Dec. 10, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
EASTON, Pa. - GAME 11 • December 11, 2010
Matchup: Lafayette (4-6) at Long Island (5-3)
Tip-off: 2:00 p.m.
Site: Easton, Pa.
Arena: Wellness Center (2,500)
TV: None
Internet: LIUAthletics.com
Radio: WJRH-FM 104.9 (Dick Hammer and Phil LaBella)
MATCH UP: Lafayette (4-6) takes to the road in search of its fourth straight victory. The Leopards played their last five contests at home, but a four-game road stint that begins Saturday with Long Island (5-3) will take the Leopards into 2011. Matchups against Rhode Island, Gonzaga and Fairleigh Dickinson will also follow.
THEY WENT TO JARED: Senior co-captain Jared Mintz had a career-high 28 points on the way to a 72-56 Lafayette victory over Great West Conference preseason favorite NJIT on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. Mintz was 11-for-16 from the floor and a 6-of-7 at the line. Darion Benbow and Tony Johnson each chipped in 10 points, both season-high performances.
A GRAND PERFORMANCE: Senior forward Jared Mintz is moving closer to the 1000-point plateau. Mintz has 906 points and is looking to become the 36th player in Lafayette history to achieve the feat.
HANDLING THE BALL: It's early in the season, but Lafayette features a positive season assist/turnover ratio. The Leopards are +1.0 (159/152). Lafayette had a 1.1 assist/turnover ratio in 2009-10 (482/422). In the Leopards' last outing, Lafayette had 22 assists to 14 turnovers vs. NJIT. Ben Wheeler leads the team with a 1.9 assist to turnover ratio (36/19) for the 2010-11 season.
A HELPING HAND: Lafayette has dished out assists on 68 percent of its baskets in the 2010-11 season. The Leopards had 22 assists on 26 buckets against NJIT (85%). Lafayette's worst outing came against Ivy League favorite Princeton, where the Leopards dished out 13 assists on 22 buckets (59%).
STREAKING: The Leopards have won three in a row for the first time this season. In 2009-10, Lafayette won three or more on three different occasions with the longest winning streak a six-game span.
FEELIN' FINE AT THE LINE: The Leopards are shooting 81 percent from the free throw line for the 2010-11 season. Lafayette has converted 147-of-181 from the stripe led by a 39-for-43 (91%) seasonal clip from Ryan Willen and a 51-for-60 (85%) effort from Jared Mintz. Last season, Lafayette shot 76 percent from the foul line and was ranked eighth in the nation. The Leopards are currently (as of Dec. 5) ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage.
SCOUTING LONG ISLAND: Long Island comes into Saturday's game with a 5-3 record. The Blackbirds are coming off an 88-82 loss to Iona on Wednesday and have dropped three of their last four. LIU won four straight to open the season, beating Norfolk State, Texas State, Manhattan and Fordham. The Blackbirds also registered an 81-67 win over St. Francis (Pa.), the only common opponent with Lafayette. which topped St. Francis 72-68 on Nov. 17. The Blackbirds have four players averaging in double figures and are scoring 80.6 points per game. Senior guard Kyle Johnson leads the way with 13.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Junior guard C.J. Garner checks in with 12.3 ppg and leads the team with four assists per game. Senior David Hicks (6.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg) rounds out the backcourt. Up front, LIU features a pair of sophomores in Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd. Olasewere is contributing 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Boyd garners 11.1 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game as LIU has outrebounded its opponents by 3.3 rpg. LIU is coached by Jim Ferry (Keene State '90) who holds a 103-137 record in nine seasons at the school.
CAREER NIGHTS VS. SACRED HEART: Junior Rob Delaney and senior Ben Wheeler are coming of career-high scoring nights vs. Sacred Heart. Delaney had four three-pointers on his way to 16 points while Wheeler contributed a career-high 11 points while matching his career best with six assists.
NEXT UP: The Leopards take a break for final exams and get back on the road Dec. 22, traveling to Rhode Island for a 7 p.m. tip
ON THE SIDELINE: The all-time winningest coach in Lafayette history and longest-tenured coach in the Patriot League, Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his 16th season as the Leopards' head coach. A three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, O'Hanlon has twice led Lafayette's program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles. With a 75-71 double-overtime victory over Lehigh on Feb. 18, 2007, O'Hanlon became the winningest coach in Lafayette history and now holds an all-time record of 217-229 on College Hill. O'Hanlon's overall record does not necessarily tell an accurate story of the job he has done at Lafayette. The Philadelphia native inherited a 2-25 team when he took over in 1995-96 and won seven, 11, 19, 22 and 24 games over the next five seasons. From 1997-2000, Lafayette was 65-24 overall and 31-5 in the conference with two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1996, the Patriot League, which was originally founded based on the principle of need-based financial aid only, began allowing athletic scholarships. However, it was not until 2006 that Lafayette chose to do so. By no coincidence, during that span, Lafayette posted a 79-91 mark and was 38-44 in the league.
FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES: For two straight games, Lafayette featured five players in double figures. Against Susquehanna on Dec. 1, Jared Mintz, Ryan Willen and Nick Petkovich had 14 points apiece while Rob Delaney and Levi Giese each contributed 10. Five days later, Jim Mower led the way with 16 points, while Delaney (15), Willen (12), Ben Wheeler (11) and Mintz (10) added to the point total against Sacred Heart.
NEARLY A DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior forward Jared Mintz fell a rebound shy of his first double-double of the season and sixth of his career when he posted 10 points and nine boards vs. Sacred Heart (12/6). His last double-double came on Jan. 20, 2010 vs. Bucknell when he had 17 points and hauled in 11 rebounds.
TOP OF THEIR LEAGUE: Lafayette faces three teams this season that have been picked to finish win their conference titles. The Leopards lost to Ivy League favorite Princeton 82-64 on Nov. 30, but beat Great West preseason favorite NJIT, 72-56 on Dec. 8. They end their swing against West Coast Conference pick Gonzaga on Dec. 29.
BACK HOME: Lafayette's five-game homestand was the longest since 2007-08. It was just the second time during Fran O'Hanlon's 16 seasons that Lafayette has played five straight at home and the fifth time playing four or more. The Leopards were 13-3 at home in 2009-10, including two wins in the Patriot League Tournament to advance to the conference championship game.
ALL-AROUND EFFORT: Despite playing limited minutes in a runaway game vs. Susquehanna, Jared Mintz led the team in points (14), rebounds (6) and assists (5). The last person to do that in a game was Ryan Willen who had 26 points, eight boards and five assists at Navy on Jan. 16, 2010.
REBOUNDING IS A TEAM EFFORT: Against Susquehanna, 12 Lafayette players had a rebound and six players had three or more. For the season, Jared Mintz (5.1 rpg), Tony Johnson (4.9 rpg), and Ryan Willen (3.9 rpg) lead the team on the glass. On average, however, the Leopards are being out-rebounded by 3.4 boards per game. UNEXPECTEd REBOUNDING: Sophomore point guard Tony Johnson is second on the team in rebounds with 4.9 caroms per game. Johnson had a career-high 10 rebounds against Delaware on Nov. 27.
BENBOW's BACK: Senior forward Darion Benbow missed the first four games of the season with a broken thumb. He made his season debut at Penn and Fran O'Hanlon wasn't hesitant to use him, especially after his defensive contributions. Benbow has started the last five games, playing 18 minutes per outing. He chipped in with a season-high 10 points against NJIT.
Meet the SENIOR CO-Captains: Jared Mintz, a preseason All-Patriot League selection, and Ben Wheeler are holding the leadership reins for the 2010-11 season. Mintz is the team's leading scorer (16.7 ppg) and rebounder (5.1 rpg). Wheeler averages 5.3 points, 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game this season. Wheeler had a break-out game against Sacred Heart, scoring a career-high 11 points and dishing out six assists for the second time this season.
NATIONAL LEADER: According to the latest NCAA report of Division I institutions, Lafayette College ranks third in the nation in student-athlete graduation success rate (GSR). The Leopards post an impressive 97 percent GSR, ranking well above the national GSR for Division I student-athletes of 79 percent.
LAFAYETTE VS. THE NEC: Including tonight's game, Lafayette will play a total of five opponents from the Northeast Conference. The Leopards have scheduled matchups against Wagner (Nov. 12), St. Francis (Pa.) (Nov. 17), Sacred Heart (Dec. 6), Long Island (Dec. 11) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Jan. 2).
Central Conn. State 2-1 Mt. St. Mary's 3-1 St. Francis (N.Y.) 4-2 Fairleigh Dickinson 2-2 Quinnipiac 0-0 St. Francis (Pa.) 2-0 Long Island 1-0 Robert Morris 0-2 Wagner 5-2 Monmouth 0-0 Sacred Heart 1-1
NATIONALLY RANKED FOES: It's not a weekly occurrence that Lafayette faces nationally-ranked opponents which it did vs. No. 6/7 Villanova on Nov. 20 and likely will again on Dec. 29 at Gonzaga. The last time Lafayette beat a nationally ranked opponent was Dec. 2, 1978, a 77-70 victory over Rutgers. The last conference game that pitted Lafayette against a ranked opponent was Feb. 15, 2006, a 69-49 loss to Bucknell.
LEAGUE HISTORY: Jared Mintz was the first player in conference history to lead the Patriot League in free throw and field goal percentage in the same season. Mintz shot a Patriot League-best 54.2 percent from the floor and 87.3 percent (131-150) from the line.
30+ CLUB: Junior Jim Mower scored 31 points against Rider, going 8-for-11 from three-point range. Andrew Brown '09 was the last Leopard to reach 30 points when he scored 31 points against Robert Morris on Dec. 17, 2008.
THE PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was selected third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Leopards, who received two first-place votes and 73 points overall, were picked behind American (seven first-place votes, 79 points) and Bucknell (three first-place votes, 76 points) but ahead of Holy Cross (two first-place votes, 70 points), Lehigh (two first-place votes, 69 points), Navy (35 points), Colgate (31 points) and Army (15 points). The poll is voted on by the conference head coaches and sports information directors.
IN THE RANKS: Nine of Lafayette's non-conference opponents were selected to finish within the top five of their respective leagues in the preseason polls. Three teams were tabbed as their conference's preseason favorite: NJIT, Princeton and Gonzaga. Lafayette will tip off against five opponents from the Northeast Conference -- the most of any one conference on the schedule.
AROUND THE WORLD: Lafayette features seven international players in Jared Mintz (Toronto, Canada) and Deirunas Visockas (Kaunas, Lithuania). Visockas is currently sidelined with a broken foot. Long Island features five players: Kyle Johnson (Toronto, Canada), Milos Nikolic (Lugano, Switzerland), Troy Joseph (Ajax, Canada), Arnold Mayorga (London, Canada), and Joel Gierbolini (Carolina, Puerto Rico).
THE FRESHMEN: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon added three players to the Lafayette roster this season. Center Jake Kreuser (Mendota Heights, Minn./Sibley) checks in at 7-0, 225 pounds. Kreuser has played in eight games, averaging 6.9 minutes per game. Les Smith (Cotati, Calif./Marin Catholic/Kimball Union Academy) is a 6-0 guard who can play multiple positions. Smith has seen time in all 10 games, primarily spelling Tony Johnson at the point. Jack Detmer (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale/Hill School) has played in four games. His brother, Ted '08, was a four-year letterwinner for the Leopards.
LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: Lafayette will lead the Patriot League with at least 11 of its regular-season games televised during the 2010-11 season. The Leopards will also lead the Patriot League with at least nine nationally-televised games, as MASN (available through both DIRECTV and DISH Network) will air Lafayette's entire slate of home league contests on a tape-delay basis for the third straight season. Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of Lafayette's play-by-play duties for the 14th straight season. Former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone will provide color analysis for the 12th season.
BASKETBALL IQ: Lafayette placed six student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll during the 2009-10 season. The distinction recognizes those individuals who have earned a varsity letter and maintained a 3.2 GPA during the spring semester. Michael Gruner '10, senior Deirunas Visockas, juniors Rob Delaney, Jim Mower, Ryan Willen and Alex Orchowski (transferred to Tufts) were honored.
2009-10 NCAA INDIVUDAL RANKINGS: In 2009-10, Jim Mower ranked third nationally for three-point field goal percentage (47.5%) and 32nd in three-point field goals per game (2.9). Jared Mintz was 23rd in the country in free throw percentage (87.3%). As a team, Lafayette finished fifth in free-throw percentage (76.4).
TOPS IN THE NATION: The Leopards made all 19 of their free throws against Colgate (2/10/10), the best mark in the nation in 2009-10. It topped Kentucky's mark of 18-of-18 on Dec. 19, 2009.
PATRIOT HONORS: In 2009-10, Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon was named Patriot League Men's Basketball Coach of the Year and two of his student-athletes earned All-Patriot League recognition with forward Jared Mintz earning first-team honors and forward Ryan Willen collecting second-team laurels. O'Hanlon received his third Patriot League Coach of the Year award, and first since claiming back-to-back honors in 1997-98 and 1998-99, the first Patriot League coach to win the award consecutively. Mintz was likely the most-improved player in the conference and was the first Lafayette player to earn first-team honors since Winston Davis and Justin DeBerry in 2003-04. Willen was an All-Rookie pick in 2008-09 before securing second-team honors. He averaged 12.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game overall and 13.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg in conference action.
ABOUT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: Located in Easton, Pa. (70 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia) on the banks of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, Lafayette is a small liberal arts school with a renowned engineering program. Lafayette, which has 23 Division I sports with a student body of 2,403 undergraduates, competes in the Patriot League with Army, Navy, Bucknell, Holy Cross, Colgate, American and Lehigh. Lafayette is the alma mater of Pete Carril and Tampa Bay Rays' manager Joe Maddon.
FACEBOOK/TWITTER: Fans can follow Lafayette basketball on Facebook at facebook.com/lafayette.leopard and Twitter at twitter.com/goleopards .
ON THE RADIO: All of the 2010-11 Lafayette men's basketball regular season and each of the Leopards' postseason games will air WJRH-FM 104.9. In his 44th season as the radio voice of Lafayette Athletics, Dick Hammer will continue to call the play-by-play action. Joining Hammer courtside for road contests will be Lafayette Sports Information Director Philip LaBella to provide color analysis.
