Feb. 8, 2010

Center Valley, Pa.--Two of the shortest women's players in the Patriot League stood tall in Hamilton, N.Y. on Saturday. Nalini Hawkins, a 5'3" point guard from Army, scored a career-high 27 points in the Black Knights' loss to Colgate. On the winning end, 5'4" freshman point guard Jhazmine Lynch, paced the Raiders with 15 points. As a result, each earned weekly honors from the Patriot League. Hawkins was named Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week for the first time in her career. Lynch was tabbed Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week for the third time this season.

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 2.8.10

Anaconda Player of the Week (Feb. 1-7)
Nalini Hawkins, Army Jr., G, Columbia, Md.
Hawkins, a 5’3” point guard, led Army in scoring and rebounding in the Black Knights’ Saturday contest at Colgate. Hawkins scored a career-high 27 points, including 21 in the second half. She made 11-of-22 field goals and connected on all five of her free throw attempts as she accounted for 57 percent of the Black Knights’ offense. Hawkins also contributed seven rebounds and three steals while committing just one turnover. Saturday’s game marked the third time this season that Hawkins has surpassed the 20-point barrier. It is the first time in her career that Hawkins has been named Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week.

Anaconda Rookie of the Week (Feb. 1-7)
Jhazmine Lynch, Colgate Fr., G, San Diego, Calif.
Lynch was named Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week for the third time this season after guiding the Raiders to their first victory over Army since 2006. Lynch, a 5’4” point guard, scored a team-high 15 points while also pulling down six rebounds. She made 5-of-12 shots from the field and knocked down 5-of-7 free throws. Lynch also tallied a block and a steal against the Black Knights. She has helped Colgate record back-to-back Patriot League victories for the first time since 2006.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Liz Leer, American
Jr., C, Glenside, Pa.
Tallied a game-high 15 points along with five rebounds and five blocks against Patriot League co-leader Lehigh on Saturday. Now holds the school record for blocked shots with 154 career rejections.

Joyce Novacek, Bucknell
Jr., F, Aliquippa, Pa.
Scored 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting against Navy. Also notched seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block against the Mids.

Whitney Fremeau, Holy Cross
Jr., F, Manchester, N.H.
Contributed a team-high 14 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks in the Crusaders’ road win over Lafayette. Made 6-of-13 field goals.

Tricia Smith, Lehigh
Sr., G, Zanesville, Ohio
Limited Patriot League scoring leader Michelle Kirk to a season-low six points, despite surrendering three inches to Kirk. Also registered six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Cassie Consedine, Navy
Jr., C, Bartlesville, Okla.
Registered 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in Navy’s win at Bucknell. Her six blocks were one short of her own school record and were the most by a Navy player in a Patriot League game. Also knocked down 4-of-6 three pointers.

Patriot League Notebook

Second Half Is Underway
The second half of the Patriot League season commenced on Saturday with all eight teams in action. In a battle of the top two teams in the standings, Lehigh recorded a 53-46 home win over American. It was the first Patriot League loss for the Eagles. Lehigh has now won seven straight games since opening Patriot League competition with an overtime loss at American. Both teams are now 7-1 in League play. Moving back to .500 in League play was Navy, which is now 4-4 after a 61-46 victory at Bucknell. The win gave the Mids the season sweep over the Bison. Bucknell dropped into a four-way tie for fourth place with Army, Colgate and Holy Cross. Colgate defeated Army for the first time since 2006, snapping an eight-game losing streak against the Black Knights and giving each team identical 3-5 records in League play. Holy Cross is also 3-5 after hanging on for a 50-47 win at Lafayette.

Back To Work
After getting last Wednesday off, mid-week action will resume for Patriot League teams. Co-leaders American and Lehigh will both be on the road. American will travel to Lewisburg to take on Bucknell, while Lehigh will venture south to meet Navy. A pair of 3-5 teams will square off in Worcester, as Holy Cross will welcome Army to the Hart Center. Also on the Wednesday slate, Colgate will host Lafayette.

Split Decisions
With the second round of Patriot League games underway, teams will be seeking to achieve season sweeps or to salvage splits against League foes. During Saturday’s contests, three teams were able to avoid being swept. Colgate and Lehigh, which had dropped early-season road games against Army and American, respectively, were able turn the tables and tally home wins on Saturday. Holy Cross had fallen at home against Lafayette earlier in the season, but the Crusaders flipped the script and notched a road win over the Leopards. Navy was the lone team to record a season sweep on Saturday. The Mids registered their second win of the season against Bucknell.

Blocks Bonanza
Navy’s Cassie Consedine and American’s Liz Leer each recorded blocked shot milestones on Saturday. Consedine tallied a season-high six blocked shots against Bucknell, one short of her own single-game school record. She tied the school record for most blocked shots in a Patriot League game. Leer recorded five blocks against Lehigh, giving her the school record for career rejections. Leer passed Kirsten Keller (1991-95) for the program’s all-time mark. Consedine and Leer are two of three juniors who rank in the top 10 among the Patriot League’s all-time leaders in blocks. Consedine ranks seventh all-time with 160 blocks, followed by Leer with 154. Army’s Erin Anthony ranks 10th with 115 rejections.

One School Remains
American was seeking to become just the fifth team and the second school to start Patriot League play with eight straight wins. With the Eagles’ defeat on Saturday, Holy Cross remains the only school to start out 8-0 in League contests. The Crusaders have started with eight consecutive Patriot League victories on four occasions, most recently in 2000-01.

Home Cooking
Lehigh’s win on Saturday gave the Mountain Hawks 30 straight home victories. The Mountain Hawks’ current 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 15 consecutive home games against Patriot League foes, including 12 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.

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.

That’s The Number
Patriot League defenses apparently had a target number on Saturday. All four of the League’s victorious teams held their foes to either 46 or 47 points. The afternoon’s two winners, Colgate and Holy Cross, held their opponents to 47 points. The evening’s two victors, Lehigh and Navy, limited their foes to 46 points apiece.

Now That’s More Like Homecourt Advantage
Colgate ended the Patriot League’s longest home losing streak with a win over Navy on Jan. 30. The Raiders now have a home winning streak, thanks to Saturday’s victory over Army. Prior to the Raiders’ win against Navy, Colgate had dropped 18 straight home outings against Patriot League foes. It was their first home Patriot League win since defeating American on Feb. 10, 2007 at Cotterell Court. Colgate’s 2007 home win over American also marked the last time the Raiders had won consecutive Patriot League home games until Saturday’s triumph over Army.

Undersized and Overachieving
Six of the top 15 rebounders in Patriot League play stand shorter than 6’0”, including three in the top 10. Leading the way is Lehigh senior Tricia Smith. A 5’9” guard, Smith is tied for fourth in Patriot League play with 6.8 rebounds per contest. Navy junior Angela Myers is the shortest player on the list. The 5’5” point guard leads Navy and ranks seventh in Patriot League games with 6.0 rebounds per outing.

Race For The Record
Holy Cross senior Bethany O’Dell and Lehigh senior Alex Ross have been jostling for the Patriot League’s all-time record for made three-pointers. On Saturday, Ross inched closer to O’Dell. Ross made two three-pointers against American, while O’Dell was held without a three-pointer in 21 minutes of action against Lafayette. O’Dell currently has a Patriot League-record 267 three-pointers, just one ahead of Ross, who ranks second on the League’s all-time charts.

Join The Club
There are currently five active Patriot League players with at least 1,000 career points, led by Holy Cross senior Briana McFadden’s 1,472. Her teammate, fellow senior Bethany O’Dell, ranks second among active players with 1,378, followed by Lehigh senior Alex Ross (1,253), Lehigh junior Erica Prosser (1,110) and American junior Michelle Kirk (1,014). Prosser and Kirk both reached the 1,000-point benchmark this season. Three other juniors are waiting to join them. Navy center Cassie Consedine is 29 points away from reaching the 1,000-point barrier. Army forward Erin Anthony needs 101 points to reach the 1,000-point mark. American forward Liz Leer 157 points away from reaching the milestone.

Patriot League Tournament Tickets Now Available
Tickets are now available for the first two rounds of the 2010 Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be played March 6-7 at the Hart Center on the campus of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Holy Cross box office at 508.793.3427. This will mark the fourth time Holy Cross has hosted full-field tournament. Saturday's quarterfinal games will be played at noon, 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, semifinal contests will be played a 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Single-day tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. A tournament package is available for $20 for adults and $10 for students. All tickets are general admission. A press conference announcing all of the exciting Patriot League Tournament events will be held Wednesday, Feb. 17 in Worcester. Many of the Patriot League member institutions will be donating tickets through the Patriot League office to the local Boys & Girls Clubs, Worcester Public Schools and other social service organizations to attend the games. For more information, call 508.793.3427.

Patriot League Games

American (14-8, 7-1) at Bucknell (7-14, 3-5), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
PL Series: Bucknell, 10-8  Streak: American, Three Wins  Last Meeting: American, 63-51 (1.13.10)

American The Eagles’ eight-game winning streak came to a close with a 53-46 loss at Lehigh on Saturday. American was attempting to become just the fifth team in the history of the Patriot League to start out 8-0 in League contests. The Eagles built an 18-10 lead with 9:24 left in the first half, but the Mountain Hawks ran off 11 straight points. Lehigh eventually built its lead to as large as 11 points in the second half. The Mountain Hawks forced the Eagles into 20 turnovers, which led directly to 24 Lehigh points.The Lehigh defense held Michelle Kirk, the Patriot League's leading scorer, to six points, her lowest scoring output of the season. Junior Liz Leer led American with 13 points, five rebounds and five blocks. Leer now has a school-record 154 rejections in her career. She ranks eighth on the Patriot League’s all-time list for blocked shots. American will be on the road against Bucknell on Wednesday. Since losing to the Bison in the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals in 2008, the Eagles have won three straight meetings with the Bison. American will be seeking the season sweep after tallying a 63-51 win over the Bison in Washington on Jan. 13. The Eagles raced to a 40-21 halftime lead and held off a late Bison charge to win the earlier meeting between the schools.

Bucknell The Bison dropped to 3-5 with a 61-46 home loss against Navy on Saturday. Joyce Novacek scored 16 points for Bucknell, helping the Bison outscore Navy by a 32-12 margin in the paint. Bucknell also outrebounded the Mids, doing so by a 35-29 margin, thanks in large part to 10 rebounds by freshman Lindsday Horbatuck. The Bison were outdone by Navy’s outside shooting. Bucknell was held to 2-of-12 from behind the arc, while the Mids made 12-of-21 shots from long range. Bucknell will host American on Wednesday. The Bison have lost three straight games against the Eagles. Bucknell has also lost its last four regular season contests against American. The Bison last recorded a regular season win over the Eagles on Jan. 20, 2008. Novacek enters Wednesday’s game ranked second among Patriot League rebounders with 7.4 boards per game. The Bison lead the Patriot League in rebounding margin, outboarding their opponents by an average of 5.7 rebounds per game.

Army (9-13, 3-5) at Holy Cross (7-16, 3-5), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Hart Center, Worcester, Mass.
PL Series: Holy Cross, 28-16  Streak: Army, Three Wins  Last Meeting: Army, 65-61 (1.13.10)

Army The Black Knights will be chasing the season sweep when they travel to Worcester to take on Holy Cross on Wednesday. Army has won 10 of its last 11 meetings against the Crusaders, including each of the last three. The Black Knights have beaten Holy Cross during three of their last four trips to the Hart Center. Army is now 1-10 on the road this season after dropping a 61-47 decision at Colgate on Saturday. The loss snapped Army’s eight-game reign over the Raiders. It was the Black Knights’ first loss in Hamilton since Jan. 28, 2006. After going into the halftime break facing a 36-14 deficit, Nalini Hawkins led a late Army charge. Hawkins scored 21 of her career-high 27 points in the second half, helping the Black Knights whittle Colgate’s lead down to eight points before the Raiders scored the final six points.

Holy Cross The Crusaders built a nine-point lead and hung on for a 50-47 win at Lafayette on Saturday. Holy Cross held a 44-37 edge with just over four minutes remaning, but Lafayette got two field goals and two free throws in a two-minute span to trim the Crusaders' lead to 48-45. With 15 seconds remaining, the Leopards turned the ball over and were forced to foul, but Whitney Fremeau missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Leopards trimmed the Crusaders’ lead to two with eight seconds on the clock. Lafayette was again forced to foul, and Briana McFadden made one free throw. The Leopards’ ensuing three-point attempt did not fall, helping Holy Cross avoid being swept by Lafayette for just the second time in program history. Fremeau finished with 14 points and nine rebounds to lead Holy Cross. The Crusaders will be seeking to snap a three-game slide against Army when the teams meet in Worcester on Wednesday.

Lafayette (4-18, 2-6) at Colgate (8-14, 3-5), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y.
PL Series: Colgate, 24-18  Streak: Colgate, Two Wins  Last Meeting: Colgate, 71-63 (1.13.10)

Lafayette The Leopards nearly erased a late deficit, but Lafayette dropped a 50-47 decision against Holy Cross on Saturday. The Crusaders held a 44-37 edge with just over four minutes remaning, but the Leopards got two field goals and two free throws in a two-minute span to trim the Holy Cross lead to 48-45. With 15 seconds remaining, Lafayette turned the ball over and was forced to foul, but Whitney Fremeau missed the front end of a one-and-one. Melissa Downey grabbed the rebound and Elizabeth Virgin's ensuing layup made it 49-47 with eight seconds left  on the clock. Lafayette was again forced to foul, but Briana McFadden was only able to capitalize on one of her two attempts, giving the Leopards 7.7 seconds with which to work. Lauren Jackson got an open look at a three-pointer, but the shot rimmed out, giving Holy Cross the victory. Virgin scored a game-high 15 points to pace Lafayette. The Leopards will attempt to bring an end to their five-game losing streak when they travel to Colgate on Wednesday.

Colgate The Raiders will wrap up a three-game homestand with a Wednesday match-up against Lafayette. Colgate will be aiming for three straight Patriot League wins for the first time since 2005. The Raiders have won two straight meetings against the Leopards. Lafayette is the lone Patriot League school Colgate holds an all-time winning record against. The Raiders are coming off a 61-47 home win over Army on Saturday. Colgate’s defense was stifling in the first half as the Raiders held Army to just 16.7% shooting (5-of-30). Colgate went to the halftime break with a commanding 36-14 lead. The Raiders were then able to withstand a strong second half charge from the Black Knights to hold on for the victory. After Army pulled within eight, Colgate scored the final six points of the contest. Freshman Jhazmine Lynch paced the Raiders with 15 points, while sophomore Candice Green added 11 points.

Lehigh (20-3, 7-1) at Navy (12-11, 4-4), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
PL Series: Lehigh, 19-17  Streak: Lehigh, Five Wins  Last Meeting: Lehigh, 64-56 (1.13.10)

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks trailed by as many as eight points but built an 11-point lead midway through the second half in Lehigh’s 53-46 victory over American. The Mountain Hawks are now tied with the Eagles for first place in the Patriot League. With the win, Lehigh became the fastest team in Patriot League history to reach the 20-win plateau. The Mountain Hawks forced American into 20 turnovers, leading directly to 24 Lehigh points. Erica Prosser, who led the Lehigh defensive effort with three steals, scored seven points off fast breaks and closed with 11 points. Emily Gratch paced the Mountain Hawks offensively with 12 points. Also in double figures for Lehigh was Courtney Dentler, who tallied 11 points. The Lehigh defense held Patriot League scoring leader Michelle Kirk to six points, her lowest scoring output of the season. The Mountain Hawks have now won 30 straight home games. Lehigh, which has won five straight meetings against Navy, will travel to Annapolis to take on the Mids on Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks last lost to Navy on Jan. 6, 2007.

Navy The Mids avoided falling below .500 for the first time this season with a 61-46 road win over Bucknell on Saturday. Navy never trailed and built leads as large as 19 points as the Mids moved to 4-4 in League play and 12-11 overall. Navy started the game with a 10-2 run and never looked back. Angela Myers led the Mids with a game-high 18 points, six assists and three steals. The Mids were outrebounded by a 35-29 count and outscored by a 32-12 margin in the paint, but Navy made up for the difference inside by making 12-of-21 three-pointers and limiting the Bison to 2-of-12 from behind the arc. Cassie Consedine made four of Navy’s three-pointers and also tallied a season-high six blocks. The Mids recorded the season sweep against Bucknell, but they will be aiming to avoid a season sweep when they host Lehigh on Wednesday. Navy has dropped its last five meetings against the Mountain Hawks.