Dec. 8, 2008

Center Valley, Pa.--Streaks are the common theme in Patriot League women's basketball this week. Six of eight Patriot League squads are currently involved in streaks of three games or longer, including three three-game winning streaks. Army will be the only one of those three teams with a chance to extend its winning streak this week. The Black Knights will play twice, while American and Lafayette will take a week off from competition.

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release 12.8.08

Baden Player of the Week (Dec. 1-Dec. 7)

Erin Anthony, Army So., F, Allentown, Pa.

Anthony was named Patriot League Player of the Week after averaging 16.5 points per game in a pair of Army victories. Anthony also provided the Black Knights with 16 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. She scored a career-high 17 points in Army's win over Albany on Wednesday. She followed that up with 16 points and 10 rebounds, her first double-double of the season, in a win at Drexel on Friday. Six of her ten boards against the Dragons came off the offensive glass. Anthony has now scored in double-figures in three consecutive games. For the week, she shot 65.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the three-point arc.

Baden Rookie of the Week (Dec. 1-Dec. 7)

Patricia Oakes, Colgate Fr., C, Evergreen, Colo.

Oakes was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week after averaging 9.3 points per game in three contests last week. She also added 11 rebounds, three blocks and four steals. She matched a career-high with 16 points in the Raiders' overtime loss to Penn. A Colgate player has now been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week three out of four times this season. Oakes' teammate Candice Green won the award during the first week of the season.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Liz Leer, American So., F, Abington, Pa. Leer averaged 13 points, four rebounds and two assists per game in a pair of American victories. She shot 63.2 percent for the week.

Cristin Zavocki, Lafayette Sr., G, Springfield, N.J. Zavocki averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while helping Lafayette to a 3-1 week. She led the Leopards with 21 points against Marist, making eight of her nine two-point field goal attempts.

Cassie Consedine, Navy So., C, Bartlesville, Okla. Consedine averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in two contests last week. She recorded her third double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds at UMBC. Her 12 rebounds against the Retrievers were one shy of her career high.

Patriot League Notebook

The Week In Review American and Lehigh hold the top records in the Patriot League after weekend action. The Eagles garnered a resounding 77-58 win over Rhode Island, while Lehigh split a pair of weekend contests. The Mountain Hawks topped Bryant at home on Friday before falling to Villanova in Philadelphia on Sunday. American and Lehigh are now both 6-3. Army and Bucknell both possess .500 records after the weekend. The Black Knights picked up their third straight win, a 55-49 triumph at Drexel, to move to 4-4. Bucknell, which was idle during the weekend, remains at 3-3. Lafayette, which notched home wins over Bryant and NJIT, sits one game below .500 at 4-5. Navy suffered a 61-58 setback at Penn, which dropped the Mids to 4-6. Colgate lost a pair of home games, including its second overtime loss of the week, to fall to 2-8. Holy Cross lost its third straight with a 71-53 defeat at Vermont.

On Deck There are just six games on the slate for Patriot League teams this week. Three Patriot League squads will get the week off. Army will be the only team to play twice during the week. Army will also be the only team to play a home game during the week. The Black Knights will host Yale on Wednesday before taking on Rutgers at Madison Square Garden in the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Lehigh will play at NJIT. Three Patriot League teams will be on the road on Tuesday: Holy Cross at Rhode Island, Navy at Towson and Bucknell at Penn State.

Streaks Galore Six of the Patriot League's eight teams are riding streaks of three games or longer. Of those six teams, three can currently claim winning streaks. American, Army and Lafayette have all won three straight games. Bucknell, Colgate and Holy Cross have each lost at least three straight games. Colgate has currently lost four straight contests. Lehigh owns the longest winning streak of the season. The Mountain Hawks won four straight games to close November before falling to Syracuse on Dec. 2.

2008 Maggie Dixon Classic Army will travel to New York City on Sunday to participate in one of the premiere women's basketball events of the year, the third annual Maggie Dixon Classic. The women's doubleheader features Army vs. national power Rutgers at noon in the first game and Connecticut versus Penn State in the nightcap. The event honors the memory of former Army head coach Maggie Dixon, who died of heart failure on April 6, 2006, less than a month after leading the Black Knights to their first ever Patriot League title and ensuing trip to the NCAA Tournament. This year's senior class is the last group of Army players to have played under Dixon.

Home Sweet Home Three Patriot League teams have yet to lose on their home floors this season. American and Lafayette are each 4-0 at home, while Lehigh is 3-0 at Stabler Arena. Lafayette is the only one of those three teams that has not won on the road. The Leopards are 0-5 away from the Kirby Sports Center.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles won their third straight game with a 77-58 triumph over Rhode Island. After making one three-pointer against the Rams, senior guard Talicia Jackson is now 21 three-pointers away from breaking the school record for career treys. American will be off until Dec. 19 when the Eagles host Princeton.

Army The Black Knights won three games in six days to improve to 4-4. Army capped off its recent run with a win at Drexel. The Black Knights will be the only Patriot League team to play twice this week. Army will host Yale on Wednesday before traveling to New York City for the Maggie Dixon Classic. Army will meet national power Rutgers in the event named after former Army coach Maggie Dixon. Dixon led the Black Knights to their first Patriot League title before passing away in 2006.

Bucknell Bucknell was idle during the weekend. The Bison have lost three straight after opening the season with three straight wins. Bucknell was dealt a 62-51 defeat by Towson on Wednesday. Amanda Brown, who scored 22 points in the loss, is now ranked 16th in Bucknell history with 1,024 points. The Bison will hit the road for a Tuesday match-up with Big Ten foe Penn State.

Colgate The Raiders fell to 2-8 with a pair of home losses. Colgate has now lost four straight games, including two in overtime. Sophomore Georgia Gier averaged 9.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in the Raiders' three losses last week. Colgate will not compete again until a Dec. 28 match-up with Bryant. The next home action for Colgate will be the Raiders' Patriot League opener on Jan. 10 against Army.

Holy Cross The Crusaders dropped their third straight game on Saturday, falling at Vermont, 71-53. In the loss, senior guard Jessica Pearson and freshman center Margrace Jay each recorded career highs with 11 and seven points, respectively. Holy Cross will be just one of five Patriot League teams in action this week. The Cruaders will travel to Kingston, R.I. for a Tuesday battle with Rhode Island.

Lafayette The Leopards went 3-1 during the week, picking up all three wins at home. Lafayette is 4-0 at home this season and 0-5 away from the Kirby Sports Center. Senior guard Cristin Zavocki averaged 16.3 points per game in the Leopards' four outings. She shot 50 percent from the field and scored 21 points against Marist, becoming the first Lafayette player to suprass the 20-point mark in a game this season. The Leopards will next travel south to Philadelphia to take on LaSalle on Dec. 16.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks share the Patriot League's top record with American after splitting a pair of weekend games. Lehigh topped Bryant at home on Friday before falling to Villanova on the road on Sunday. Junior guard Alex Ross averaged 12 points and 2.3 rebounds per game during three contests last week. The Mountain Hawks will next head to Newark, N.J. for a Sunday showdown with NJIT.

Navy The Mids have dropped two straight games after falling to Penn, 61-58, on Friday in Philadelphia. Sophomore Cassie Consedine suprassed the career 500-point mark in Navy's Wednesday loss at UMBC. She now has 515 points in 39 career games. With 26 blocked shots this season, Consedine has totaled 98 career blocked shots, which leaves her one shy of second place on Navy's career charts.