March 6, 2010

Worcester, Mass.—The first day of the 2010 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Tournament is in the books, and Sunday’s semifinal pairings have been solidified. Host Holy Cross and top-seeded Lehigh will meet in the first semifinal. The Crusaders topped Army, while the Mountain Hawks rallied to defeat Bucknell. In Sunday’s other semifinal, second-seeded American will take on third-seeded Navy. The Eagles scored a 77-49 win over Lafayette, while the Mids notched a 69-57 win over Colgate.

Game 1: No. 5 Holy Cross 57, No. 4 Army 53

A 13-0 second-half run by Holy Cross pushed the Crusaders to a 57-53 win over Army in the Patriot League Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals. On Sunday, Holy Cross will attempt to become the first No. 5 seed to reach the Patriot League title game since Bucknell won the tournament in 2008.

Trailing 34-32 with 10:36 remaining in the contests, Holy Cross scored 13 straight points to build a lead it would never relinquish. Briana McFadden made two three-pointers during the deciding run. The senior closed with 10 points, while Whitney Fremeau paced the team with 11 points and six rebounds.

Erin Anthony and Laura Baranek each registered double-doubles for Army. Anthony tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Baranek recorded 10 points and 11 boards. Nalini Hawkins added a game-high 17 points for the Black Knights.

After a first half in which the two teams combined to score 42 points and shoot 25 percent, Army and Holy Cross combined to score 68 points and shot 47 percent in the second frame. The Crusaders shot 48 percent in the second half, finishing the game shooting at a 34.5 percent clip. Army connected on 47 percent of its second-half field goals, while shooting 40 percent for the game. The Black Knights made all eight of their free throw attempts, but Holy Cross got to the line 13 more times, making 14-of-21 free throws.

Holy Cross snapped a four-game losing streak against the Black Knights. The Crusaders’ win was also Holy Cross’ first Patriot League Tournament win over Army in its last four tries.

Game 2: No. 1 Lehigh, 72, No. 8 Bucknell 58

For the fourth straight game, Lehigh (27-3) trailed at halftime. As they did in the three previous games, the Mountain Hawks rallied for a victory. Lehigh outscored Bucknell (7-21) by a 42-26 margin in the second half en route to a 72-58 triumph.

After making just 37 percent of its field goals in the first half, Lehigh connected on 54 percent of its second-half shots. The Mountain Hawks also made 12 second-half free throws after making just five in the first half. Courtney Dentler scored a team-high 17 points to lead four Lehigh players in double figures.

Joyce Novacek paced Bucknell with a game-high 24 points, 19 of which came in the first half. Novacek made 10-of-11 field goals. She also pulled down nine rebounds.

Since losing its Patriot League opener at American on Jan. 8, Lehigh has rattled off a Patriot League-record 14 consecutive wins. The Mountain Hawks’ 27 victories are also a Patriot League record, surpassing the 26 wins achieved by last year’s Lehigh squad. The Mountain Hawks have now won four straight opening-round games in the Patriot League Tournament.

Game 3: No. 2 American 77, No. 7 Lafayette 49

American (21-8) scored the game’s first six points and never trailed in the Eagles’ opening-round victory over Lafayette (7-23). American built leads as large as 30 points in its 77-49 triumph over the Leopards. The Eagles avenged last season’s first-round upset at the hands of Lafayette. American has now reached the Patriot League Tournament semifinals in five of the nine years the Eagles have been in the League.

American did not allow Lafayette to record back-to-back field goals until 15:34 remained in the contest. The Leopards had two 5-0 spurts, their largest runs of the game. The Eagles forced Lafayette into 22 turnovers, turning them directly into 27 points.

The Eagles held Lafayette to 18-of-46 from the field while connecting on 27-of-55 field goals. American also made seven three-pointers while limiting Lafayette to just three. Additionally, the Eagles held a 38-24 rebounding edge.

Four different American players reached double figures, led by Patriot League Player of the Year Michelle Kirk’s 18 points. Kirk made 6-of-7 field goals, including 4-of-5 from behind the three-point arc. Ohemaa Nyanin paced the Eagles on the boards, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. Lauren Jackson led Lafayette offensively, closing with 10 points.

No. 3 Navy 69, No. 6 Colgate 57

Navy made a Patriot League Tournament single-game record 15 three-pointers in the Mids’ 69-57 opening-round triumph over Colgate. Navy’s 33 three-point attempts are also a record. Angela Myers and Kristin Bowen led the way, knocking down four three-pointers apiece.

Colgate held a one-point lead with 25 seconds left in the first half, but a three-pointer by Bowen gave Navy a one-point edge heading into the break. The Mids used the first 10 minutes of the second half to gain separation, outscoring the Raiders by a 31-12 margin. Navy built leads as large as 22 points before being held scoreless for the final 5:53.

Krista Moser and Tricia Oakes led Colgate inside. Moser closed with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Oakes provided 10 points and nine rebounds. Sami Kozlowski added 10 points and five assists.

After losing three straight first-round games, Navy has now won its last two quarterfinal contests. The Mids have won five of their past six games overall.

2010 Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament
Saturday, March 6
At Worcester, Mass.
Game 1: No. 5 Holy Cross 57, No. 4 Army 53
Game 2: No. 1 Lehigh 72, Bucknell 58
Game 3: No. 2 American 77, No. 7 Lafayette 49
Game 4: No. 3 Navy 69, No. 6 Colgate 57

Sunday, March 7
At Worcester, Mass.
Game 5: Holy Cross vs. Lehigh, 1 p.m.
Game 6: American vs. Navy, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 13
At Highest Remaining Seed
Game 7: TBD vs. TBD, 6 p.m. (CBS College Sports Network)