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American Set to Take On the Patriot League
No. 4 Eagles ready to face Colgate in first round

February 27, 2002

Printable Patriot League Tournament Bracket

Senior Hollie Steinman scored 10.2 points and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game while leading the Patriot League in blocks with 48 (1.85 per game).

WASHINGTON -- American University's women's basketball team begins postseason play this weekend at the Patriot League Tournament at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md. In its first season in the Patriot League, the women's team tied for fourth with a 7-7 league record (12-14 overall).

Number one seed Holy Cross is the defending champion having defeated Lehigh in the championship game last season. The Crusaders have won the last four tournaments and eight of the 11 tournaments held in the Patriot League.

The first round games begin Friday at noon with the semifinals being played Sunday at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The championship game will be played on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. on PLTV. The highest remaining seed in the tournament will host the championship game for the right to play in the NCAA Tournament. Here is a preview of the first round match-ups and some insight into the teams in the league.

No. 4 American (12-14, 7-7 PL) vs. No. 5 Colgate (13-16. 7-7 PL)

The Eagles head into the match-up with Colgate with identical Patriot League records. American earned the fourth seed over the Raiders because of two wins over Colgate in the regular season. Katryn Costenbader led the Eagles in the regular season with 13.9 points per game. Hollie Steinman was at the top of the Patriot League in blocks with 48 (1.85 per game). Steinman also posted 10.2 points per game and 6.7 rebounds. Maria Werries averaged 10.3 points per game and Kaitlin Schuyler added 9.6. Chanel Spriggs set a new American single-season record with 105 steals which also led the Patriot League. Spriggs also scored 10.2 points per game.

Colgate won the last two games of the regular season to finish at 7-7 in the league. Colgate is led by freshman Allison Lipinski who was fourth in the league with 14.8 points per game. Freshman Milaina Lagzdins grabbed 7.2 points per game for the Raiders and Malissa Burke added 13.8 points per game.

During the Patriot League conference call, American head coach Shann Hart said, "We had two very good games against Colgate this season." Hart continued, saying "For us, the biggest thing is maintaining our focus and concentration for the full 40 minutes."

American swept the season series with Colgate, winning 79-77 in Hamilton and 71-62 in Bender Arena. In the home win for the Eagles, they held a lead of 20 points in the second half before the Raiders fought back into the game. Colgate has won its last two first round games in the Patriot League Tournament including an upset of number 2 seed Bucknell last season. The Raiders are 4-11 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.

No. 1 Holy Cross (21-6, 12-2 PL) vs. No. 8 Lafayette (3-24, 1-13 PL)

Holy Cross enters the tournament as the number one seed for the sixth consecutive season and as four-time defending Patriot League champions. The Crusaders have won their last nine games went undefeated at home for the entire season. Amanda Abraham and Katie O'Keefe lead Holy Cross with 14.5 and 14.2 points per game respectively. Jeanette Paukert was second in the league in assists with 141 (5.22 per game).

Lafayette has lost eight straight games this season heading into the Patriot League tournament. The Leopards' top scorer is Colleen Fitzpatrick with 12.8 points per game. Fitzpatrick also led the league in field goal percentage, shooting .630. Jennifer Bayer leads the team in rebounding with 5.4 boards per game.

Holy Cross swept the season series against Lafayette and holds a 10-game win streak against the Leopards. Holy Cross holds the best record in the Patriot League Tournament at 22-3 while Lafayette is 9-11. The Crusaders are 4-2 against the Leopards in tournament action.

No. 2Bucknell (18-9, 11-3 PL) vs. No. 7 Navy (13-14, 5-9 PL)

Bucknell heads into the Patriot League Tournament as the number two seed for the fourth straight season. They have won six of their last seven games, only falling to Holy Cross. The Bison were bounced from the tournament by Colgate in the first round last year. Molly Creamer led the league and was nationally ranked in scoring with 22.7 points per game. Creamer also led the conference with 5.70 assists per game. Vicki Quimby was third in the league in rebounding (7.3 per game) and she also averaged 11.7 points per game.

Navy enters the tournament having won three of their last four games. The Midshipmen's Courtney Davidson is third in the league in scoring with 17.6 points per game. Davidson also led the league in free throw percentage (.892). Bryanna Herring was the top rebounder for Navy, grabbing 6.7 boards per game.

Bucknell swept the season series with Navy, winning both games by double digits. This will be only the second meeting between the schools in the Patriot League Tournament with Bucknell winning the only previous match-up 62-43 in 2000. That game also featured the Bison as the number two seed and Navy as the number seven. Bucknell is 4-11 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament while the Midshipmen are 8-10.

No. 3 Lehigh (12-15, 8-6 PL) vs. No. 6 Army (10-17, 5-9 PL)

Lehigh enters the tournament having lost three of its last four games. The Mountain Hawks are led by junior Anne Tierney who scored 14.7 points per game in the regular season. Tierney also was second in the league in rebounding with 9.3 boards per game. Carli Toliver adds 12.0 points per game for Lehigh and Cat Nicholson led the league with a .428 three-point percentage.

Army is the number six seed for the second time in three years. Katie Macfarlane is the top player for the Black Knights, finishing second in the league with 18.4 points per game and leading the league with 10.4 rebounds per game. Christine Gassman adds 9.8 points per game for Army and Halaevalu Helu grabs 5.6 rebounds per game.

Lehigh swept the season series with Army. The teams have met only once previously in the Patriot League Tournament with Army defeating Lehigh 54-47 in 1991. The Mountain Hawks are 6-10 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament while the Black Knights are 6-11.

Keep up to date on the Patriot League tournament with AUEagles.com. There will be complete coverage from the Show Place Arena each day of the tournament.