March 15, 2010

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 3.16.10

Center Valley, Pa.—Lehigh, which won its second consecutive Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship on Saturday, learned its NCAA Tournament fate on Monday. The Mountain Hawks will be competing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history. Lehigh will travel to Ames, Iowa as the No. 13 seed in the Dayton regional. The Mountain Hawks will meet the No. 4 seed in the bracket, host Iowa State, on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. at the James H. Hilton Coliseum. The game will be televised by ESPN2. Sunday’s winner will play either No. 5 Virginia or No. 12 Green Bay.

The 2010 campaign has been a record-breaking one for Lehigh (29-3). The Mountain Hawks are riding a Patriot League-record 16-game winning streak. Lehigh’s 29 wins are also a Patriot League benchmark. The Mountain Hawks are ranked fifth in the nation in victories and winning percentage.

Lehigh has rattled off 33 straight home victories, including a 58-42 win in Saturday’s Patriot League Championship against American. The Mountain Hawks won their three Patriot League Tournament games by an average of 15.3 points. Lehigh’s lone Patriot League loss was in overtime at American, which finished tied with the Mountain Hawks atop the Patriot League standings with the 13-1 mark. Lehigh’s only other losses this season were on the road against Princeton and Vanderbilt, both of which finished in the top 50 of the RPI.

This season, the Mountain Hawks received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for the first time in school history. On Tuesday, Lehigh received its highest vote total to date (13). Just two teams stand between the Mountain Hawks and a national ranking.

Junior point guard Erica Prosser leads the Mountain Hawks’ offensive attack. She averages 13.9 points and 4.3 assists per outing. Sophomore Emily Gratch shoots a Patriot League-best 55 percent from the field. Gratch averages 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Both Prosser and Gratch received First-Team All-Patriot League honors this season. Anchoring Lehigh’s defense has been Tricia Smith. The senior guard held Patriot League Player of the Year Michelle Kirk to eight points in the Patriot League title game.

Despite playing the Big 12 Tournament without All-Big 12 point guard Alison Lacey, Iowa State (23-7) finished as the tournament runner-up. The Cyclones dropped a 62-59 decision to Oklahoma State in the title game. Iowa State finished the Big 12 regular season with an 11-5 mark. The Cyclones are 16-1 at home this season, with their lone home loss coming to Nebraska, which is ranked fourth nationally. Lacey, a senior, has led the team with 16.5 points and 6.3 assists per game. Junior guard Kelsey Bolte adds 12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Click here for the entire NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket.