Feb. 22, 2005
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Tip Off: 7:00 p.m. EST
Match Up: Lafayette (8-17, 4-8) at Navy (8-17, 4-8)
Site: Annapolis, Md.
Arena: Alumni Hall (5,710)
Series: Navy leads, 34-20
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.goleopards.com
Dick Hammer, Phil LaBella
Television: None
THE STORY LINE: The Leopards travel to Annapolis, Md. for their final regular season road contest. Lafayette and Navy are both 4-8 in the Patriot League and will settle the battle for the sixth seed in next weekend's tournament. A Lafayette win would give the Leopards a victory in both meetings this year (the Leopards won 90-80 on Jan. 8) should the teams finish with identical 5-9 records. If Navy wins, the Midshipmen hold the tiebreaker with a win over Bucknell, the probable number two seed, earlier in the year. Under the latest incarnation of the tournament format, the seventh seed will play on the home court of the second seed, while the 3-6 match-up will be played at that site on a neutral floor.
LAST TIME OUT: Jamaal Hilliard and Marcus Harley both hit career-highs with 23 and 22 points, respectively, to lead Lafayette to a 93-89 overtime win vs. American on Saturday. Andre Ingram had 37 points for the Eagles. Hilliard was 11-for-11 from the foul line, including the go-ahead points with eight seconds left in regulation and the game-sealing points with six seconds to go in overtime.
COMING UP: The Leopards finish the regular season with the 202nd renewal of the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry. The Mountain Hawks claimed the first round with a 63-55 win on Jan. 12. Senior co-captains Jamie Hughes and Sean Knitter will be honored before the game, and Lafayette's 2004 Patriot League champion football team will be recognized at halftime.
NATIONALLY-RANKED: As of the last NCAA rankings (2/14) Jamaal Hilliard ranks ninth in the nation and first in the PL in free throw percentage. The sophomore guard has been perfect from the line in 10 or more attempts three times this season (11-11 vs. American, 10-10 vs. Navy, 10-10 at Duquesne). His percentage currently stands at 91.6 (76-83). Hilliard is 38-40 (95.0 percent) from the line in league play, and teammate Sean Knitter ranks second at 35-38 (92.1 percent). Knitter has made his last 28 free throws.
THE TWIN TOWERS: Senior 6-8 F/C Sean Knitter and sophomore 6-6 F Jamaal Douglas both scored 20 points vs. Bucknell. Knitter scored 21 points at Army, including 3-of-3 from downtown, and scored 17 against American. Knitter and Douglas have combined for 27.9 points and 10.9 rebounds in the last eight games. Douglas produced 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in the Leopards' 90-80 win over Navy on Jan. 8, while Knitter had 12 points and eight boards.
ON THE SIDELINE: Two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his tenth season as the Leopards' mentor. He has twice led Lafayette's non-scholarship program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 149-134, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons.
ABOUT NAVY: Navy comes into the game with a 4-8 mark in the Patriot League, having won four of their last seven contests. The Mids are coming off a 76-75 win at Lehigh on Saturday to keep pace with Lafayette, which defeated American 93-89 in overtime eaerlier in the day. Navy, which was 2-12 in league play a year ago, is led by the forward tandem of senior Laramie Mergerson (11.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and junior Matt Fannin (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg), who rank third and fifth in the league in rebounding. Freshman Greg Sprink has been the Mids' top player in league action, averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Senior George O'Garro contributes 10.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg. In the backcourt, Taj Mathews (10.2 points, 29 assists, 20 steals) and Corey Johnson (9.3 points, 31 assists, 25 steals) have started all 12 league games. Navy has four of the top seven offensive rebounders in the league. Lafayette has a distinct advantage at the foul line, shooting 77.6 percent compared to 64.2 percent for the Midshipmen. Billy Lange (Rowan '94) is in his first year as Navy's head coach. Assistant coach John Krikorian joined Lange's staff after two seasons at Lafayette.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This is Lafayette's 55th all-time meeting with Navy in the Leopards' 95 seasons of basketball. The Leopards are 20-34 all-time versus the Midshipmen. Lafayette and Navy have split the season series in each of the last two seasons. The Leopards won the year's first meeting, 90-80, in Easton. The first series meeting was Jan. 10, 1920, as the two teams squared off in Annapolis in a game the Mids won 30-23. (See complete series breakdown above).
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