Feb. 13, 2004
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GAME INFORMATION
Match Up: Lafayette (17-5, 8-1) vs. Holy Cross (10-12, 4-5)
Tip: 3:15 p.m. E.S.T.
Site: Easton, Pa.
Arena: Kirby Sports Center (3,500)
Series: Holy Cross leads, 20-12
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.goleopards.com
Commentators: Dick Hammer, Carl Schumacher
TV: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN 4, WBPH 60)
Commentators: Gary Laubach, John Leone, Dan Mowdy
THE STORY LINE: After playing through a four-game conference road swing, the Leopards finally return to the friendly confines of Kirby Sports Center, where they are undefeated in 2003-04. While the surroundings may be comforting, the opponent will not be, as three-time Patriot League champion Holy Cross ascends College Hill. Lafayette and Holy Cross are both coming off wins on Wednesday, with Lafayette beating Army 78-70 and Holy Cross topping Colgate 60-49. When the teams squared off earlier this season, it took overtime and a sparkling 19-point effort by Justin DeBerry before Lafayette escaped with a 60-58 triumph.
O'HANLON MOVES UP TO NO. 2: Lafayette's win at Army (2/11) was Fran O'Hanlon's 140th win of his career. It propelled O'Hanlon past Bill Anderson who won 139 games in three different stints at Lafayette. O'Hanlon is 30 wins away from catching Lafayette's all-time leader, George Davidson, who recorded 170 wins from 1955-67.
ALONE ATOP THE STANDINGS: Through nine Patriot League contests, the Leopards stand alone atop the conference standings. Lafayette (8-1) holds a full game advantage over Lehigh (7-2) and a two-game lead over American (6-3) and Bucknell (6-3).
THE LAFAYETTE EXPERIENCE: Lafayette features three players who have seen action in 100 or more career games. Mike Farrell has played in 108 games, starting 81, while Justin DeBerry has seen time in 107 contests with 85 starts and Rob Dill in 103 games with 49 starts.
NATIONAL NUMBERS: As of the latest NCAA statistics (2/9), Lafayette is ranked eighth in the nation in field goal percentage (49.6), 16th in blocks per game (5.6 bpg), 22nd in three-point field goal percentage (39.2). Rob Dill stands 13th in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.9).
ON THE SIDELINE: Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, 1970) is in his ninth season as Lafayette's head coach. He has twice been named Patriot League Coach of the Year as the mentor of Lafayette's non-scholarship program and lists two NCAA Tournament appearances and three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 140-112, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons.
COMING UP: Lafayette heads back to the road for two more games, traveling to Bucknell on Friday, Feb. 20 and Lehigh on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Leopards then close out Patriot League play by hosting Navy on Feb. 26 and American on Feb. 28.
SCOUTING HOLY CROSS: Three-time defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross enters Saturday's contest 10-12 overall, 4-5 in Patriot League play. Holy Cross' four conference victories have come over Army (60-32, 78-38), Colgate (60-49) and Navy (88-54). The Crusaders are 1-3 on the road in conference play and 3-7 overall away from the Hart Center.
Holy Cross has relied on its defense this season, allowing a league low 57.6 points per game. The Crusaders have held their opponents to 59 points or less in 13 games this season and are 10-3 in those contests.
The Holy Cross offense runs through senior guard Jave Meade, a Preseason All-Patriot League performer. Meade has 114 assists during this campaign (5.2 apg) and is the team's third-leading scorer at 9.0 ppg.
Meade's backcourt mate, sophomore Kevin Hamilton, leads the team in scoring with 10.4 ppg. Hamilton, who scored 15 points in the win over Colgate, is also joined by junior Greg Kinsey in the three-guard starting lineup.
In the frontcourt, the duties fall to juniors Nate Lufkin and John Hurley. Hurley is coming off a 16-point effort vs. Colgate.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This is Lafayette's 33rd all-time meeting with Holy Cross in the Leopards' 94 seasons of basketball. The Leopards are 12-20 all-time versus the Crusaders... In the first meeting of the season, Lafayette snapped a three-game series losing streak with a 60-58 overtime road win. It was the Leopards' first win in Worcester, Mass. since Jan. 19, 2000. The first series meeting was Feb. 4, 1947, as the two teams squared off in Boston in a game that Holy Cross won 50-40.
DOUGLAS MAKES HIS MARK: Freshman forward Jamaal Douglas posted a breakout scoring game at Army (2/11). Douglas eclipsed his career-high with 12 points, all in the first half. At one point, Douglas rattled off 10-straight points. He finished the game 6-for-6 from the floor.
STATISTICAL TRENDS: Some Lafayette statistical trends to live by have emerged in the Leopards' 22 games. Lafayette has shown the ability to hold a lead, as the Leopards are 9-0 when leading at halftime. When the offense gets going (four or more players score in double figures or Lafayette scores 80 or more points), the Leopards are 8-0.
PULLING IT OUT: Lafayette has won five games by three points or less. The Leopards notched a three-point victory over St. Peter's (74-71), a one-point win at Drexel (69-68) and a three-point win at Princeton (47-44). Lafayette is also 3-0 in overtime, claiming a 60-58 victory at Holy Cross, a 111-104 win over Lehigh and an 86-83 decision at American.
IN THE HOUSE THAT THE KIRBYS BUILT: Lafayette has enjoyed plenty of success in Kirby Sports Center. Since the building's inaugural season in 1973-74, the Leopards have posted a 273-113 record (.707) in 30 seasons. Twenty-three of those seasons have been winning campaigns. Last season, Lafayette finished 9-5 at home. In 2003-04, Lafayette is undefeated at Kirby, having already beaten St. Peter's (74-71), La Salle (83-63), Centenary (96-54), Binghamton (77-72), Lycoming (84-73), Cornell (87-79), Colgate (97-86), Army (76-40), Lehigh (111-104, OT) and Bucknell (81-72).
DILL ON THE BLOCK: Senior forward Rob Dill is Lafayette's all-time leader in blocks. He now has 174 career blocks, passing Frank Barr '01 who ended his career with 160. Dill has blocked 62 shots this season to establish a new Lafayette single-season record. He currently leads the Patriot League, and as of the last NCAA statistics update (2/9), ranks 13th in the nation (2.9 bpg).
MOVIN' ON UP ON A GRAND SCALE: With his first basket against La Salle on Nov. 29, senior Justin DeBerry became the 33rd player in Lafayette history to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau. DeBerry currently has 1,305 career points and is averaging 15.5 ppg this season.
NOT AFRAID TO PASS, EITHER: Senior guard Justin DeBerry's ability to score has never really been in question, but as his career has progressed he has drawn increasing defensive attention. This season, frequent double teams have allowed him to dish off and create easy baskets for his teammates. DeBerry has handed out at least six assists eight times this season, including four straight games between Dec. 30 and Jan. 10. DeBerry dished off a career-high 10 assists at American on Jan. 30. He leads the Leopards in both scoring (15.5 ppg) and assists (5.2 apg). DeBerry is third in the Patriot League in scoring and ranks second in assists. Nationally, he ranks 48th in assists.
OUT OF THE GATE: Lafayette opened the non-league portion of the schedule in impressive fashion, and is repeated that success in league play, starting 7-0 in for the first time in the program's history. The Leopards are currently 8-1 in league play.
KNOCKING IT DOWN: Lafayette has shot the ball extremely well from the floor this season, hitting 49.5 percent for the year. The Leopards have shot a better percentage than their opponents in 19 of 22 games, the only exceptions being USC, Penn and Bucknell. Lafayette's best effort came at Cal State Northridge when it shot 63 percent (29-46). The Leopards' worst performance came at USC when they shot 33 percent (22-66) and missed their first 12 shots. Lafayette has shot over 50 percent in 10 games this season and has twice shot over 60 percent.
THE STARTING FIVE: Four senior players installed themselves into the starting lineup following the 2002-03 season. Justin DeBerry and Winston Davis fill two of the starting spots in a three-guard offense. Mike Farrell and Rob Dill re-take the floor at the forwards. A sophomore, Pat Betley, has started every game at point guard.
UNDER THE BOARDS: With his fifth rebound against Bucknell on Jan. 25, senior forward Mike Farrell reached the 500-career rebound plateau. He is the 20th player in Lafayette history to collect 500 boards. Farrell enters this Saturday's game with 533 rebounds, four rebounds short of 16th place all-time.
THEY'RE GONNA SCORE: Lafayette has had nine or more players score at least one point in 14 games this season, while six other games have seen eight players check into the scoring column. A season-high six players were in double figures in the win over Colgate on Jan. 10.
A HELPING HAND: Lafayette leads the Patriot League in both field goals made (585) and assists (339). The Leopards have assisted on 58 percent of their field goals this season. Senior guard Justin DeBerry's 114 assists rank second in the league.
ALL-TIME VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 556 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 321-235 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 81-96 in the regular season and 10-11 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 66-41 in Patriot League regular-season play. Lafayette was 10-2 in 1997-98 and 1998-99, 11-1 in 1999-00, 4-8 in 2000-01, 8-6 in 2001-02 and 6-8 in 2002-03. The Leopards are 8-1 this season in league contests.
American 15-12; Colgate 33-38; Lehigh 132-67; Army 28-18; Holy Cross 12-20; Navy 19-33; Bucknell 82-49
TURNOVER TRENDS: Taking a look at the Leopards' five losses this season, one statistical category stands out -- turnovers. In those losses, they have turned it over an average of 20.8 times. On the other side of things, Lafayette has averaged 14.3 turnovers per game in its 17 wins. The Leopards' season low of six turnovers came at Navy on Feb.1 and the season high of 29 occurred at Cal State Northridge on Dec. 30.
ACCURATE THREATS: Lafayette's post players were extremely accurate last season and that has continued on in 2003-04. Rob Dill, who led the team and finished second in the league in field goal percentage last season, is shooting 62 percent and currently ranks second in the league. Mike Farrell, who ended fourth in the Patriot League last season, is currently shooting 60 percent from the floor.
PRODUCTION FROM THE POINT: With Lafayette having the top two returning scorers in the Patriot League in guards Justin DeBerry and Winston Davis, the Leopards' point guard duo of sophomore Pat Betley and freshman Marcus Harley has not been asked to provide a lot of scoring. Since the New Year, however, Betley and Harley posted 14 points apiece at Columbia, while Betley topped his own effort with 16 against Colgate and 11 at Army. Harley chipped in 10 points against Army, 11 at American and registered a career-high 17-point effort vs. Lehigh on Jan. 23.
RECEIVING VOTES: Lafayette has received votes in two of the Associated Press Top 25 polls (Dec. 15, 22). The last time Lafayette received a vote prior to that was Nov. 6, 2000 in the AP Preseason Poll. Prior to that in the 1999-2000, Lafayette received multiple votes in several of the final weeks of the season, last earning votes March 13, 2000. In a related note, Lafayette was also ranked 25th in the Dec.22 Mid-Major Top 25 Poll from Collegeinsider.com and this week was ranked 24th in the Mid-Major Poll.
IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?: Rebounding was not a strength of Lafayette's squad last season, and has been a mixed bag thus far in 2003-04. The Leopards have equalled or surpassed the rebounding output of their opponents in 12 of their 22 contests, the exceptions being Drexel, Binghamton, Lycoming, Cornell, USC, Penn, Colgate (twice), Holy Cross and American (the Leopards are 7-3 in those games). The rebounding duties have been spread around, as three different players are averaging 4.0 or more rebounds per game. Mike Farrell leads the way at 5.9 rebounds per game, followed by Rob Dill (4.5 rpg) and Winston Davis (4.5 rpg). Sean Knitter is contributing 3.7 rebounds per game.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: Senior Justin DeBerry ranks second on the career three-point field goals list at Lafayette, with 195. He recently passed Tim Bieg '01 for sole possession of second place. Tyson Whitfield '01, who had 271 career three-pointers, holds the all-time record. DeBerry ranks 10th all-time in the Patriot League...DeBerry's 69 three-pointers in the 2002-03 season ranked him fourth all-time at Lafayette for single-season performances. He has 42 three's this season.
ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 94 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1149-987 (.538). Lafayette's first season of basketball was in 1900-01.
THE REAL "IRON MIKE": Despite having to deal with the daily physical challenges posed by diabetes, senior forward Mike Farrell has never missed a game in three-plus seasons on College Hill. Farrell played in 28 games and started four as a freshman, played in 29 games and started 28 as a sophomore and started 28 of 29 games as a junior. Saturday's game against Holy Cross marks his 109th straight game.
THE LONE CAPTAIN: Senior Mike Farrell is in his second season as team captain. The DeLand, Fla. native has played in 108 straight games since beginning his career at Lafayette. The only two starts he missed in his sophomore and junior seasons were to give way to seniors on Senior Day.
THE HALF OF IT: Getting a strong start from the opening tap was a key in Lafayette wins in 2002-03. Lafayette was 9-2 when leading at halftime, the only losses coming against Holy Cross (1/18/03) after holding a five-point lead at intermission and at Navy (2/27/03) after leading 41-31. This season, Lafayette has only led at halftime in nine of its games, but is 9-0 in those contests.
BOMBING AWAY UNDER O'HANLON: Perimeter shooting, specifically from three-point land, has been a hallmark of Fran O'Hanlon's offenses. O'Hanlon squads have hit at least one three-pointer in every one of O'Hanlon's 252 games. In his first season, Lafayette connected for 201 three-pointers, surpassing the previous team record by 54 three's. Lafayette has since eclipsed the 200-three-pointer plateau in all but one of his eight seasons. The Leopards have set three new season marks, with the top one coming in 1999-00 when Lafayette dialed up long distance 249 times. In 2002-03, Lafayette hit 209 three-pointers and averaged 7.2 three-pointers per game. This season the Leopards have averaged 7.7 three-pointers per game for 170 this season.
FARRELL ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: For the second straight season, Mike Farrell is writing a weekly journal for Lafayette's official athletics website www.GoLeopards.com. Farrell runs down the season and gives insight into the life of a student-athlete. In his fourth journal entry, Farrell discusses the Lehigh thriller and counts down his all-time worst haircuts.
INTERNATIONAL FEEL: Lafayette has two players who hail from foreign countries on the roster. Senior Rob Dill is a native of Isernhagen, Germany. Sophomore Andrei Capusan comes from Bucharest, Romania, home country of former Patriot League Player of the Year Stefan Ciosici '00 who was from Timisoara, Romania. Capusan spent the 2001-02 academic year attending a school in the United States as Dill had two years prior. Jamaal Douglas, who currently lives in Miami, Fla., originally hails from Nassau, Bahamas.
ON THE RADIO: Today's game can be heard live on WEST-AM 1400, the 66th year of broadcasting Lafayette Athletics. Dick Hammer is in his 36th year of calling the play-by-play for Lafayette men's basketball. Hammer is joined by Carl Schumacher at home games and most road contests by Phil LaBella (Lafayette SID).
LAFAYETTE ATHLETICS ON THE WEB: The quickest and most comprehensive source for information on Lafayette athletics is the world wide web. Go to www.lafayette.edu and click on "Sports." The athletics site is continuously updated with gameday press releases, schedules and results, rosters, statistics, player features, photos and more. On gameday, you can listen to the radio broadcast of all of Lafayette's men's basketball games and watch a live stats feed of home games.
LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the seventh-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards will have a minimum of 16 games televised with the possible addition of three more television contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air 15 games to more than 9.1 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region, Philadelphia, central New Jersey, New York City and Boston. Locally the telecasts can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5 and broadcast channel 60. Several of Lafayette's games that appear on the Lafayette Sports Network will also be picked up by Empire Sports Network which reaches more than 17.5 million viewers in Upstate and Western New York as well as more than 59.5 million potential viewers on DIRECTV (626) and Dish Network (432). Lafayette had two games televised on the Patriot League Television Network on Jan. 23 vs. Lehigh and Feb. 6 at Colgate which were both available on DIRECTV (615) and locally on WFMZ 69.
