Jan. 16, 2001
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Game 16: at NAVY
Jan. 17, 2001 * Alumni Hall (5,710) * 5:15 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY: The Leopards' meeting with Navy will be the 34th meeting between the two programs. The Mids currently hold a 20-13 advantage over Lafayette in the all-time series.
LAST MEETING: The Leopards allowed a 27-19 halftime lead dissolve in the second half as Navy came back for a 62-54 victory over visiting Lafayette. Senior forward Sherry Vestal had a career-high 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting for the Leopards while freshman Jennifer Bayer added 12 points and seven boards of her own.
NEXT UP: The Leopards return to College Hill to face off against Ivy League power Pennsylvania in the first game of a women and men's doubleheader at Kirby. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.
THE COACHES: Leopard Head Coach Pat Fisher (East Stroudsburg '60) is the winningest coach in the history of Lafayette College basketball. She has led the program to a 292-274 mark (.516) since arriving on College Hill. She earned East Coast Conference (ECC) Coach of the Year honors three times, while leading the Leopards to conference titles in 1984-85 and 1986-87. Fisher is assisted by LaRonda Murphy (Saginaw Valley State '91), Dean Dedopoulos (North Adams State '79) and Val Davis (Kutztown '83).
Joe Sanchez (Corpus Christi '70) is in his seventh season at the head of the Navy program, guiding the Mids to an overall six-year record of 102-67. Sanchez has amassed a 22-year career record of 409-241, including stints at Williams Woods College, Missouri-St. Louis, Central Florida, Wake Forest and Nebraska-Kearney. Backing Sanchez on the Mids' bench are assistant coaches Colleen Bentz (Wake Forest '91), Heather Lee (Navy '77) and Helen Williams (Wake Forest '87).
LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has amassed a record of 128-93 over the current members of the Patriot League, boasting a winning percentage of .582. The Leopards hold a winning advantage in each all-time series against league opponents except current two-time defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross and Navy. Lafayette is 28-49 in league contests on the road since the establishment of the Patriot League 10 years ago and is 3-7 in its third league game of the season. Lafayette vs. the Patriot League:
Army ........ 20-7 Holy Cross .... 5-21 Bucknell ... 29-17 Lehigh ........... 36-18 Colgate ...... 25-10 Navy .............. 13-20
fABULOUS FRESHMEN: Colleen Fitzpatrick, a 5-11 forward from Springfield, Pa., has become an integral part of the Lafayette program in just the first 15 games of the season. The frosh has started seven games for the Leopards and is second on the team in rebounding with 5.6 per game, including a team- and career-high 11-board performance against Lehigh on Jan. 10. Her rebounding average places her in the league's top 15 in the category and she is ninth in offensive rebounding (2.33/game). The biology major is also third on the team in scoring with an average of 7.1 points in 25.2 minutes of action per contest.
Also making her presence known on the court this season is freshman Megan Haughey. The 5-8 shooting guard has started every one of Lafayette's 15 games this season and is averaging 23.6 minutes per contest. Haughey, a native of Pittstown, N.J., has scored 10 points three times this season, most recently against Bucknell on Jan. 13, and provides the team with an athleticism and shooting touch that keeps her opponents on their toes.
THE BAYER NECESSITIES: Sophomore center Jennifer Bayer has established herself as one of the most consistent performers in the Patriot League this season, averaging 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. She is currently second in the league in rebounding and she leads the league in field goal percentage with a .562 average. The Lowell, Ind., native also leads the league in offensive rebounding (3.27/rpg) and is fourth on the defensive glass, making her a power to be reckoned with on both ends of the court.
ROCHA'S REIGN: Senior Christel Rocha has made a successful comeback at the point for the Leopards this season after taking a year off from the squad. The 1997-98 Patriot League Rookie of the Year is averaging 9.5 points in 28.6 minutes per game and is fourth in the league in assists with 3.73 per contest. Rocha is also ninth in the league in free throw percentage (.769), 15th in steals (1.60) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (0.77).
DOMINATING THE BOARDS: Lafayette is currently leading the league in both rebounding defense, holding its opponents to 34.2 boards per contest, and rebounding margin with an edge of +4.2. Helping the cause is Jennifer Bayer's 8.7 per game average and Colleen Fitzpatrick's 5.6 mark. The Leopards are currently third in the league in scoring defense, allowing 66.1 points per game, third in offensive rebounds with 14.47 per game and fourth in rebounding offense, averaging 38.4 per game.
THE NAVY MIDS: The Mids come to Easton with an overall record of 5-10 and a Patriot League record of 0-1. Navy is coming off of an 81-58 loss at Yale on Monday and a 60-57 home conference loss to Bucknell on Jan. 10. According to the league standings announced on Tuesday, the Mids are second in three-point field goal percentage, averaging .333 from behind the arc. Navy is also the league leader in offensive rebounds, averaging 15.0 per game, and three-point field goals made (5.40).
Two freshman Mids, Maile Shimoda and Courtney Davidson, and are in the league's top five in three-point field goal percentage and three pointers made. Classmate Adrienne Roseti is sixth in the league in rebounding, third in blocked shots, fifth in defensive rebounds and eighth in offensive boards.
Senior forward Jennifer Bombinski is Navy's leading scorer and rebounder this season with 9.6 points and 5.7 boards per contest. Davidson and Shimoda are each averaging 9.3 ppg.
LAFAYETTE AT ALUMNI HALL: The Leopards have had their share of difficulty winning at Navy's Alumni Hall over the years. Lafayette currently has a record of 5-12 on the Mids' home floor, last winning at Annapolis on Feb. 7, 1996. The Leopards are looking to snap their five-game losing streak at Alumni Hall with their visit this season.
LAFAYETTE LEADS THE NATION -- AGAIN: For the second straight year, the Lafayette College women's basketball program is ranked first in the nation as one of 11 Division I institutions to graduate all women's basketball players in the latest NCAA Graduation Rates Report. The latest report is for student-athletes who entered from 1990 to 1993, and Lafayette's women's basketball graduation rate was a perfect 100 percent.
ROJAHN INJURY UPDATE: Elizabeth Rojahn, Lafayette's second-leading scorer last season, has not been able to dress for a game yet this season due to a lower back injury suffered in mid-September. The 5-10 forward started all of the Leopards' 29 contests last season, averaging 11.3 points and 3.9 rebounds as a freshman. Rojahn is currently listed as day-to-day and will not compete against Navy.
2000-01 CAPTAINS: Samaiyah Council and Laurie Infantino have been named the captains of the 2000-01 Lafayette women's basketball team. Selected by their teammates, Council and Infantino will provide the team with leadership and experience both on and off the court this season. Council will watch over the backcourt this season as a point guard while Infantino will take charge of the frontcourt as a 5-11 junior forward.
LAFAYETTE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM: The Lafayette College women's basketball team will see at least 12 contests hit the television airwaves this season. The Lafayette Sports Network will air games to more than 5.2 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, central New Jersey, New York City and Boston. Locally, the telecasts will be aired on RCN TV-4 and WBPH-TV 60, and will cover the entire Lehigh Valley as well as Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Mercer and Warren counties in New Jersey.
LEOPARDS WALK ON AIR-WAVES: Lafayette's women's basketball team boasts the largest commercial radio package in the Patriot League this season, seeing at least 12 of its contests take to the airwaves of WEST-AM Stereo 1400. Both of the Leopards' home and away regular season league contests against Lehigh, Bucknell, Navy, Holy Cross and Army will be broadcast by the voice of Lafayette Athletics Dick Hammer, one of the most highly-respected radio broadcasters in the Northeast. Broadcasts will begin approximately five minutes before tip-off while coverage of the Patriot League tournament will also be accessible to the listening public. All of the Leopards' radio broadcasts will be available live on the web at www.lafayette.edu.
LEOPARDS PROWL THE WEB: Check out the latest information on all Lafayette sports on the web:
www.lafayette.edu
You can find press releases, game notes, schedules, rosters, players features, photos, fan polls, box scores, up-to-date season statistics and much more. Also, a journal by junior Christina LiVecchi is featured on the site. The web is updated within an hour of each contest.
In addition, you can receive a daily e-mail update by e-mailing krewsonp@mail.lafayette.edu and requesting your e-mail address be added to the daily update list.
