Feb. 1, 2010

Center Valley, Pa.--With the completion of Saturday's games, the first half of the Patriot League women's basketball season is complete. All eight teams will get Wednesday off before commencing the second half of League play on Saturday. After the first round of games, American sits atop the standings with an unblemished 7-0 mark. Lehigh, which is one game back of the Eagles, will host American on Saturday.

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 2.1.10

Anaconda Player of the Week (Jan. 25-31)
Erin Anthony, Army Jr., F, Allentown, Pa.
Anthony was named Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week for the fourth time this season and the seventh time in her career after averaging a double-double for the week. She produced 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per outing in two games. Anthony scored at least 20 points for the seventh time this season when she tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds in the Black Knights’ 54-38 win over Lafayette on Wednesday. She made 9-of-13 field goals and notched two steals and a block against the Leopards. Anthony then added 13 points and nine rebounds against Bucknell on Saturday. She made 5-of-7 field goals and also registered a block against the Bison. For the week, she made 70 percent of her field goals while playing 39.0 minutes per game.

Anaconda Rookie of the Week (Jan. 25-31)
Amy Lepley, Holy Cross Fr., G/F, Norfolk, Mass.
Lepley was named Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week for the fourth time, more than any other player this season, after averaging 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 steals per game in two outings. She tallied 11 points, five rebounds, six steals, two assists and a block in the Crusaders’ Wednesday triumph over Colgate. She added five points, four steals and four rebounds against Lehigh on Saturday. Lepley now leads the team in steals (35) and blocks (9). For the week, Lepley shot 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field and 83 percent (5-of-6) from the free throw line.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Liz Leer, American
Jr., C, Glenside, Pa.
Averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game last week. Recorded six blocked shots in American’s Wednesday win at Navy. Also tallied 17 points and six rebounds against the Mids.

Trisha Krewson, Bucknell
So., G, Sandusky, Ohio
Scored 16.0 points per game in two outings last week. Notched a team-high 19 points in Bucknell’s road win over Army. Added 13 points in the Bison’s loss at Lehigh.

Whitney Fremeau, Holy Cross
Jr., F, Manchester, N.H.
Contributed 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game in two contests last week. Registered 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal in the Crusaders’ win over Colgate on Wednesday.

Emily Gratch, Lehigh
So., G, Holicong, Pa.
Tallied 18.0 points per game in two outings last week. Made 11-of-13 field goals while scoring 22 points in Lehigh’s victory over Bucknell. Added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the Mountain Hawk’s 58-52 triumph over Holy Cross.

Patriot League Notebook

Halfway to Home
The Patriot League season hit the halfway point on Saturday. Through the first batch of games, American is unbeaten. The Eagles improved to 7-0 with a 53-31 home win over Lafayette. American held the Leopards to just 13 second half points in the win. The Eagles have now won eight straight games. Lehigh remained one game back of the Eagles with a 58-52 home win over Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks have now won 29 straight home games. Lehigh has rattled off six straight wins after opening Patriot League play with an overtime loss at American. Also on Saturday, Colgate defeated Navy, giving the Raiders their first home Patriot League victory since Feb. 10, 2007. Bucknell was the lone road team to pick up a victory. The Bison won for the third time in their last four games, knocking off Army by a 59-41 margin.

Races Heat Up In Second Half
Patriot League squads will get Wednesday off before resuming League play on Saturday. The two teams at the top of the standings will square off on Saturday when Lehigh hosts American. Lehigh brings a 29-game home winning streak into the contest, while American will attempt to pick up the season sweep over the Mountain Hawks. Navy and Bucknell, which enter Saturday’s game tied for third place, will meet in Lewisburg, Pa. Navy defeated the Bison by a 70-40 margin in the teams’ earlier meeting this season. Army, which is also tied for third place with Bucknell and Navy, will hit the road to take on Colgate. Also on Saturday, Holy Cross and Lafayette will battle in Easton, Pa.

Six Get Seven
American’s 7-0 start in Patriot League play marks the sixth time a team has opened League play with seven straight wins. Of the five previous teams that started 7-0, four went on to claim the top regular season record in Patriot League play. Three went on to win the Patriot League Tournament Championship. Holy Cross, which has started out 7-0 in League play four times, finished undefeated in regular-season Patriot League contests in 1990-91 and 1996-97. Two teams have started out the season with seven straight Patriot League wins and not won a championship. Holy Cross finished the 1996-97 Patriot League regular season undefeated but fell to Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Bucknell began the 1999-00 Patriot League campaign with seven consecutive victories but finished the League season with an 8-4 mark and fell in the Patriot League Championship. Prior to American starting with seven consecutive Patriot League wins this season, Bucknell was the only school besides Holy Cross to start out 7-0 in Patriot League play.

Home Cooking
Lehigh’s 29-game home winning streak is the longest in the history of the Patriot League. Holy Cross’ 22-game home winning streak that started on Dec. 5, 2000 and ended on Mar. 6, 2002 is the second-longest streak in Patriot League history. Lehigh has won 14 consecutive home games against Patriot League foes, including 11 straight in the regular season. Holy Cross is the only team with longer home winning streaks against Patriot League teams. The Crusaders won 61 straight home games against Patriot League opponents starting with a win on Feb. 12, 1994 before a loss to Bucknell in the Patriot League Championship on Mar. 6, 2002 snapped the streak. The Crusaders won 57 straight regular season home Patriot League games starting Feb. 12, 1994 before a home loss to Lehigh on Jan. 31, 2003 ended their run.

Now That’s More Like Homecourt Advantage
Colgate ended the Patriot League’s longest home losing streak with a win over Navy on Saturday. Prior to the Raiders’ win, Colgate had dropped 18 straight home outings against Patriot League foes. The Raiders’ victory was their first home Patriot League win since defeating American on Feb. 10, 2007 at Cotterell Court.

Undersized and Overachieving
Six of the top 15 rebounders in Patriot League play stand shorter than 6’0”, including four in the top 10. Leading the way are Navy junior point guard Angela Myers and Lehigh senior guard Tricia Smith, who are tied for sixth with 6.7 rebounds per Patriot League contest.  Smith stands 5’10”, while at 5’5”, Myers is the shortest player on the list.

Seniority In The Patriot League
There are 20 seniors on Patriot League women’s basketball rosters. Holy Cross has a League-high five seniors, while Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy have four. Army’s 16-person roster includes no seniors. American, Bucknell and Colgate each have just one senior.

Patriot League Games

Holy Cross (6-16, 2-5) at Lafayette (4-17, 2-5), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Kirby Sports Center
PL Series: Holy Cross, 41-8  Streak: Lafayette, One Win  Last Meeting: Lafayette, 43-39 (1.9.10)

Holy Cross The Crusaders will attempt to rebound after dropping a 58-52 decision at Lehigh on Saturday. Holy Cross has now dropped three straight meetings against the Mountain Hawks. Prior to last season, the Crusaders had never lost back-to-back games against Lehigh. After the Mountain Hawks built a 48-31 lead, Holy Cross clawed back into the game with a 16-3 run, but Lehigh held off the Crusaders to maintain the Patriot League's longest overall home winning streak. Senior Tayana Carper paced Holy Cross with 14 points in the loss. Holy Cross will seek to salvage a season split when it travels to Lafayette on Saturday. Holy Cross was beaten by the Leopards in the teams’ Patriot League opener on Jan. 9, falling by a 43-39 margin. The Crusaders have only been swept by Lafayette once in school history, dropping three meetings against the Leopards in the 1991-92 season.

Lafayette The Leopards dropped their fourth straight game on Saturday, falling by a 53-31 margin at American. The Eagles held Lafayette to 13 second-half points. It was the Leopards' lowest second-half total this season. American closed the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 10-point lead into the intermission. After Lafayette scored the first four points of the second half, American went on another 9-0 run to seize control of the contest. Lafayette was paced by Elizabeth Virgin, who knocked down 5-of-8 field goals to close with 12 points. The Leopards will be chasing just their second home win of the season when they host Holy Cross on Saturday. Lafayette will be chasing back-to-back wins against the Crusaders for just the second time in school history. The last time the Leopards beat Holy Cross in consecutive outings, they did so on Feb. 4, 2006 and Jan. 6, 2007. The only other time that Lafayette recorded consecutive triumphs over Holy Cross was when the Leopards tallied three wins against the Crusaders during the 1992-92 season.

Army (9-12, 3-4) at Colgate (7-14, 2-5), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y.
PL Series: Army, 26-17  Streak: Army, Eight Wins  Last Meeting: Army, 63-47 (1.9.10)

Army The Black Knights will be chasing just their second road win of the season when they travel to Colgate on Saturday. Army, which had lost just two home games prior to Saturday’s game against Bucknell, fell by a 59-41 margin at home against the Bison. Army surrendered a 23-5 run spanning the end of the first half and into the second half. Army junior forward Erin Anthony just missed her 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Black Knights will aim for the season sweep when they travel to Hamilton to take on the Raiders on Saturday. Army last lost to Colgate on Feb. 1, 2006. Anthony registered 20 points and 12 assists in the Black Knights’ previous meeting with Colgate this season.

Colgate The Raiders recorded their first home win over Navy since Jan. 28, 2005, tallying a 58-56 victory against the Mids in Hamilton. Colgate scored the final four points of the game in the final 55 seconds to claim the dramatic win. Navy went on an 8-1 run, culminated by a deep three-pointer by Kristin Bowen to give the Mids a two-point edge with 1:20 remaining. Colgate sophomore Kelly Korkowski then took a feed from sophomore center Tricia Oakes and knocked down a short bucket to tie the game with 55 seconds left in the contest. After Bowen was whistled for an offensive foul, Colgate got a layup from freshman Jhazmine Lynch with 13 seconds remaining. Navy was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds as Colgate's lone senior, Katie Garman, forced a turnover just before the final buzzer. Garman finished with four steals to go along with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. She made 4-of-5 field goals and did not commit a turnover in 33 minutes of action. Colgate will aim for back-to-back home wins for the first time since 2006 when the Raiders host Army on Saturday. The Raiders will be seeking to snap an eight-game losing streak against the Black Knights.

American (14-7) at Lehigh (19-3), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa.
PL Series: American, 11-7  Streak: American, Two Wins  Last Meeting: American, 69-64, OT (1.9.10)

American The Eagles enter the second half of the Patriot League season with an unblemished 7-0 record. American entered Saturday's game with the Patriot League's highest scoring offense, but it was its defense the stood out. The Eagles held Lafayette to 13 second-half points in American's victory at Bender Arena. It was the Leopards' lowest second-half total this season. The Eagles closed the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 10-point lead into the intermission. After Lafayette scored the first four points of the second half, American went on another 9-0 run to seize control of the contest. Junior Michelle Kirk scored nine points and became the 12th American women's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points. She is the first to hit 1,000 career points since Chanel Hunt hit the mark during her career at American from 2001-05. Junior forward Liz Leer led the Eagles with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. American will attempt to snap Lehigh’s 29-game home winning streak when the top two teams in the Patriot League standings meet on Saturday.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks won their sixth straight game and 29th consecutive home game with a 58-52 triumph over Holy Cross on Saturday. Lehigh has now beaten the Crusaders three straight times. It is the first time Lehigh has ever topped Holy Cross in three consecutive outings. Prior to last season, the Mountain Hawks had never beaten the Crusaders in back-to-back meetings. After Lehigh built a 48-31 lead, Holy Cross clawed back into the game with a 16-3 run, but the Mountain Hawks held off the Crusaders to maintain the Patriot League's longest overall home winning streak. Lehigh has now 14 straight Patriot League home games, which ranks as the second-longest home winning streak against League foes. Holy Cross, which defeated 61 straight Patriot League foes at home from 1994 to 2002, owns the longest home winning streak against Patriot League opponents. Sophomore Alexa Williams led Lehigh with her second double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. When Lehigh meets American on Saturday, the Mountain Hawks will be aiming for their 20th victory of the season. With a win, Lehigh would become the fastest Patriot League team to reach the 20-win plateau. Navy’s 1996-97 team is currently the record-holder, reaching the 20-win mark on Feb. 12, 1997 in its 24th game of the season.

Navy (11-11, 3-4) at Bucknell (7-13, 3-4), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
PL Series: Bucknell, 27-14  Streak: Navy, Two Wins  Last Meeting: Navy, 70-40 (1.8.10)

Navy The Mids will seek to avoid falling below .500 for the first time this season when they travel to Lewisburg to take on Bucknell on Saturday. Navy dropped a 56-54 decision at Colgate on Saturday, marking the Mids’ first loss at Cotterell Court since Jan. 28, 2005. Navy went on an 8-1 run, culminated by a deep three-pointer by senior Kristin Bowen to give the Mids a two-point edge with 1:20 remaining. The Raiders then scored the final four points to knock off the Mids.  Bowen finished with a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds. She knocked down 6-of-12 three-pointers and made 7-of-8 free throws. The Mids will be chasing their first road win of the Patriot League season when they take on the Bison on Saturday.

Bucknell The Bison used a 23-5 run spanning the first and second halves to record a 59-41 road win over Army in West Point. It was just the second road win for Bucknell this season and the third home loss for Army. The Bison have now beaten the Black Knights six straight times. Bucknell held Army to just 27.8 percent shooting from the floor, including a 5-for-22 effort in the second half. The Bison kept the game out of reach by making 20-of-24 free throws, marking a season-high at the charity stripe for Bucknell this season. Trisha Krewson paced Bucknell offensively, closing with a game-high 19 points. Bucknell will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak against Navy. The Bison were handed a 70-40 defeat by the Mids in Annapolis earlier this season.