Dec. 22, 2008
Center Valley, Pa.Records were broken and milestones were achieved during weekend action in the Patriot League. Lehigh junior guard Alex Ross made a Patriot League-record nine three pointers in the Mountain Hawks' Saturday victory over Binghamton. Meanwhile, Navy sophomore center Cassie Consedine reached the 100-block plateau just 41 games into her career.
Patriot League Women's Basketball Release 12.22.08 
Baden Player of the Week (Dec. 15-Dec. 21)
Alex Ross, Lehigh Jr., G, Columbia, Tenn.
Ross was named Patriot League Player of the Week for the first time in her career after her record-setting week propelled Lehigh to a pair of victories. Ross averaged 24.5 points per game in two contests while making 60 percent of her field goals and 65 oercent of her three-point field goal attempts. Against NJIT, Ross was 8-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-12 from behind the arc. Her six three-pointers were a career-high until she sank a school-record nine three-pointers in the Mountain Hawks' win over Binghamtom. She finished 9-of-11 from behind the three-point line and 10-of-14 from the field. Her nine three-pointers tied Navy's Angela Dobbs and Fordham's Denise Hammersly for the Patriot League single-game record. Ross finished with 29 points against Binghamton, the most by a Lehigh player since Jenny Callan put up 31 points against Colgate on Feb. 15, 2006. The previous Lehigh record for 3-pointers made in a game was eight, by Sara Ellis against Monmouth on Nov. 28, 2005.
Baden Rookie of the Week (Dec. 15-Dec. 21)
Alexa Williams, Lehigh Fr., C, Warren, Ohio
Williams was tabbed Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the second time this season after averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds in two Lehigh wins. In the Mountain Hawks' triumph over NJIT, Williams scored a career-high 15 points and matched a career-high with eight rebounds. She finished 4-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She also closed the night with two blocks, a steal and an assist. Against Binghamton, Williams provided the Mountain Hawks with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds. She also chipped in three steals and one asssist. For the week, Williams shot 58 percent from the field and 73 percent from the charity stripe.
Patriot League Notebook
Record-Breaking Ross
Alex Ross assaulted the record book in Lehigh's 78-45 win over Binghamton on Saturday. Just two days after matching a career-high with six three-pointers against NJIT, Ross drained nine three-pointers against the Bearcats, matching the Patriot League single-game record. She finished 9-of-11 from behind the arc to tie Navy's Angela Dobbs and Fordham's Denise Hammersly for the Patriot League single-game mark. The junior guard's onslaught also broke the Lehigh single-game record for three-pointers. The previous Lehigh record for 3-pointers made in a game was eight by Sara Ellis against Monmouth on Nov. 28, 2005.
Consedine Joins the Century Club
Navy sophomore Cassie Consedine became just the 10th player in Patriot League history to record 100 career blocked shots when she swatted away one shot in the Mids' 71-64 win at Rider on Friday. The 2008 Patriot League Rookie of the Year reached the 100-block plateau in just 41 games. Consedine is just five blocks away from tying Army's Therese Kelly for ninth place on the all-time Patriot League charts. Bucknell's Hope Foster holds the Patriot League record for career blocks. Foster rejected 344 shots in a four-year career that wrapped up last season.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Four of the top five teams in the Patriot League have controlled their home floors this season. Lehigh, American, Army and Lafayette own a combined 18-2 record at home. Two Patriot League teams have yet to lose on their home floors this season. Lafayette is 5-0 at home, while Lehigh is 4-0 at Stabler Arena. Though Lafayette is one of only two teams in the Patriot League with an unblemished home mark, it is the only squad without a win away from its home floor. The Leopards are 0-7 away from the Kirby Sports Center. Meanwhile, Holy Cross is the final Patriot League team still searching for its first home win.
Battle of the Leagues
Schools in the Patriot League and the Ivy League are widely regarded among the top academic institutions in the country. In addition to sharing academic goals, the two leagues have also shared a basketball court 11 times this season. Patriot League schools have battled the Ivy League more than any other conference this season. In the 11 meetings this season, Patriot League schools hold a 6-5 advantage. There are four more games between the two leagues during the regular season. The next meeting between the Patriot League and the Ivy League will be Jan. 2 when Lafayette hosts Princeton.
Team Notebooks
American The Eagles were dealt their first home loss of the season on Sunday when in-city rival Georgetown claimed a 69-54 win at Bender Arena. The loss closed a 1-1 week for American, which defeated Princeton, 59-44, on Friday. Liz Leer averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games. The sophomore forward notched her second career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds against Georgetown. The Eagles will next compete on Sunday at Radford.
Army Due to TEE (Term-End-Exam) Week, Army competed just once, but the Black Knights made the most of their time on the court with a 66-33 thrashing of Presbyterian. Laura Beranek and Nalini Hawkins each scored a career high with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Erin Anthony chipped in eight points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Army will return to action after the holiday with a Dec. 30 road game at Manhattan.
Bucknell Bucknell earned its first home win of the season with a 74-66 victory over Wofford on Friday. Freshman Morgan Wrightson established career-highs in nine different categories, including a career-best 20 points. Amanda Brown dished out seven assists, which was a career high at the time. She topped that mark with eight assists in the Bison's 76-56 loss at James Madison on Sunday. Bucknell will hit the road for a Sunday battle with St. Francis (Pa.)
Colgate The Raiders will again have the week off. Colgate last played on Dec. 7 against Penn. Colgate will not compete again until a Sunday match-up with Bryant. The next home action for Colgate will be the Raiders' Patriot League opener on Jan. 10 against Army. Sami Kozlowski leads the Raiders with 10.6 points per game, while Georgia Gier paces the Colgate rebounding effort with 8.3 rebounds per game. Gier's rebounding average leads the Patriot League.
Holy Cross The Crusaders' will see their first action since Dec. 9 when they take to the floor on Monday against Northeastern. Junior guard Briana McFadden, the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, leads the League in scoring with 15.8 points per game. Her classmate, Bethany O'Dell, who has not played since the early minutes of the Crusaders' loss to top-ranked Connecticut on Dec. 3, also averages double-digits with 11.4 points per contest.
Lafayette The Leopards maintained their perfect home record with an overtime victory against Rice on Sunday, but remained winless on the road with losses to Rutgers and LaSalle. Sophomore LaKeisha Wright, who scored in double-figures in two of the Leopards' three games last week, leads Lafayette in scoring with 10.0 points per game. Lafayette will next hit the road for the Virginia Tech Classic in Blacksburg, Va. The Leopards will play the host Hokies on Dec. 29 before meeting either Liberty or North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks added to the Patriot League's top record after scoring wins over NJIT and Binghamton last week. Lehigh claims two of the top four scorers in the League. Alex Ross and Erica Prosser rank second and fourth, respectively, in scoring among Patriot League players. Ross averages 14.4 points per contest, while Prosser contributes 13.8 points per outing. Lehigh will host the Christmas City Classic, starting Dec. 29. The Mountain Hawks will open the tournament against North Florida.
Navy The Mids ended a three-game slide with a 71-64 win at Rider. Sophomore center Cassie Consedine has scored in double-figures in eight of Navy's 12 games this seasons. She leads the Patriot League with four double-doubles. Consedine became just the 10th player in Patriot League history to block 100 shots when she swatted Danielle Costantino's layup attempt 2:33 into the game. She is now five blocks behind Army's Therese Kelley for 10th place on the all-time Patriot League charts for career blocked shots. Navy will host Radford on Monday night.
