forward Patricia Oakes ranks in the top 10 in the Patriot League in rebounding and blocked shots. Colgate will be seeking its first win in a Patriot League regular season game since knocking off American on Feb. 10, 2007. The Raiders will be pursuing their first victory over Army since Jan. 28, 2006.
American (10-5) at Lehigh (11-4), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa.
Series: American, 8-6 Streak: American, One Win Last Meeting: American, 62-49 (2.9.08)
American The Eagles will look to duplicate last season's effort when they meet Lehigh at Stabler Arena on Saturday. Each team won on the opposing team's court last season, including a 62-49 win for American in Bethlehem on Feb. 9. The Eagles have registered two separeate winning streaks of at least three games. A win over Lehigh would give them their third such streak. The Eagles won their final two non-League games, beating Columbia and Brown. Taking care of the ball has been a key for American this season. The Eagles lead the Patriot League in steals, turnover margin, and assist -to-turnover ratio. Pam Stanfield ranks among the top five individuals in all three categories. Additionally, American leads the League in made three-point fields goals. Ebony Edwards paces the League with a 53.8 percentage behind the arc.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks hold the best record among Patriot League teams after non-League competition. Lehigh leads the League in scoring offense and ranks second in scoring defense. The Mountain Hawks have outscored their opponents by an average of 11.5 points per contest. Despite missing the last three games with an injry, junior guard Alex Ross leads the Patriot League with 41 made three-pointers. She paces the team with 13.6 points per game. She is second in the Patriot League in three-point field goal percentage, shooting at a 47.7 percent clip. Lehigh split with American last season, beating the Eagles in Washington, 55-37. Coach Sue Troyan's team has won seven straight home games. The last home loss for Lehigh was Feb. 23, 2008 against Lafayette.
Navy (7-8) at Bucknell (8-5), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
Series: Bucknell, 22-12 Streak: Bucknell, Seven Wins Last Meeting: Bucknell, 65-50 (2.9.08)
Navy The Mids will be looking for their first win over Bucknell since Jan. 30, 2005 when they meet the Bison on Saturday. Navy enters League play with a 7-8 mark, matching its win total from all of last season. The Mids defeated Fordham in overtime on Monday, giving them their third win in their last four games. Sophomore center Cassie Consedine received honorable mention for WBCA Player of the Month after averaging 18.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.6 made three-pointers in four Navy games in December. Consedine currently leads the Patriot League with six double-doubles. Consedine and Angela Myers have combined for nine double-doubles, more than any other team in the Patriot League.
Bucknell The Bison claimed victories over Howard and Cornell earlier this week, giving Bucknell nine wins at the start of Patriot League competition. The defending Patriot League champions did not win their ninth game until Feb. 3 last season. The Bison have now won four straight games. It is the longest winning streak for Bucknell since its four-game winning streak that vaulted it into the NCAA Tournament last season. Senior guard Amanda Brown paces the Bison offensively. She leads the Patriot League with 4.8 assists per game and ranks third in scoring with 14.0 points per contest. Defensively, Bucknell limits its foes to 34.6 percent shooting and 27.3 percent from behind the arc, both of which lead the Patriot League.
