Nov. 21, 2008

Center Valley, Pa.--Tournament play highlights the weekend action for Patriot League women's basketball teams. Lafayette, Navy and American will all compete in tournaments this weekend. American and Bucknell, the League's lone unbeaten teams, will look to keep their unblemished records in tact through a challenging weekend.

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release 11.21.08

Patriot League Roundup American University remained unbeaten with a convincing 77-50 victory over cross-town foe Howard on Wednesday. The Eagles are joined in the unbeaten ranks by Bucknell, which improved to 2-0 with a last-second 73-70 win over Yale. Navy improved to 2-1 with a hard-fought road win at Winston-Salem State. Also 2-1 is Lehigh, which routed Fairleigh Dickinson, 90-54. Earning its first win of the season was Army. The Black Knights topped Maryland-Eastern Shore, 66-43. Three teams are still looking for their first wins of the season. Lafayette, which received a week-long break after its loss to Middle Tennessee State, will be in Cullowhee, N.C. for its Preseason WNIT second round match-up with Western Carolina. Preseason League favorite Holy Cross dropped to 0-3 with losses to Boston College and Harvard, while Colgate suffered its third defeat of the season with a 66-41 loss to Binghamton.

On Deck Three Patriot League teams will compete in tournaments this weekend. Navy opened the Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic on Friday with a loss to Texas State. The Mids will remain in New York for the second day of the tournament. They will play either Long Island or host Columbia on Saturday. Lafayette will resume play in the Preseason WNIT against Western Carolina on Friday. On Saturday, the Leopards will play either Liberty or UC-Riverside. American will put its undefeated record on the line this weekend at the Minnesota Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn. The Eagles will square off against host Minnesota on Saturday. American will then take on North Carolina State or Yale on Sunday. Also on Saturday, Bucknell will put its unblemished mark on the line at Fordham. Colgate will host St. Francis (N.Y.) while Lehigh will travel to St. Francis (Pa.). On Sunday, Army will look to even its record against Loyola.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles improved to 3-0 with a 77-50 victory over cross-city foe Howard on Wednesday. Talicia Jackson and Michelle Kirk each tallied a game-high 13 points against the Bison, while freshman Ebony Edwards scored a career-high 11 points off the bench. The Eagles will spend the weekend in Minneapolis for the Minnesota Tournament. American will play Minnesota on Saturday before matching up against North Carolina State or Yale on Sunday.

Army The Black Knights captured their first win of the season with a 56-43 home triumph over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday. The Black Knights made all seven of their free throw attempts and scored 11 of the final 13 points to secure the victory. Sophomore Lauara Beranek led three Army players in double-figures with 13 points. The Black Knights will remain at home for a Sunday pairing with Loyola.

Bucknell The Bison snuck past Yale, 73-70, to improve to 2-0 on the season. Down three points with under a minute to play, senior Amanda Brown hit a pair of three-pointers, the first to tie, the second to win. After picking up back-to-back road wins, Bucknell will remain on the road for a Saturday showdown with Fordham.

Colgate The Raiders dropped to 0-3 with a 66-41 loss to Binghamton. Sophomore Georgia Gier led Colgate with nine points and six rebounds in defeat. Colgate will pursue its first win ofthe season with a home match-up against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday. The Raiders will then travel south to take on Presbyterian on Monday.

Holy Cross The preseason favorites in the Patriot League dropped to 0-3 in non-League action with a pair of home losses during the week. The Crusaders were topped by Boston College, 82-69, on Tuesday. Holy Cross then fell to Harvard, 73-57, on Friday. Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Briana McFadden averaged 15.5 points per game in the two losses. Holy Cross will look for its first win of the season on Tuesday when the Crusaders host St. Peter's.

Lafayette The Leopards spent the week preparing for their second game in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. After falling to Middle Tennesssee State in its season-opener, Lafayette will be in Cullowhee, N.C. to take on Western Carolina on Friday. After Friday's game, the Leopards will battle either Liberty or UC-Riverside on Saturday.

Lehigh Lehigh improved to 2-1 with a convincing road win at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Mountain Hawks routed the Knights, 90-54. Lehigh used a 59-point first half to put the Knights away early. Tricia Smith fell one point shy of a double-double, with nine points, but the senior guard set a new career high with 13 rebounds in the game. Erica Prosser led all scorers with a 17-point effort, adding four rebounds and six assists. Lehigh will play at St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday.

Navy The Mids improved to 2-1 by topping Winston-Salem State on the road. Angela Myers scored six of Navy's final eight points and sank a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds left to play to help Navy hold off the Rams, 53-49. The Mids dropped to 2-2 on Friday with a loss to Texas State in the Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic in New York. On Saturday, Navy will remain in New York for the second day of the tourmament. The Mids will play either Long Island or host Columbia.