Jan. 23, 2001
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Game 18: vs. Holy Cross
Jan. 24, 2001 * A.P. Kirby Sports Center (3,500) * 5:45 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY: The Leopards' game with Holy Cross at Kirby is the 27th meeting between the two programs. The Crusaders hold a 21-5 edge over Lafayette, including a 6-0 record in the last two seasons. The first meeting between the two programs was 73-67 Holy Cross win at the Rhode Island Tournament on Dec. 6, 1986.
LAST MEETING: Lafayette saw its season end with a 77-52 loss to Holy Cross in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament on March 4, 2000. The Leopards were led by senior guard Sara Harris' 13-point, six-assist outing.
NEXT UP: Lafayette continues its Patriot League slate by hosting Army on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first game of a women's and men's doubleheader.
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 292-276 mark (.515) 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).
Bill Gibbons (Clark '81) is in his 16th season at the helm of the Holy Cross program. He has led the Crusaders to seven Patriot League titles in the last 10 years and to eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Gibbons' career record is currently 321-139. Assistant coaches for the Crusaders are Melissa Hodgdon (Springfield '91), Catherine DiGiacinto (Michigan '98) and 1999-00 Patriot League MVP Anna Kinne (Holy Cross '00).
LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has amassed a record of 128-94 over the current members of the Patriot League, boasting a winning percentage of .577. 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 37-30 in league contests at home since the establishment of the Patriot League 10 years ago and is 4-6 in its fourth 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 .............. 13-21
AGAINST THE ODDS: Lafayette is currently on an eight-game slide, last recording a win on Dec. 10 against Air Force at home. The Leopards are looking to snap that streak as they face two-time defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross, a team that beat Lafayette by 25 points in the second round of the Patriot League Tournament at Kirby last season. In Lafayette's three meetings with the Crusaders last season, the Leopards were outscored by an average of 29.6 points. Holy Cross, meanwhile, has had its way with the Leopards, winning the last six meetings. Lafayette's last victory over the Crusaders came on Feb. 15, 1998 at Kirby in a 75-69 decision.
THE BAYER FACTS: Sophomore center Jennifer Bayer has established herself as one of the most consistent performers in the Patriot League this season, making her a target for opponents inside the paint. After being held to just four points in the Leopards' league game at Navy, the 6-1 sophomore responded by going 10-for-11 from the field and tying a career-high 23 points in Lafayette's non-conference game vs. Pennsylvania on Saturday. Bayer has scored in double figures 14 times this season, including three double-doubles. As of the latest Patriot League standings, Bayer is seventh in the league in scoring (14.1 ppg), second in rebounding (8.3 rpg), first in field goal percentage (.585), second in offensive rebounding (3.00/game) and fourth in defensive rebounding (5.29/game).
THE FITZPATRICK PHENOMENON: Freshman forward Colleen Fitzpatrick again proved herself worthy of the starting position she inherited midway through the season as she scored in double digits in both of Lafayette's games last week. The 5-11 Springfield, Pa., native scored 10 points against Navy on Jan. 17 and poured in 12 more vs. Penn on Saturday. She is third on the team in scoring (7.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Fitzpatrick has been in the Lafayette starting lineup nine times this season and averages 25.8 minutes per game. She grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the league opener vs. Lehigh and went 8-of-12 from the free throw line. Fitzpatrick ranks 15th in the Patriot League in rebounding, 10th in offensive boards and 14th in defensive boards.
STILL DOMINATING THE BOARDS: Despite Lafayette's recent troubles in coming up with a victory, the squad is still leading the league in rebounding defense, holding its opponents to 34.1 boards per contest. The Leopards are second in rebounding margin with an edge of +3.2. Helping the cause is Jennifer Bayer's 8.3 per game average and Colleen Fitzpatrick's 5.3 mark. The Leopards are currently third in the league in scoring defense, allowing 66.5 points per game, third in offensive rebounds with 13.71 per game and fourth in defensive rebounds with 23.59 per contest.
THE BLOCK-ADES: Junior forward and 1998-99 Patriot League All-Rookie selection Christina LiVecchi is currently seventh in the league in blocked shots, recording seven so far on the season. The 6-1 post player leads the team for the second straight season in the category, finishing last season with a total of 16. Amanda Abraham of Holy Cross has had her fair share of swats this season as well, recording 13 blocks in 17 games (second in the league).
THE HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS: Two-time defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross visits Easton this year with an overall record of 11-7 and an undefeated 4-0 mark in the league. The Crusaders are currently 4-5 on the road this season and are 5-2 on their home court. Gibbons' team is currently on a five-game winning streak, beating Hartford, Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell and Navy over the past three weeks. The team has earned the top spot in the current league standings after opening its Patriot League slate on a 4-0 tear. Holy Cross' losses this season have come at the hands of Fairfield, Siena, Massachusetts, No. 19 Boston College, No. 1 Connecticut, Providence and Florida Institute of Technology. Junior guard Jeanette Paukert leads the squad in scoring, averaging 11.4 ppg, and is third in the league in assists with 4.06 per game. Junior forward Amanda Abraham is second on the team in scoring with 11.0 ppg while sophomore center Katie O'Keefe leads the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and is also averaging in double digits with 10.2 ppg.
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 Holy Cross.
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.
