2/22/2005 - Women's Basketball
Navy to End Regular Season with Games Wednesday and Saturday

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Lafayette/American Game Notes

Game Day Information
Navy at Lafayette * Wednesday, Feb. 23 * 7 p.m.
Kirby Sports Center (3,500) * Easton, Pa.
Navy Radio -- None
The Series -- Navy leads, 28-14
Last Game -- Navy 59, Lafayette 46 (J8, 2005; Annapolis, Md.)

Navy -- 9-16, 5-7
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
12 G Lauren Skrel 8.7 5.3*
30 G Ashley Pelzek 7.2 3.2
34 G Abi Campbell 8.9 5.1
41 F Nikki Curtis 12.2 6.9
44 C Kate Hobbs 8.3 4.9
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- Navy 64, Lehigh 59; F19, Annapolis, Md.
Next Game - American; F26, Annapolis, Md.

Head Coach -- Tom Marryott (Castleton State '85)
Record at Navy -- 22-33 (Second Season)
Overall Record -- 22-33 (Second Season)


Lafayette -- 4-21, 2-10
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
10 G Lindsay Myers 10.1 3.0*
13 G Kristin Doherty 8.2 1.4
21 G Kara Stetler 7.8 2.6
15 F Shannon Dorsey 2.6 2.4
51 C Brianne Welte 4.4 4.9
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game -- American 58, Lafayette 56; F19, Washington, D.C.
Next Game -- at Lehigh; F26, Bethlehem, Pa.

Head Coach -- Tammy Smith (East Stroudsburg '82)
Record at Lafayette -- 11-98 (Fourth Season)
Overall Record -- 124-166 (11th Season)


Game Day Information
American at Navy * Saturday, Feb. 26 * 1 p.m.
Alumni Hall (5,710) * Annapolis, Md.
Navy Radio -- None
The Series -- American leads, 13-8
Last Game -- Navy 70, American 64 (J12, 2005; Washington, D.C.)

American -- 11-14, 6-6
# Pos. Player PPG RPG
04 G Damarah Rhymer 2.0 2.5*
20 G Joanna Barnes 13.8 5.4
33 G Tara Williams 7.2 3.0
44 F Jenyce Woodruff 5.7 7.2
25 C Kim Salem 7.0 4.9
* -- Assists Per Game

Last Game - Lehigh; F23, Washington, D.C.
Next Game -- Patriot League Tournament; M3, site TBA

Head Coach -- Melissa McFerrin (Missouri '83)
Record at American -- 11-14 (First Season)
Overall Record -- 11-14 (First Season)


Tipping Off
Navy will close the regular season with games Wednesday at Lafayette (7 p.m.) and Saturday at home against American (1 p.m.).


Navy Review
In its lone game of the week, Navy rallied from a late five-point deficit to defeat Lehigh 64-59 Saturday in Alumni Hall.

Navy held a slim lead during the majority of the game, but saw Lehigh take a 48-43 lead with nine minutes to play. The Mids answered with a 10-0 run to take the lead again, then connected on 5-of-6 free throws during the final 50 seconds of the game to hang on for the win.

The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks.

Abi Campbell continued her hot shooting by sinking 4-of-5 three-point attempts and 5-of-7 shots from the field to total 16 points for the Mids. Nikki Curtis tallied 12 points and a game-high six caroms for Navy, while Lauren Skrel added nine points and eight assists.


Lafayette Preview
Lafayette has posted a 2-10 record during the league season, but five of its losses (four of which were home games) have come by six points or less. The Leopards are being outscored at home by an average of only four points a game -- 64.3-60.6 ppg -- and have not lost a league home game by more than 10 points.

Lindsay Myers is the top player for the Leopards, leading the team in points (10.7 ppg), assists (45) and steals (31) and ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg).

Both Lafayette and its opponents are shooting 40-percent from the field and averaging 35 rebounds a game.


Navy vs. Lafayette Series
Navy holds a 28-14 series lead against Lafayette, including a 19-8 record against the Leopards in Patriot League regular season games.

The Mids have won three-straight games in Easton to take a 10-9 lead in games played at Lafayette. Three of the last five games played at the Kirby Sports Center have been decided by five points or less.

Navy enters Wednesday's game on a seven-game winning streak against Lafayette, but three of those seven wins have come by five points or less.

A Navy win Wednesday would give the Mids their eighth season sweep of the Leopards, while a Lafayette win would mark the fifth time the two teams have split the season series.

Patriot League Season Series Breakdown
Navy leads -- 19-8
Navy Swept Season Series -- 7 Times ('95, '97, '98, '99, '02, '03, '04)
Lafayette Swept Season Series -- 2 Times ('92, '93)
Teams Split Season Series -- 4 Times ('94, '96, '00, '01)


American Preview
American enters a Wednesday night game against Lehigh in Washington, D.C. with a 6-6 league record. The Eagles are 4-2 in league games decided by six points or less.

During the league season the Eagles rank first in the Patriot League in rebounds (39.2 rpg) and offensive rebounds (14.67 rpg), as well as second in rebounding margin (+4.0) and defensive rebounds (24.58 rpg).

The Eagles are scoring a league-low 56.1 points per game, but are allowing opponents to average only 60.3 points per game.

Individually, Joanna Barnes leads American in scoring with 13.5 points per league game, while Jenyce Woodruff ranks third in the league with 7.6 boards per league contest.


Navy vs. American Series
American holds a 13-8 lead in the all-time series with Navy, including a 4-3 lead in Patriot league regular season games. The Mids have won six of the 10 previous meetings in Annapolis.

Of the seven league regular season meetings between the schools, five have been determined by single digits and four have been decided by six points or less.

A Navy victory would give the Mids their first season sweep of the Eagles, while an American victory would mark the third time in four years the teams have split the season series.

Patriot League Season Series Breakdown
American leads -- 4-3
Navy Swept Season Series -- 0 Times
American Swept Season Series -- 1 Time ('04)
Teams Split Season Series -- 2 Times ('02, '03)


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 American vs. #5 Colgate

Colgate currently holds the tiebreaker over Navy for the fifth spot in the playoffs due to Navy finishing the year 0-2 vs. Army and Colgate entering the week with a 0-1 record against the Black Knights.

The Mids could end their year in as either the No. 4, 5 or 6 seed.


Stopping Streaks
Navy has stopped a number of losing skids during the brief two-year tenure under head coach Tom Marryott

Streaks Stopped -- 2004-05
Navy 59, Lafayette 46 (J8, Annapolis, Md.)
The win marked the first time since 1999 that Navy won its Patriot League opener (five games).

Navy 70, American 64 (J12, Washington, D.C.)
Navy's first win over the Eagles in Washington, D.C. since 1979 (eight games).

Navy 53, Bucknell 43 (J30, Lewisburg, Pa.)
Navy's first win in three tries in Sojka Pavilion and the first Navy win in Lewisburg since 1998 (six games).

Navy 64, Lehigh 59 (F19, Annapolis, Md.)
The Navy win ended an eight-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks.

Streaks Stopped -- 2003-04
Navy 71, Holy Cross 64 (Worcester, Mass.)
First victory by the Mids over Holy Cross in Worcester (15 games); ended 10-game losing streak to the Crusaders.

Navy 65, Bucknell 42 (F14, Lewisburg, Pa.)
Ended a five-year, 13-game losing streak to Bucknell.


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 has continued her hot shooting since the Army game, 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, and making 4-of-5 three-point attempts and scoring 16 points against Lehigh.

She has scored in double figures in five-straight games (F4-19) and is averaging 16.8 points (84), 4.4 three-point field goals made (22) and 4.6 rebounds (23) a game, while shooting 50.8-percent from the field (29-of-57) and 55.0-percent (22-of-40) 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 5.6 three pointers a game on the year and 6.2 a game during the league season (both of which rank third in the Patriot League). Navy's total of 139 triples on the year is fifth in Navy history.

Most 3-Pt. FGM by Navy - Single Season
3. 157 2001-02 (28 games)
4. 149 1991-92 (27 games)
5. 139 2004-05 (25 games)

Navy is also relying on the three-point shot more than almost every other team in the Patriot League, with over 26-percent of all field goals made being three-pointers on the year, as well as nearly 29-percent during the league season.

Highest Pct. of FGM are 3-Pts -- Overall
Pct. 3-FGM Tot FGM
1. Army 29.5% 160 543
2. Navy 26.2% 139 531
3. Colgate 23.4% 150 639

Highest Pct. of FGM are 3-Pts -- P.L.
Pct. 3-FGM Tot. FGM
1. Army 29.6% 80 270
2. Navy 28.9% 74 256
3. Colgate 26.4% 81 306


Recent Three-Point Shooting
In addition, Navy is averaging 8.6 three-point field goals made a game over its last-five games (43 total) and is shooting 43.8-percent (43-of-98) 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 219-consecutive games. The last time the Mids were held without a three-pointer was Nov. 23, 1997, vs. Sacramento State.


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 46 double-doubles recorded by Patriot League players this season, with Navy tied for the league lead with 11 of them.

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

2004-05 Players with Double-Doubles
6 Navy
4 Lehigh
3 American, Army, Lafayette
2 Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross

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 46 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
Margie Trott (1984-87) -- 3
Colleen Cassidy (1979-82) -- 2
Lauren Skrel (2003-pres.) -- 2
13 pts., 10 asts. -- D4, 04 vs. Providence
14 pts., 10 asts. -- F6, 05 at Army
Tawny Petrick (1987-90) -- 1
Angela Dobbs (1989-92) -- 1
Kim Jackson (1994) -- 1
Maile Shimoda (2001-04) -- 1


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 218 points and 132 assists this season.

In addition, Skrel ranks third on the team in shooting percentage (39.5-percent), first in three-point field goal percentage (48.9-percent) and leads the team in steals with 49.

She has dished out five or more assists in 14 games, scored seven or more points in 17 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 of the last six games (J30-F19, recording nine points in the lone contest (F19 vs. Lehigh). She is averaging 12.3 points (74), 6.5 assists (39) and 3.5 rebounds (21) a game during this span.

Skrel is shooting 72.9-percent (27-of-37) from the foul line over the last-seven games (J28-F19) and 84.0-percent (21-of-25) over the last-five games (F4-19).


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 132 ranks sixth in Navy history.

Navy's Single-Season Assist Totals
1. 177 Margie Trott, 1987
3. 172 Maile Shimoda, 2003-04
4. 137 Becky Lewis, 1983
5. 136 Kim Jackson, 1994
6. 132 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 fourth-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. 1.89 Maile Shimoda, 2003 (172 a, 91 to)
4. 1.81 Lauren Skrel, 2005 (132 a, 73 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 -- 1.81 (132 a, 73 to)
Navy A/T Ratio w/Skrel -- 0.67 (335 a, 495 to)
Navy A/T Ratio wo/Skrel -- 0.48 (203 a, 422 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 week, Campbell would move into a tie for sixth place with 109-career games played.

Career Games Played
1. 113 Vanessa Melofchik, 1996-99
113 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
6. 109 Maile Shimoda, 2001-04
7. 108 Joanne Groth, 1995-98
108 Jennifer Bombinski, 1998-01
9. 107 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 15 games, with Pelzek drilling at least a pair of three-pointers in 11 games.

Campbell's 47 three-pointers is tops on the team this year and is a new personal-best total, just ahead of the 39 connected on by Pelzek, also a career high.

Campbell has drilled multiple three-point field goals in seven of her last-eight games and is shooting 45.5-percent (40-of-88) from the field and 47.3-percent (27-of-57) in three-point attempts and averaging 3.4 triples a game during this eight-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 53 treys.

Navy Career Three-Point FG Made
1. 245 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
3. 148 Maile Shimoda, 2001-04
4. 131 Yolanda Ray, 1991-94
5. 127 Abi Campbell, 2002-pres.
10. 66 Tina Dalmau, 1995-98
11. 55 Becky Dowling, 1995-98
12. 53 Ashley Pelzek, 2003-pres.

Navy 3-Pt. FG Made in P.L. Career
1. 123 Courtney Davidson, 2001-04
2. 74 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 Career Blocked Shots
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
Nikki Curtis has scored in double figures in 12 of her last 13 games (J8-F13). She is averaging 13.7 points (178 total) and 7.7 rebounds a game (100 total) and shooting 49.6-percent from the field (69-of-139) 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 6.9 rebounds a game.

She entered the year having totaled 137 points and 124 rebounds in her career, but has scored 305 points and hauled in 173 boards this season.


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 12.2 6.9


Carly Meyer
Carly Meyer has found her shooting touch of late, scoring in double figures in three of her last four games (F6-19). She is averaging 12.0 points (48) and 4.5 rebounds (18) a game in this span, while also shooting 50-percent (16-of-32) from the field and 55.6-percent (5-of-9) from behind the three-point line


Trends
Navy is 9-0 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 15 games this season (8-7), and is 1-9 when shooting a lower percentage.

Navy has won the rebounding battle in 14 games (7-7) 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 7-7 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; 3-15 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, 6-5 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 -- 1.88 3fgm
Patriot League Season
2nd in 3-pt. FGM/Game -- 2.67 3fgm
4th in defensive rebound -- 4.50 rpg
5th in 3-pt. FG pct. -- 41.0%

Nikki Curtis
Overall
2nd in offensive rebounds -- 2.99 rpg
4th in rebounds -- 6.9 rpg
Patriot League Season
1st in offensive rebounds -- 3.33 rpg
5th in field goal pct. -- 49.2%

Lauren Skrel
Overall
*1st in assists -- 5.28 apg
*2nd in assist/turnover ratio -- 1.81
Patriot League Season
*1st in assists -- 5.00 apg
*tied for 2nd in three-point field goal pct. -- 50.0%
*5th in free throw pct. -- 80.0%
*5th in assist/turnover ratio -- 1.40

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

Overall
1st in three-point FG pct. -- 35.4%
2nd in defensive field goal percentage -- 39.4%
2nd in rebounds -- 37.5 rpg

Patriot League games
2nd in offensive rebounds -- 13.25 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