1/14/2005 - Women's Basketball
Women's Hoops to Play at Lehigh and at Brown

Files associated with this release:
01-15 at Leh, 01-18 at Brown Notes

Game Day Information
Navy at Lehigh * Saturday, Jan. 15 * 7 p.m.
Stabler Arena (5,600) * Bethlehem, Pa.
Navy Radio -- Live on WNAV-AM 1430 and www.wnav.com (6:45 p.m.)
The Series -- Lehigh leads, 16-15
Last Game -- Lehigh 77, Navy 53 (F7, 2004; Annapolis, Md.)


Navy -- 6-8, 2-0
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
12 G Lauren Skrel 7.5 5.5*
30 G Ashley Pelzek 8.4 4.4
34 G Abi Campbell 6.7 5.1
41 F Nikki Curtis 11.7 6.1
44 C Kate Hobbs 8.9 4.3
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- Navy 70, American 64; J12, Washington, D.C.
Next Game -- at Brown; J18, Providence, R.I.

Head Coach -- Tom Marryott (Castleton State '85)
Record at Navy -- 19-25 (Second Season)
Overall Record -- 19-25 (Second Season)


Lehigh -- 10-4, 2-0
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
12 G Sara Ellis 16.0 3.2*
32 G Mary Hynoski 7.0 7.1
44 G Chantal St. Laurent 2.1 1.6
25 F Jenny Callan 5.9 4.1
30 F Jessica DePalo 19.6 4.7
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- Lehigh 58, Lafayette 48; J12, Easton, Pa.
Next Game -- Pennsylvania; J18, Bethlehem, Pa.

Head Coach -- Sue Troyan (Missouri '83)
Record at Lehigh -- 131-138 (10th Season)
Overall Record -- 131-138 (10th Season)


Game Day Information
Navy at Brown * Tuesday, Jan. 18 * 7 p.m.
Pizzitola Sports Center (2,800) * Providence, R.I.
Navy Radio -- Live on WNAV-AM 1430 and www.wnav.com (6:45 p.m.)
The Series -- Brown leads, 1-0
Last Game -- Brown 65, Navy 59 (J8, 2004; Annapolis, Md.)


Brown -- 7-5
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
12 G Sarah Hayes 13.3 2.3*
22 G Kathleen Barr 0.9 1.6
23 F Lena McAfee 4.3 2.8
34 F Andrea Conrad 5.8 4.3
13 C Holly Robertson 15.8 9.4
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- at Yale; J15, New Haven, Conn.
Next Game -- Yale; Providence, R.I.

Head Coach -- Jean Marie Burr (New Hampshire '77)
Record at Brown -- 225-199 (17th Season)
Overall Record -- 225-199 (17th Season)


Tipping Off
Navy will close out its string of three-straight road games with contests Saturday at Lehigh and Tuesday at Brown. Both games are slated to tipoff at 7 p.m., and each can be heard on either WNAV-AM 1430 or www.wnav.com starting at 6:45 p.m.


Navy Review
The Mids picked up their second league victory in as many games Wednesday night with a 70-64 win over American in Bender Arena. Navy held the lead for the final 17 minutes of the game, but let a 13-point advantage slip to three points with under one minute to play before converting three free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Offensively, Navy shot 50-percent from the field in the second half and drilled 5-of-7 three-point field goal attempts after halftime, while limiting the Eagles to 35-percent shooting from the field and to only three offensive rebounds over the final 20 minutes of the game.

Individually for the Mids, Nikki Curtis scored a career-high 24 points to lead all players, while Abi Campbell scored 13 points, hauled in eight boards and spearheaded a great Navy defensive effort in the second half.

Navy continues to lead the Patriot League in scoring defense and in defensive field goal percentage on the season, allowing foes to tally 58.9 points per game and shoot 36.5-percent from the field.

The Mids also continue to pound the boards well, with five players averaging at least four rebounds a game and leading the league in rebound margin at +4.3.

Curtis, at 11.7 points per game, is one of five Mids to be averaging over seven points a game this season, and also leads the team at 6.1 boards a contest.


Lehigh Preview
The Mountain Hawks also enter Saturday's game having recorded victories over both Lafayette and American to start the Patriot League season. Lehigh has posted a 10-4 record on the season and has won three of its last four and four of its last five games. Seven of Lehigh's 10 wins have been by 10 points or less, with five victories coming by four points or less.

Jessica DePalo leads the Patriot League in scoring at 19.6 points per game, while Mary Hynoski is the top rebounder in the league at 7.1 boards a game. DePalo and Sara Ellis have combined to average over 35 of Lehigh's 65.6 points a game this year.

The Mountain Hawks are allowing foes to shoot 41.1-percent from the field this year, but have blistered the nets at a 46.7-percent rate, the best in the conference by over 60 points (40.4-percent, Holy Cross).


Navy vs. Lehigh Series
With a seven-game winning streak, Lehigh has taken a 16-15 lead in the series with the Mids and a 14-12 lead over Navy in Patriot League regular season games. Navy's last win in the series was a 70-63 victory over the Mountain Hawks, J31, 2001 in Bethlehem.

Two of Lehigh's seven recent wins have come by three points or less, while the remaining five have been by double digits.

The Mids have historically had good success on the road against the Mountain Hawks, winning seven of the 16 games played in Bethlehem.


Common Foes
Both Navy and Lafayette have posted victories this season over American and Lafayette. Lehigh also has lost to Brown, a team Navy will face in its next game.


Brown Preview
The Bears enter a Saturday game at Yale with a 7-5 record on the season. Brown is both scoring and surrendering 62 points a game on the season, but holds a +4.3 rebounding margin. The Bears are taking 14.8 trips to the foul line this season, while sending its foes to the charity stripe 21.8 times a contest.

Holly Robertson leads Brown in both scoring and rebounding -- 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds.


Navy vs. Brown Series
Last year's 65-59 victory by Brown over Navy in Annapolis was the first meeting between the schools.


Conference Matchups
Navy has posted a 19-11 record against teams from the Ivy League, while Brown is 21-12 against the Patriot League.


Common Opponents
Included on Brown's ledger are wins over Patriot League member schools Lehigh (69-61) and American (60-50) and a loss to Army (79-72), while Navy has defeated American, will play Lehigh Saturday and face Army next weekend.


Next Up
The Mids will be home for back-to-back games J21 against Holy Cross and J23 against Army. The latter game against the Black Knights will be for the Army-Navy Trophy.


Outside Shooting Key
While post player Nikki Curtis leads the Mids in scoring, how Navy shoots from the outside often determines the outcome of the game.

Navy has connected on five or more three-point field goals in seven games and ended up winning five of those contests. In the seven games Navy failed to convert at least five three-pointers, the Mids have posted a 1-6 record.


Patriot League W-L
Navy began the 2004 Patriot League season with three-straight losses and only one win in its first five games. Since those opening five games last season, Navy has recorded a 7-4 league record.


Recent Second Half Offense
In its three games prior to starting league play, the Mids were struggling offensively during the second half.

Navy entered the Lafayette game shooting 29.4-percent from the field and averaging 30.6 points after halftime of its previous three games, all losses to Air Force, Delaware State and Radford.

However, Navy tallied 36 points and shot 47.8-percent from the field in the second half against Lafayette, then shot 50-percent from the field, made 5-of-7 three-point attempts and tied a second half season high by scoring 40 points in defeating American.

Recent Navy Second Halves
D30 at Air Force -- missed 14 of first 16 shots
J3 at Delaware State -- 2 FGM in final 16 minutes
J5 at Radford -- didn't score until five minutes into half
---------------------------
J8 vs. Lafayette -- shot 47% from field; scored 36 points
J12 at American -- shot 50% from the field; made 5-of-7 three-point field goal attempts, scored 40 points

While Navy's offense has been slow starting after halftime recently, its defense has been playing well enough to give the Mids the chance to win each game. Navy is allowing its last five opponents to average just 29.0 points per second half, with just one opponent surpassing 31 points in that span --- Air Force, 42. Navy's defense over its last-five second halves has allowed foes to shoot just 31.2-percent from the field (39-of-125) and 22.8-percent (8-of-35) from behind the three-point line.


Service Selections
Each of the three seniors on the Navy basketball team received their first choice for service assignment. Abi Campbell and LaTesha Ford will be surface warfare officers, while Nikki Curtis will become a Navy pilot.


Navy Ends League Opener Skid
Navy's win last Saturday against Lafayette was the first in the opening game of the league season for the Mids since 1999.


Rare Double-Double
There have been 24 double-doubles recorded by Patriot League players this season, with Navy accounting for a league-high six of them.

2004-05 Double-Doubles by Team
6 Navy
3 American, Lehigh
2 Army, Holy Cross, Lafayette
1 Bucknell, Colgate

Of the 24 double-doubles, only one of them have involved assists and that performance was by Navy's Lauren Skrel. The point guard tallied 13 points and 10 assists D10 against Providence to record a double-double with assists for just the 10th time in Navy history.


Mids Win 400th Game
Navy's victory over Lafayette marked the 400th in the program's history. Now in its 28th season of varsity competition, the Mids have posted a 401-321 all-time record (.556)

Win # Date Score
1 D7, 77 Navy 77, Johns Hopkins 33
100 J13, 84 Navy 60, West Liberty 52
200 J8, 91 Navy 74, Davis & Elkins 53
300 N19, 97 Navy 65, Iona 50
400 J8, 05 Navy 59, Lafayette 46


Lauren Skrel
Point guard Lauren Skrel continues to take good care of the basketball for the Mids. The junior leads the Patriot League in both assists per game -- 5.50 -- and in assist/turnover ratio -- 2.33.

Earlier this season she recorded a double-double with assists for just the 10th time in Navy history as she poured in 13 points and dished out 10 assists -- against only two turnovers -- D10 against Providence.

Prior to Christmas she totaled 15 assists in the Sheraton Navy Classic, the second-highest two-game total in tournament history, while turning the ball over a combined seven times.

She has tallied five or more assists in nine games this season while scoring in double figures in four games.


Carly Meyer
Carly Meyer seems to be regaining her shooting touch which produced 10 or more points in Navy's opening three games this season. Meyer has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, while tallying nine points in the remaining two games, and is averaging 12.5 points per game, shooting 47.4-percent from the field and averaging 2.0 three-point field goals made a game over the last six outings.

In addition to her scoring surge she also has hauled in at least five boards in six-straight games, a span which has seen her average 6.8 rebounds a game. She set a career high with 10 rebounds and added 14 points for the first double-double of her career J8 against Lafayette.

Meyer also leads the Patriot League in free throw percentage with a mark of 87.2-percent.

Meyer's Recent Games
Opp. FG-A FG% 3FG-A 3FG% Pts. Reb.
Del. State 4-8 .500 1-2 .500 9 5
at AF 6-12 .500 3-5 .600 22 7
at DSU 3-10 .300 2-6 .333 9 7
at Radford 4-8 .500 1-4 .250 10 6
Laf 5-13 .384 2-6 .333 14 10
at American 3-8 .375 3-5 .600 11 6
Tot 28-59 .474 12-28 .428 75 41
Ave. 12.5 6.8


Abi Campbell/Ashley Pelzek
Either Abi Campbell or Ashley Pelzek (or both) have scored in double figures in 10 of Navy's games this season, and at least one of the two players has made multiple three-point field goals in 10 games, as well.

Pelzek's 24 triples on the year leads the Navy offense, while Campbell has produced 16 treys this season and 96 in her career. Campbell's career total stands sixth in Navy history.

Both players also have been forces on the boards this year, with Campbell hauling in four or more rebounds in 10 games and Pelzek tallying four or more caroms in nine games.


Nikki Curtis
Nikki Curtis began the season by scoring in double figures in seven of Navy's opening eight games and averaging 13.5 points per game during that span. After reaching double digits only once over the next four games, she has since produced back-to-back games of 13 and 24 points, respectively. Her latter total, J12 at American, is a career high.

In addition, she is shooting 61.7-percent from the field over the last four games.

Curtis not only leads the Mids in scoring at 11.7 points per game, she also is tops on the team with 6.1 rebounds a game, thanks to hauling in five or more boards in 12 games.

Curtis' Recent Games
Opp. FG-A FG% Pts. Reb.
at Del. St. 2-4 .500 5 5
at Radford 4-8 .500 8 5
Lafayette 6-8 .750 13 5
at American 9-14 .642 24 8
Totals 21-34 .617 50 23
Ave. 12.5 5.8


Rebounding
The Mids leads the Patriot League with a +4.7 rebound margin and have hauled in more rebounds than their foes in nine games this season.

Game-by-Game Rebounding
Game Navy Opp Margin
at Cal Poly 33 40 -7
at Cal 27 37 -10
Troy 37 24 +13
at UMBC 34 25 +9
at SBU 40 39 +1
Providence 31 27 +4
at Jax 32 39 -7
Morehead State 53 31 +22
Delaware State 43 32 +11
at Air Force 49 42 +7
at Delaware State 42 30 +12
at Radford 34 42 -8
Lafayette 40 36 +4
at American 35 37 -2


Trends
Navy is 6-0 when leading with five minutes to play in the game; 0-8 when tied or trailing at the five-minute mark.

Navy has recorded a higher field goal percentage than its foes in 12 games this season (6-6).

Navy has won the rebounding battle in nine games (5-4).

The Mids have committed more personal fouls than their foes in all but two games (4-8).

Navy is 5-2 when making five or more three-point field goals in a game; 1-6 when making four or less.


Top-Five Mids
Several Mids rank among the top-five players in the Patriot League in a number of statistical categories ...

Nikki Curtis
2nd in field goal pct. -- 47.4%
5th in offensive rebounds -- 2.21

Kate Hobbs
tie 5th in blocked shots -- 0.71

Ashley Pelzek
4th in 3-pt. FGM/Game -- 1.71

Carly Meyer
1st in free throw pct. -- 87.2%
3rd in 3-pt.FG pct. -- 40.8%
tie 5th in 3-pt. FGM/Game -- 1.43

Lauren Skrel
1st in assists -- 5.50 apg
1st in assists/turnover ratio -- 2.33

In the team rankings, Navy ranks first or second in seven categories ...

1st in rebounding margin -- +4.3 rpg
1st in scoring defense -- 58.9 ppg
1st in defensive field goal pct. -- 36.5%
2nd in scoring margin -- +1.5
2nd in rebounding -- 38.6 rpg
2nd in opponents rebounding -- 34.4 rpg
2nd in defensive rebounding -- 25.64 rpg


Three-Point Streak
Navy has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 208-consecutive games. The last time the Mids were held without a three-pointer was Nov. 23, 1997, vs. Sacramento State.


Well Traveled
Navy opened the season with four of its first-five games and eight of its opening-12 games away from Alumni Hall. The Mids played road games in California (two games), Maryland, New York, Florida, Colorado, Delaware and Virginia during those 12 contests.

In addition to playing two more games later in the season in New York, the Mids also will compete in Pennsylvania (three games), Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., this season.


Chart Climbers
Abi Campbell has moved into sixth place on Navy's career three-point field goals made list ...

Navy Career Three-Point FG Made
1. 245 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
5. 119 Heather Brand, 1990-93
6. 96 Abi Campbell, 2002-pres.

... as well as fourth at Navy in career Patriot League games.

Navy 3-Pt. FG Made in P.L. Career
1. 123 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
2. 66 Yolanda Ray, 1992-94
66 Maile Shimoda, 2001-04
4. 45 Abi Campbell, 2002-pres.

Additionally, with 96-career games played, Abi Campbell is closing in on becoming only the 22nd player in Navy history to have played in 100-career games.

Kate Hobbs stands 12th in Navy history for career blocked shots.

Navy Career Blocked Shots
11. 24 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
12. 22 Kate Hobbs, 2004-pres.