2/17/2005 - Women's Basketball
Mids to Face Mountain Hawks Saturday

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02-19 Lehigh notes

Game Day Information
Lehigh at Navy * Saturday, Feb. 19 * 1 p.m.
Annapolis, Md. (5,710) * Annapolis, Md.
Navy Radio -- None
The Series -- Lehigh leads, 17-15
Last Game -- Lehigh 65, Navy 53 (J15, 2005; Bethlehem, Pa.)


Navy -- 8-16, 4-7
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
12 G Lauren Skrel 8.7 5.2*
30 G Ashley Pelzek 7.2 3.2
34 G Abi Campbell 8.6 5.3
41 F Nikki Curtis 12.2 7.0
44 C Kate Hobbs 8.3 5.0
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- Bucknell 65, Navy 58, F13, Annapolis, Md.
Next Game -- at Lafayette, F23, Easton, Pa.

Head Coach -- Tom Marryott (Castleton State '85)
Record at Navy -- 21-33 (Second Season)
Overall Record -- 21-33 (Second Season)


Lehigh -- 17-7, 9-2
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
12 G Sara Ellis 15.3 3.7
32 G Mary Frances Hynoski 8.7 7.7
44 F Chantal St. Laurent 2.2 3.8
25 F Jenny Callan 7.9 5.4
30 C Jessica DePalo 17.9 5.1
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- Lehigh 73, Bucknell 63, F13, Bethlehem, Pa.
Next Game -- at American, F23, Washington, D.C.

Head Coach -- Sue Troyan (Dickinson '88)
Record at Lehigh -- 138-141 (10 Season)
Overall Record -- 138-141 (10th Season)


Tipping Off
Navy will return to Alumni Hall for its third-straight game Saturday when the Midshipmen play host to Lehigh in a 1 p.m. game at Alumni Hall.


Navy Review
Navy split a pair of home games last weekend in Alumni Hall, recording a 78-73 win over Colgate and dropping a 65-58 decision to Bucknell.

Navy jumped out to a double-digit lead during the first half against the Raiders, but never was able to put Colgate away. The Mids still held a 13-point lead with just under four minutes to play, but needed to connect on four free throws during the final 12 seconds of the game to seal the victory.

Four players scored in double figures for the Mids, with Carly Meyer's 17 points leading the way. Lauren Skrel added 14 points and nine assists, while Nikki Curtis notched her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Navy as a team connected on nine three-point field goals, with Abi Campbell leading all players with four.

Navy's offense struggled to get on track two days later against the Bison as Navy converted only 30-percent of its shots from the field and 50-percent of its free throw attempts after halftime. The Mids had multiple possessions during the second half in which Navy could have either tied or taken the lead in the game, but came away empty on every trip down the floor.

Skrel paced the Navy offense with 13 points, three assists and an additional four rebounds, while Kate Hobbs tallied 12 points and six boards in the loss.


Lehigh Preview
Lehigh enters the game following its biggest win of the season, having defeated previously unbeaten Holy Cross 73-63 in Bethlehem. The Mountain Hawks are in the middle of their fifth three-game winning streak of the season. Lehigh dropped each of its previous attempts to win four-straight games.

Lehigh has four players scoring in double figures during the Patriot League season, with Jessica DePalo's average of 17.2 leading all players. Mary Hynoski's Patriot League rebounding average of 9.7 boards a game is tops in the league.

Lehigh as a team during the league season is tied for first in scoring offense (67.5 ppg), ranks first in field goal percentage (42.4%), rebounding offense (39.7 rpg), rebounding defense (33.4 rpg) and rebounding margin (+6.4 rpg), while narrowly ranking second in scoring defense (58.5 ppg).


Navy vs. Lehigh Series
Lehigh has won eight-straight games over the Midshipmen and 10 of the last-11 meetings dating back to the 2000 season. Its current winning streak has given Lehigh a 17-15 series lead over Navy, including a 15-12 lead in Patriot League regular season games.

A Navy victory would mark the fifth time the two teams have split the regular season series, and the first since the 2001 season, while a Lehigh win would give the Mountain Hawks their sixth season sweep over the Mids.

Navy holds an 8-7 lead in games played in Annapolis, including a 7-6 advantage in games played in Alumni Hall.

Patriot League Season Series Breakdown
Lehigh leads -- 15-12
Navy Swept Season Series -- 4 Times ('93, '95, '96, '98)
Lehigh Swept Season Series -- 5 Times ('94, '00, '02, '03, '04)
Teams Split Season Series -- 4 Times ('92, '97, '99, '01)


Next Up
Navy will close the regular season with games F23 at Lafayette (7 p.m.) and F26 against American (1 p.m.) in Alumni Hall.

Prior to the game against the Eagles, Navy will hold its annual senior day ceremony to recognize Abi Campbell, Nikki Curtis and LaTesha Ford during their final appearance in Alumni Hall.


Playoff Picture
If the playoffs were to start this weekend, the sixth-seeded Mids would play third-seeded Army in a quarterfinal game at No. 2 Lehigh.

at Bethlehem, Pa.
#2 Lehigh vs. #7 Bucknell
#3 Army vs. #6 Navy

at Worcester, Mass.
#1 Holy Cross vs. #8 Lafayette
#4 Colgate vs. #5 American


Campbell Sets Career Highs
Abi Campbell had the best shooting day of her career F6 at Army, connecting on eight three-point field goals (on 14 attempts) and setting a career high with 26 points (previous best was 18 points).

The eight triples is a new Army-Navy record (breaking the previous mark of five), is the high in the Patriot League this season and was just one short of tying the Navy and Patriot League record.

Most 3-Pt. FGM at Navy
1. 9 Angela Dobbs vs. Yale, J4, 92
2. 8 Patty LiPoma at West Chester, N21, 87
8 Courtney Davidson vs. Lafayette, F1, 04
8 Abi Campbell at Army, F6, 04

In addition, Navy connected on 13 three-point field goals against the Black Knights, setting a new Army-Navy record (breaking old mark of 11), a new high in the league this season and finishing one trey shy of tying the Navy and Patriot League record.

Most 3-Pt. FGM at Navy
1. 14 Bucknell, J11, 92
2. 13 vs. Bucknell, M7, 03 (P.L. Tournament)
13 at Army, F6, 04

Campbell continued her hot shooting last weekend, connecting on four three-point field goals and scoring 14 points against Colgate, then hitting a pair of triples and tallying 12 points against Bucknell.

She has scored in double figures in four-straight games (F4-13) and is averaging 17.0 points (68), 4.5 three-point field goals made (18) and 5.3 rebounds (21) a game, while shooting 48-percent from the field (24-of-50) and 51.4-percent (18-of-35) from behind the three-point line during this span.


Outside Shooting
The one area in which Navy has been fairly consistent in this season has been three-point shooting. Navy is averaging 5.46 three pointers a game on the year and 6.0 a game during the league season (both of which rank third in the Patriot League). Navy's total of 131 triples on the year is tied for sixth place in Navy history.

Most 3-Pt. FGM by Navy - Single Season
4. 149 1991-92 (27 games)
5. 138 2002-03 (28 games)
6. 131 1990-91 (24 games)
131 2004-05 (24 games)

Navy is also relying on the three-point shot more than almost every other team in the Patriot League, with over 25-percent of all field goals made being three-pointers on the year, as well as over 28-percent during the league season.

Highest Pct. of FGM are 3-Pts -- Overall
Pct. 3-FGM Tot FGM
1. Army 29.6% 155 523
2. Navy 25.7% 131 509
3. Colgate 22.9% 140 609

Highest Pct. of FGM are 3-Pts -- P.L.
Pct. 3-FGM Tot. FGM
1. Army 30.0% 75 250
2. Navy 28.2% 66 234
3. Colgate 25.7% 71 276


Recent Three-Point Shooting
In addition, Navy is averaging 8.75 three-point field goals made a game over its last-four games (35 total) and is shooting 44.3-percent (35-of-79) from behind the arc during this span.

Navy connected on 13 triples F6 at Army and 11 F11 vs. Colgate.


Three-Point Streak
Navy has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 218-consecutive games. The last time the Mids were held without a three-pointer was Nov. 23, 1997, vs. Sacramento State.


Common Record
It should not be a surprise to see the Mids post a 3-4 record during the first half of the Patriot League season. It marks the sixth-straight time the Mids have ended one-half of the league season with a 3-4 mark.

Year First Half Second Half
2002 2-5 3-4
2003 3-4 3-4
2004 3-4 3-4
2005 3-4 tbd


Academic Honors
The academic honors lists for the 2004 fall semester were recently announced and the Navy women's basketball team placed one player on both the Superintendent's and Dean's Lists.

Nikki Curtis made her second appearance on the Superintendent's List, while LaTesha Ford made her first appearance on the Dean's List.

An American politics and law major, Curtis recorded a 3.6 QPR during the first semester, while Ford, an information technology (national security affairs) major posted a 3.44 QPR.


Service Selections
Service assignments were recently announced for the seniors at the Naval Academy.

Abi Campbell will become a surface warfare officer aboard the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), based out of Norfolk, Va., while LaTesha Ford will be assigned to the USS Germantown (LSD 42) out of San Diego. Both ships are in the Whidbey Island class of dock landing ships.

The third senior on the women's basketball team, Nikki Curtis, will begin flight school in October. Although her final assignment will not be made prior to her attending flight school, she currently hopes to fly helicopters.


Double-Double Update
There have been 45 double-doubles recorded by Patriot League players this season, with Navy tying for the league lead with 11 of them.

2004-05 Double-Doubles by Team
11 Navy, Lehigh
5 American, Colgate
4 Army, Lafayette
3 Holy Cross
2 Bucknell

2004-05 Double-Doubles by Navy
5 Nikki Curtis
2 Lauren Skrel
1 Abi Campbell, Kate Hobbs, Carly Meyer,
Ashley Pelzek

None of the above six Mids who has tallied a double-double this year had achieved one entering the 2004-05 season.


Rare Double-Double
Of the 45 double-doubles in the league, only two included assists and both of those performance were by Navy's Lauren Skrel.

A double-double with assists has been achieved only 11 times in Navy's 28-year history. Skrel joins Margie Trott and Colleen Cassidy as the lone Mids to achieve the feat multiple times.

All-Time Double-Doubles with Assists
Colleen Cassidy (1979-82)
11 pts., 10 asts. -- F10, 81 at Loyola (Md.)
17 pts., 13 asts. -- J23, 82 vs. William & Mary
Margie Trott (1984-87)
11 pts., 10 asts. -- D2, 85 vs. George Mason
12 pts., 14 asts. -- D4, 85, at Coll. of Notre Dame
12 pts., 11 asts. -- F12, 87 at Towson
Tawny Petrick (1987-90)
12 pts., 10 asts. -- D8, 90 vs. Yale
Angela Dobbs (1989-92)
21 pts., 10 asts. -- J11, 92 vs. Bucknell **
** added 13 reb. for triple-double
Kim Jackson (1994)
12 pts., 11 asts. -- F17, 94 vs. Bucknell
Maile Shimoda (2001-04)
26 pts., 10 asts. -- M7, 03 vs. Bucknell (P.L. Tourn.)
Lauren Skrel (2003-pres.)
13 pts., 10 asts. -- D4, 04 vs. Providence
14 pts., 10 asts. -- F6, 05 at Army


Lauren Skrel
Lauren Skrel continues to have an impressive season, her first in the starting lineup.

Skrel totaled only 31 points and 19 assists during her freshman and sophomore campaigns, but has tallied 209 points and 124 assists this season.

In addition, Skrel ranks second on the team in shooting percentage (39.8-percent), first in three-point field goal percentage (50-percent) and leads the team in steals with 48.

She has dished out five or more assists in 13 games, scored seven or more points in 16 games and hauled in three or more rebounds in 14 games.

Skrel leads the Patriot League in assists per game (5.17 apg) and ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (1.91). During the league season, she ranks first in assists per game (4.73 apg), first in three-point field goal percentage (52.0%) and fourth in free throw percentage (82.1%).

She has scored in double figures in five-straight games (J30-F13). She is averaging 13.0 points (65), 6.2 assists (31) and 3.8 rebounds (19) a game during this span.

Skrel is shooting 80.6-percent (23-of-31) from the foul line over the last-six games (J28-F13) and 89.4-percent (17-of-19) over the last-four games (F4-13).


Skrel Surpasses 100-Assist Mark
Lauren Skrel has become the ninth Mid to record at least one season with 100+ assists (16 such seasons). Her total of 124 ranks is tied for seventh in Navy history.

Navy's Single-Season Assist Totals
1. 177 Margie Trott, 1987
4. 137 Becky Lewis, 1983
5. 136 Kim Jackson, 1994
6. 126 Margie Trott, 19885
7. 124 Colleen Cassidy, 1982
124 Lauren Skrel, 2005


Assist/Turnover Ratio
Skrel's assist total marked the 16th time in Navy history a player has totaled over 100 assists in a season. Of those 16 seasons, Skrel is currently posting the third-highest assist/turnover ratio.

Highest A/T Ratio of 100-Assist Seasons
1. 2.15 Margie Trott, 1987 (177 a, 82 to)
2. 1.93 Margie Trott, 1986 (174 a, 90 to)
3. 1.91 Lauren Skrel, 2005 (124 a, 65 to)
4. 1.89 Maile Shimoda, 2003 (172 a, 91 to)
5. 1.73 Margie Trott, 1985 (126 a, 73 to)

If one were to remove Skrel's statistics, Navy as a team sees a drop in its assist/turnover ratio from 0.67 to 0.48.

Skrel A/T Ratio -- 1.91 (124 a, 65 to)
Navy A/T Ratio w/Skrel -- 0.67 (320 a, 473 to)
Navy A/T Ratio wo/Skrel -- 0.48 (196 a, 408 to)


Campbell Reaches Century Mark Twice
With a pair of three-point field goals J18 at Brown, Navy senior team captain Abi Campbell reached the 100-career three-point field goals made mark. She now stands fifth in Navy history with 123 triples, as well as second at Navy with 70-career three-pointers made during Patriot League games.

In addition, Campbell became the 22nd player in Navy history to play in 100-career games J23 against Army. With two appearances this weekend, Campbell would move into a tie for seventh place with 108-career games played.

Career Games Played
1. 113 Vanessa Melofchik, 1996-99
113 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
7. 108 Joanne Groth, 1995-98
108 Jennifer Bombinski, 1998-01
9. 106 Abi Campbell, 2002-pres.


Abi Campbell/Ashley Pelzek
Abi Campbell and Ashley Pelzek have been Navy's top threats from behind the three-point line this season. Campbell has connected on multiple three-point field goals in 14 games, with Pelzek drilling at least a pair of three-pointers in 10 games.

Campbell's 43 three-pointers is tops on the team this year and is a new personal-best total, just ahead of the 37 connected on by Pelzek, also a career high.

Campbell has drilled multiple three-point field goals in six of her last-seven games and is shooting 43.2-percent (35-of-81) from the field and 44.2-percent (23-of-52) in three-point attempts and averaging 3.3 triples a game during this seven-game span.

Campbell ranks fifth all-time at Navy in career three-point field goals made, as well as second in triples made during league games, while Pelzek stands 13th in Navy history with 51 treys.

Navy Career Three-Point FG Made
1. 245 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
4. 131 Yolanda Ray, 1991-94
5. 123 Abi Campbell, 2002-pres.
11. 66 Tina Dalmau, 1995-98
12. 52 Kate Wells, 1993-95
13. 51 Ashley Pelzek, 2003-pres.

Navy 3-Pt. FG Made in P.L. Career
1. 123 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
2. 70 Abi Campbell, 2002-pres.


Hobbs/Meyer
Despite being only sophomores, both Kate Hobbs and Carly Meyer are quickly moving up on Navy's all-time blocked shot list.

Navy 3-Pt. FG Made in P.L. Career
7. 38 Adria Schneck, 1994-97
8. 32 Joanne Groth, 1995-98
9. 29 Kate Hobbs, 2004-pres.
10. 26 Kate Wells, 1993-95
26 Hilary Goodrich, 1999-2000
12. 24 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
13. 23 Carly Meyer, 2004-pres.

Hobbs has totaled 17 blocked shots this season, while Meyer has swatted 14 shots.


Nikki Curtis
With just six points scored F13 against Bucknell, Nikki Curtis saw her streak of consecutive games with at least 10 points come to an end at 11 games (J8-F11). She shot 52.1-percent (62-of-119) from the field and averaged 14.5 points (160) and 7.7 rebounds (85) a game during this span.

Curtis not only leads the Mids in scoring on the season at 12.2 points per game, she also is tops on the team with 7.0 rebounds a game.

She entered the year having totaled 137 points and 124 rebounds in her career, but has scored 293 points and hauled in 167 boards this season.

Curtis' Recent Games
Opp. FG-A FG% Pts. Reb.
Lafayette 6-8 .750 13 5
at American 9-14 .642 24 8
at Lehigh 6-10 .600 12 7
at Brown 7-13 .538 14 11
Holy Cross 2-11 .182 10 12
Army 8-14 .571 17 11
at Colgate 7-13 .538 17 5
at Bucknell 6-13 .461 16 9
at Holy Cross 5-10 .500 14 5
at Army 3-4 .750 11 2
Bucknell 3-9 .333 12 10
Colgate 3-10 .300 6 9

12-Gm. Totals 65-129 .503 166 94
Ave. 13.8 7.8


Tops in Scoring and Rebounding
If Curtis leads the Mids in both scoring and rebounding at the end of the season, it would mark only the eighth time in Navy's 28 seasons that a player has led the team in both categories and the first in five years.

Player Season PPG RPG
Kathy Walsh 1977-78 15.8 11.5
Angela Smith 1982-83 12.1 10.6
Emily Harman 1983-84 15.3 10.0
Connie James 1988-89 18.1 9.3
Connie James 1989-90 19.5 9.9
Jenna Hausvik 1993-94 14.4 8.0
Erica Hayes 1999-2000 12.1 7.8
Nikki Curtis 2004-05 12.5 6.7


Carly Meyer
Carly Meyer has found her shooting touch of late, scoring in double figures in three-straight games (F6-13). She is averaging 14.7 points (44) and 5.7 rebounds (17) a game in this span, while also shooting 50-percent (15-of-30) from the field and 62.5-percent (5-of-8) from behind the three-point line


Trends
Navy is 8-0 when leading with five minutes to play in the game; 0-15 when tied or trailing at the five minute mark.

Navy has recorded a higher field goal percentage than its foes in 14 games this season (7-7), and is 1-9 when shooting a lower percentage.

Navy has won the rebounding battle in 13 games (6-7) and is only 2-9 when grabbing fewer rebounds.

The Mids have committed more personal fouls than their foes in 18 games (4-14).

Navy is 6-7 when making five or more three-point field goals in a game; 2-9 when making four or less.

Navy is 6-1 when turning the ball over fewer times than its foes; 2-15 when turning the ball over an equal or additional amount of times.

The Mids are 1-11 when its bench is outscored in a game, 7-5 when the bench scores more points.


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

Abi Campbell
Overall
4th in 3-pt.FGM/Game -- 1.79 3fgm
5th in defensive rebounds -- 4.17 rpg
Patriot League Season
2nd in 3-pt.FGM/Game -- 2.55 3fgm
3rd in defensive rebound -- 4.73 rpg

Nikki Curtis
Overall
2nd in offensive rebounds -- 2.92 rpg
4th in rebounds -- 7.0 rpg
Patriot League Season
1st in offensive rebounds -- 3.45 rpg
4th in rebounding -- 7.5 rpg
5th in field goal pct. -- 50.0%

Lauren Skrel
Overall
1st in assists -- 5.17 apg
2nd in assist/turnover ratio -- 1.91
Patriot League Season
1st in assists -- 4.73 apg
1st in three-point field goal pct. -- 52.0%
4th in free throw pct. -- 82.1%
5th in assist/turnover ratio -- 1.49

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

Overall
1st in three-point FG pct. -- 35.0%
2nd in defensive field goal percentage -- 39.1%
2nd in rebounds -- 37.8 rpg
Patriot League games
2nd in offensive rebounds -- 13.55 rpg


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 on the season in New York, the Mids also will compete in Pennsylvania (three games), Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., this season.


Navy vs. Other Conferences
In addition to its 14-game Patriot League schedule, Navy also faced teams from 11 different conferences this season.

America East -- UMBC
Atlantic Sun -- Jacksonville, Troy
Atlantic 10 -- St. Bonaventure
Big East -- Providence
Big South -- Radford
Big West -- Cal Poly
Ivy League -- Brown
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference -- Delaware State
Mountain West -- Air Force
Ohio Valley -- Morehead State
Pacific-10 -- California