Jan. 8, 2007

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THE MATCH-UP: Feeding off the momentum created with a Saturday win over Holy Cross (1/6) in Easton, Lafayette hits the road in hopes of picking up its second straight Patriot League victory with a visit to Colgate. The Leopards have struggled against the Raiders as of late, but Colgate is in the midst of a dismal 1-15 season having beaten Canisius at home back on Nov. 14. Lafayette leads the all-time series, which dates back to a 55-48 Leopard win on Dec. 4, 1976, by a 26-20 margin. Colgate has won the last eight meetings, as the Leopards' last win (89-80) came on Colgate's Cotterell Court on Jan. 11, 2003.

LEOPARDS OPEN PATRIOT LEAGUE SLATE IN STYLE: Sophomore guard Jessica Spicer scored a career-high 20 points and classmate Cristin Zavocki added 14 as Lafayette knocked off Holy Cross 61-58 in the Patriot League opener for both schools on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center. In a back-and-forth game that featured seven ties and 11 lead changes, neither team led by more than six the entire way.

SPICER SHOOTS FOR CAREER HIGH: With a career-high, 20-point effort against Holy Cross (1/6), point guard Jessica Spicer solidified herself as one of the top young prospects in the Patriot League. Just a sophomore, Spicer has started 11 games and is second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg). Her 20-point assault on the Crusaders' defense came by virtue of a career-high five three pointers.

HAPPY NEW YEAR: Head coach Tammy Smith was certainly not quiet about her team's itching to get 2007 and the Patriot League season underway. Lafayette had lost 11 straight, which included a pair of heartbreakers to Penn (12/7) and Morgan State (1/9), and the Leopards were more than happy to get a fresh start. The team got just that and one for the win column against Holy Cross on Saturday (1/6). Lafayette is now 7-10 in Patriot League openers.

ZAVOCKI BACK ON TRACK: Sophomore guard Cristin Zavocki established herself as a three-point threat to start the season, but was in a bit of a slump heading into the Patriot League opener versus Holy Cross. All of that changed when the Garden State native drained four threes and a pair of free throws with 14 seconds remaining to seal the Leopards' first win in nearly two months. Zavocki is currently hitting 27 percent (14-of-52) from long range.

SMITH ON THE SIDELINES: Head coach Tammy Smith enters her sixth season at Lafayette and 12th overall. In 2005-06, she directed the Leopards to the most victories since 1995-96 and has nearly doubled her win totals after each season on College Hill. Smith is the fourth head coach in Lafayette's 35-year history. She has a career record of 136-200 (.405), which includes a 113-68 mark and two NCAA Tournament appearances in seven seasons at D-III Muhlenberg.

UP NEXT: Lafayette travels to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before returning home to host Bucknell on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE vs. the PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 313 games all-time against the seven other current members of the Patriot League and is 138-175 (.441) in those contests. The Leopards own a 74-137 (.351) record since joining the league in the 1990-91 season. Lafayette holds a 26-20 advantage in its all-time series against Colgate, but has not won against the Raiders since 2003. Below is a breakdown of Lafayette vs. the Patriot League:

American: 2-14
Army: 20-20
Bucknell: 31-26
Colgate: 26-20
Holy Cross: 7-36
Lehigh: 37-29
Navy: 15-30
TOTAL: 138-175

SCOUTING COLGATE: Colgate enters Tuesday's contest desperately searching for its first win since a 62-57 overtime win at home against Canisius on Nov. 14. The Raiders are coming off 69-58 loss to defending Patriot League champion Army on Saturday in the league opener for both teams. Colgate is now sitting in last place at 1-15 overall and 0-1 in the Patriot League.

Junior forward Caitlin Gillard, the Jan. 2 pick for the Patriot League Player of the Week, leads the Raiders in scoring (11.2) and rebounding (6.9). Classmate Melanie Cargle's 19-point effort against Army last weekend brought the junior guard's season average up to 8.6 points a game, which is good for second on the team.

Junior Shevrone Martin (6.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and sophomore Gretchen Polinski (7.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg) join Cargle in the backcourt.

Colgate has played six of its last seven games on the road and are likely happy to be back in Hamilton, N.Y. to host Lafayette before traveling to American (1/13) and Lehigh (1/16) next week.

The Raiders finished 2005-06 behind a 9-20 record and ended up fifth in the league with a 6-8 mark.

Head coach Kristin Hughes (Elms College '91) is in her third season with the Raiders and 14th overall. Her current record at Colgate is 22-53, which includes four straight wins over Lafayette since 2004-05.

DEFENSE DOES IT: The Leopards' defense against Holy Cross keyed a vital win to start Patriot League play. Due in large part to the work of Vanessa Van De Venter and Emily Garner, the team held the Crusaders' two preseason all-league players, Kaitlin Foley and Brittany Keil, to a combined 12 points on the afternoon. Before heading to Easton, Pa., the duo was averaging 13.1 and 9.8 points a game, respectively.

HELPING HANDS: For the third time this season and second in a row, Lafayette produced a positive in the assist-turnover ratio (1.3) against Holy Cross (1/6). Lafayette matched a season-high 17 assists against the Crusaders, while surrendering 13 turnovers. Led by Cristin Zavocki's four helpers, Lafayette assisted on all but three of its baskets. The Leopards assisted on 16 of their 21 buckets against Princeton (1/3), helped by a career-high six from junior guard Maureen Johnson, while committing just 12 turnovers.

GOT RANGE?: Led by a season-high five three-pointers from sophomore guard Jessica Spicer, Lafayette buried a season-high nine triples for the second straight game against Holy Cross (1/6). Classmate Cristin Zavocki added a season-high four long range buckets against the Crusaders. With nine threes against Princeton (1/3) just three days earlier, Lafayette hit its most long-range jumpers since Feb. 7, 2006 at Colgate. Stetler contributed three buckets in that effort.

SECOND CHANCES: In what was easily the team's most hard-fought game of the season, the Leopards totalled 14 second chance points after the break to pull off a 61-58 win over Holy Cross (1/6). The Crusaders compiled a 15-0 margin in that statistic in the first half.

OFF THE GLASS: Lafayette out-rebounded Holy Cross by a 34-30 margin, but it was the Leopards crashing the boards to get more than half of their rebounds on the offensive end. Vanessa Van De Venter (4) and Emily Garner (3) combined for seven of the team's 12 offensive boards.

NO HARM, NO FOUL: Lafayette's aggressiveness on both ends of the floor has been especially evident in the last handful games. At times, however, it worked against the team as it averaged 27 fouls a game over the four outings prior to hosting Holy Cross (1/6). Against the Crusaders, the Leopards were whistled for just 12 fouls and no player had more than three.

LEADING LADY: Sophomore forward Emily Garner enters Tuesday night's game leading the Patriot League in field goal percentage. She is hitting 52 percent (58-of-111) of her shots and has notched better than a 50 percent accuracy in 10 games this season.

WHOLE NINE YARDS: Lafayette has hit a season-high nine threes in each of its last two games. The Leopards are averaging 5.3 triples a game and rank third in the Patriot League.

A FORCEFUL LESSON: Lafayette's defense harassed Princeton (1/3) into a season-high 26 turnovers, which included 10 steals for the Leopards. The team then churned the giveaways into 25 points, which included 15 in the second half alone.

TURNAROUND IN THE TURNOVER DEPARTMENT: Lafayette committed just 12 turnovers against Princeton (1/3) and 13 against Holy Cross (1/6), which was nearly half of the team's 23.9 turnover average prior to the Princeton game. The Leopards surrendered a season-low 11 turnovers at home against Penn on Dec. 7, marking the fewest turnovers by a Tammy Smith team since Feb. 11, 2006 against Navy (10).

HELP IS ON THE WAY: Lafayette has assisted on 17 buckets on four different occasions this season, which includes its most recent win over Holy Cross (1/6). Lafayette ranks second in the Patriot League averaging 13.8 assists a game.

VANDY JOINS 700 CLUB: For the second time in less than a week, a Lafayette player passed a milestone, as junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter registered her 700th career point on a layin with 11:28 remaining against Princeton (1/3). Senior guard Kara Stetler reached that same number against NJIT on Dec. 28. Van De Venter has started 57 games in a Lafayette uniform and is second on the team in scoring with 10.8 ppg. She currently has 714 points over 70 games for a 10.2 ppg career average.

MUSICAL CHAIRS: Head coach Tammy Smith sent her eighth different starting line-up of the season on the floor on Jan. 3 against Princeton. She has used the same lineup over the last two games. Vanessa Van De Venter is the only player to start all 15 games for the Leopards, while eight others have gotten the nod at different times during this season (see graphic page 7).

WE WANT "MO" OF IT: Junior guard Maureen "Mo" Johnson has played in all but one game this season and is averaging around three points a game. She is putting in a solid 14 minutes a game and notched a career-high nine points in 17 minutes in the Leopards' home-opener against Cornell (11/18). In 2005-06, Johnson averaged three minutes and less than one point and one rebound a game. Johnson played the second most minutes (14.3) among Lafayette freshmen in 2004-05.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE: Due in large part to Monmouth (12/31) committing 27 personal fouls, Lafayette sent to the charity stripe 33 times in the New Year's Eve battle. The Leopards converted 22-of-33 (67 percent) of their free throws, which included a 7-of-8 effort from junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter.

FAB FRESHMAN: Rookie Danielle Jenkins went from seeing roughly five minutes a game throughout all of November and into December, but that her stock rose considerably thanks to a solid eight-point, 22-minute performance at UC Davis on Dec. 20. She earned the first career start at Monmouth on Dec. 31.

PURR-FECT TEN: Junior Brittany Purr worked her way to a double-double with 10 points and as many boards against the NJIT (12/28). All 10 of Purr's points came in the second half, as she was 4-of-5 after the break. It was her fourth career double-double after totaling three in 2005-06.

GARNER STARTS AND RESPONDS: Sophomore Emily Garner has started the last four games for head coach Tammy Smith and has responded well in all four outings, which included a career-high 20 points in just her third start of the season vs. NJIT (12/28). She got the starting nod in back-to-back contests against Cornell (11/18) and Wagner (11/21) earlier this season. Garner has been a strong presence down low for Lafayette all year, but has averaged 12 points and nine boards in her six starts. She leads the team and the Patriot League hitting 53 percent (58-of-111) from the field and is averaging 11.0 ppg.

THE WALL: Five different Lafayette players accounted for the Leopards' season-high five blocks against NJIT (12/28). It was the most blocks for a Lafayette team since a 68-58 win over Navy on Feb. 23, 2005 in Easton, Pa. Emily Garner, Vanessa Van De Venter, Jessica Spicer, Maureen Johnson and Brittany Purr accounted for Lafayette's five swats against the Highlanders. For Johnson and Stetler, it marked the first block of their respective careers.

THREE OF A KIND: Lafayette racked-up 10 steals for the second straight game against NJIT (12/28). The 10-spot came thanks in large part to a trio of unlikely sources, as junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter, senior guard Kara Stetler and freshman guard Danielle Jenkins each came away with three against the Highlanders. The mark set a career-high for Jenkins and was a season-best number for Van De Venter.

NO. 700: Senior guard Kara Stetler scored her 700th career point midway through the first half against NJIT (12/28). Appropriately for the program's all-time leading three-point shooter, her 700th point came via a triple from the right baseline. She currently has 720 career points over 94 games for a 7.7 ppg average.

HOT AND SPICY: Sophomore guard Jessica Spicer led the Leopards in scoring in both California contests prior to the holiday break, averaging 16.5 points a game that week, while also leading Lafayette in the assist and steal categories in both games. She has led Lafayette in scoring in six of the last eight games and is averaging 13 points a game in that span (12/7-1/6).

BATTLING ON THE BOARDS: Lafayette has out-rebounded its opponents in eight games this season, which includes the team's three wins. The Leopards' won the battle of the boards by a season-best margin of 12 at UC Davis on Dec. 20. The Leopards held the Aggies to just 20 rebounds on the night, while pulling down 32 of their own. Junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter tied a season-high with eight boards in the effort.

WORK HORSE: Sophomore point guard Jessica Spicer has led Lafayette in minutes played in seven games this season, including four of the last six outings. She has played at least 38 minutes on four occasions this year, including a 39-minute showing at UC Davis (12/20). Spicer leads the Leopards averaging just over 31 minutes a game. The 5-6 point guard played in all but one game a year ago and averaged 11.4 minutes.

PATRIOT LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION: Lafayette's Emily Garner, Vanessa Van De Venter and Brittany Purr were commended for their solid play last week with Patriot League honorable mention laurels for the period ending Jan. 2. Garner registered a new career-high with 20 points, while Purr posted her first double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) of the season. Van De Venter averaged 9 points and seven rebounds last week. Garner has made the list in all but one week of nominations, while Van De Venter and Purr registered their fourth and second honor, respectively (see graphic page 8).

UNLEASH THE HOUNDS: Sophomore transfer Meaghan Malone became eligible to play for the Leopards against NJIT (12/28) and saw a minute of action at the end of the game and also earned minute vs. Princeton (1/3). The North Plainfield, N.J. native transferred to Lafayette from Iona midway through the 2005-06 season.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Lafayette has dropped five games by ten points or less this season, which includes a 78-74 loss to Penn (12/7) and a 60-57 heartbreaker to Morgan State (12/9) just two days later.

INJURY REPORT: Freshman center Amanda Smith, who has seen significant action in 13 games this season, has not played in the last two contests due to soreness in her quads. Despite lingering knee issues, junior guard Val Gomez has started the last two games.

MO GETS THE GO AHEAD: On Dec. 22 against Pacific, junior guard Maureen Johnson earned her first start since Jan. 10, 2005 against Penn in Easton, Pa. She contributed six points and four boards against the Quakers that night. Johnson contributed nine minutes and two assists against the Tigers.

THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM FOR GARNER: Junior Emily Garner came away with a quiet 15 points and 10 boards a tough 72-63 Lafayette loss at Pacific (12/22). This marked her third double-double of the season and fourth of her career. Six of Garner's 15 points came in the final minute of the first half against the Tigers, allowing Lafayette to regain momentum and a 25-24 halftime lead.

ON A RELATED NOTE: Emily Garner earned her second career start against Cornell (11/18) and responded by collecting her second double-double of the season. She racked-up 13 points to compliment her 10 boards. Garner posted a 10-point, 10-rebound effort in the season-opener at St. Francis (N.Y.). The Virginia native had her first career double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) as a freshman versus Fairleigh Dickinson.

FIVE FOR FIGHTING: Lafayette saw five players reach the double-figure plateau in scoring in back-to-back games versus Vermont (12/2) and Penn (12/7). Lafayette had not put together such consecutive contests in 148 games under head coach Tammy Smith.

GOMEZ ON THE GO: Junior Val Gomez averaged 11.3 points a game in the Leopards' three games prior to their West Coast trip, which included an 11-point performance versus Penn (12/7). She poured in 12 points after the break against Vermont (12/2), helping Lafayette trim the final deficit to single digits, 73-64, against the Catamounts. Gomez was 5-of-6 from the floor and finished with a season-high 14 points. She was 2-of-3 from long range with 10 points against Princeton (1/3).

TRIPLE THREAT: Sophomore Jessica Spicer's breakout season continued with a bittersweet career night in a loss against Penn (12/7). Spicer led the team in scoring (18 points), rebounds (six) and assists (five), which were all career-highs for the 5-6 sophomore. It was the first time a Lafayette player had led the team in all three categories since Lindsay Myers '06 on Dec. 21, 2005 versus Fairleigh Dickinson.

TOWARDS THE TOP: According to the most recent Patriot League statistics (1/7), Lafayette ranked second in the league in field goal percentage at 41.3 percent (309-of-748) as a team. The Leopards have shot better than 50 percent in four games this season, including a solid 53.2 percent effort in the team's 76-60 win over Cornell (11/18). That marked the third best shooting performance by any team in the Patriot League this season.

DOWNTOWN DIVAS: Point guard Kara Stetler is leading the team hitting 27 of her 66 three-point attempts for 40 percent this season. However, it is sophomore guard Jessica Spicer that ranks fourth in the Patriot League and is averaging 1.9 threes a game.

ONE AWAY FOR PURR: Junior forward Brittany Purr was one point off of her career-high with a 14-point effort against Vermont (12/2). She also equaled a game-high with eight boards and played all but three minutes.

STEALING THUNDER: Sophomore guard Jessica Spicer has harassed three Lafayette opponents (Morgan State, Pacific, Princeton) with a season-high four steals. She is fourth in the Patriot League with 1.9 takeaways a game.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX: The Leopards have been effective boxing out for the majority of the season and have limited opponents to 35.1 rebounds a game, which lands second in the Patriot League in rebounding defense. The Leopards held UC Davis (12/20) to a season-low 20 rebounds.

FOUR MORE POR FAVOR: For the second time in her career, junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter led Lafayette in scoring over a four-game stretch from Nov. 18-29. Her 15 points against Fairleigh Dickinson (11/29) accomplished that for the first time since a four-game span ranging from Dec. 11-Jan. 3 as a rookie. Her four leading performances came against Cornell (11/18), Wagner (11/21), Coppin State (11/27) and at FDU two days later. She has led Lafayette for at least three straight games fives times in her career.

LUCKY SEVEN: Junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter went a flawless 7-for-7 from the free throw like against Fairleigh Dickinson (11/29). She accounted for all but two of the Leopards' nine attempts, as the team went 8-for-9 on the night, while FDU more than tripled Lafayette's attempts by going 21-of-32 from the stripe. Van De Venter has been perfect from the charity stripe (min. 6 attempts) on four occasions in her three years. She is a 74 percent (194-of-263) career free-throw shooter.

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK: If today's calendar system were to reflect an eight-day week, it's certain Lafayette would take full advantage. The Leopards have played on all seven days of the week and are 0-1 when playing on Tuesday.

OVER HAULIN': Sophomore Cristin Zavocki hauled down a career-high nine boards in the Leopards' upset effort against Coppin State (11/27). The mark shattered her previous career high of four caroms, which she had matched four times over her 32 games played.

THE LAND OF THE THREE: Senior guard Kara Stetler shot 66.7 percent from behind the arc against Mount Saint Mary's and finished with a season-high 21 points. It was the fourth time in her career scoring 20 points or more.

NINER: Sophomore Cristin Zavocki dished out a career-high nine assists against Cornell (11/18)--the most by any Lafayette player since at least the 1999-2000 season. Six of her nine came in the first half, helping Lafayette establish a 36-25 advantage at the break. She also added seven points.

CAREER NIGHT: A career-high night for sophomore guard Cristin Zavocki was overshadowed by teammate Kara Stetler's stellar 21-point performance at Mount St. Mary's (11/15). Zavocki drained a pair of threes to help a 9-0 Lafayette run at the end of the first half on her way to a then-season-high 10 points. She also added four rebounds and two steals. Zavocki's career-high 15 points came just six days later against Wagner (11/21).

50-PLUS: Lafayette hit at least 50 percent from the field in four games this season, including the team's two wins. The Leopards managed a season-high 53.2 percent (25-of-47) against Cornell, leading to a 76-60 win. Despite suffering a 78-74 loss to Penn (12/7), the Leopards still cranked out a 53 percent (28-of-53) shooting night. Lafayette ranks second the league in field goal percentage at 41.3 percent (309-of-748).

GARNERING ATTENTION: Sophomore forward Emily Garner missed a chunk of her freshman year, dashing what started as a breakout season for the Virginia native. This season, she now tops the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and leads the Leopards and ranks third in the league in rebounding (7.3 rpg).

SWIPING THE ROCK: Lafayette has totalled at least 10 steals on seven occasions this season, which includes the Leopards' most recent home battle against Princeton (1/3). Despite a tough loss in the season-opener on Nov. 12, Lafayette harassed St. Francis (N.Y.) into 19 turnovers, which included a season-best 13 steals. Led by a career-high five swipes from senior Kara Stetler, the Leopards totalled the most steals since a Jan. 28, 2005 meeting at Holy Cross. Junior Val Gomez and sophomores Cristin Zavocki and Jessica Spicer came away with two each.

POINTS FROM THE PINE: Head coach Tammy Smith knew that depth would be an added bonus this season. Six players on Smith's roster average at least 22 minutes a game, and the result has been a bench that has produced 31 percent of the team's points and 40 percent of its rebounds early this season. In 2005-06, Lafayette's bench accounted for 25 percent of the team's 58.2 points per game.

WEDO JOINS STAFF: Lafayette head coach Tammy Smith added 2003 San Diego graduate Jen Wedo as the program's second assistant for the 2006-07 season. She is responsible for all scouting reports, while also working extensively with the Lafayette guards. The Downingtown, Pa. native was a graduate assistant at nearby East Stroudsburg during the 2003-04 season. That year, Wedo was named the 2004 Women's Basketball Coaches Association/Women's Sports Foundation National Graduate Assistant Coach of the Year, while also earning a Master's degree in Sport Management. Wedo was a four-year scholarship player at San Diego, helping the Toreros to the 2000 West Coast Conference Championship and an NCAA tournament berth as a sophomore.

SIZE MATTERS: Lafayette added a pair of highly touted freshmen to its lineup in 2006-07, bringing with them a strong inside presence that will add depth to the Leopards' frontcourt. A 6-3 center from Las Vegas, Nev., Amanda Smith is the tallest player on Lafayette's roster and matches the fourth tallest player in the Patriot League. Not far behind is 6-2 forward Brooke Niquette, who represented one of the top players coming out of Vermont last year. She was a finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman and contender for the McDonald's All-America team.

CLOSE TO HOME: Three players with local connections - Val Gomez (Allentown, Pa./Emmaus), Vanessa Van De Venter (Tannersville, Pa./Pocono Mountain East), Amanda Leone (Easton, Pa./Easton)- account for half of Lafayette's six players from the Keystone State. Van De Venter has started all 14 games this season and is second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), while Gomez is averaging 17.7 minutes a game with five starts.

GOING DEEP: Head coach Tammy Smith said she would not hesitate to shake-up the lineup at any time throughout the season, thanks in large part to Lafayette's depth this year. According to Smith, the Leopards can go two-deep at any position without losing much in terms of skill and talent on the floor. Lafayette has used eight different starting lineups this season, while Smith is consistently going about 10 deep each game. Jessica Spicer (31.3), Kara Stetler (27.9) and Brittany Purr (26.2) and Vanessa Van De Venter (26.0) are all averaging at least 26 minutes a game. Two other players are seeing at least 21 minutes a game, while Val Gomez hovers around the 18-minute mark. Freshmen Danielle Jenkins and Amanda Smith are seeing about eight minutes of floor time.

SENIOR SALUTE: As the 2006-07 season commenced, Lafayette has relied on the leadership and talent of just a single senior in point guard Kara Stetler. A four-year starter, this 5-7 spark plug is a shooting threat anywhere on the court, but particularly from long range.

FOR THE RECORD: Senior point guard Kara Stetler's record-breaking 2005-06 season put her atop the Lafayette single-season ranks in three-point field goal percentage (41.1%) and three-pointers attempted (151). She shattered the Lafayette record for three-pointers made by nearly 20, dialing-up long distance 62 times as a junior.

IN MEMORY OF MAGGIE DIXON: To honor the life of 2005-06 Patriot League Coach of the Year, Maggie Dixon, coaches around the league will wear commemorative lapel pins with the initials "M.D." marked on them. The gesture is to pay tribute to Dixon, who coached Army to a Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament berth last March before passing away suddenly in April at the age of 28.

MAKING THE GRADE: Lafayette placed five players on the 2005-06 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Included among them were returning sophomores Emily Garner and Jessica Spicer. Garner, managed a 3.66 grade-point average in Economics and Business for the spring semester, while Spicer, who declared an Economics and Business major in August, managed a 3.25 GPA.

FOR THE FIRST TIME: Five of the Leopards' 22 opponents for the 2006-07 season will present new faces to the Lafayette program. Columbia, UC Davis, Mount St. Mary's, Pacific and NCAA Tournament participant Coppin State are set to take on Lafayette for the first time. Lafayette is 1-3 thus far against first-time opponents and will take on Columbia on Jan. 25 in its final non-conference battle of the season.

ALL-TIME RECORD: Lafayette's women's basketball program is in its 35th season and has played 842 games. Lafayette is 389-453 (.462) all-time and has recorded five 20-win seasons.

PATRIOT PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was picked to finish eighth in the Patriot League's preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors. Defending champion Army edged Holy Cross and Bucknell, who tied for second, by just two points.

PATRIOT LEAGUE SCHEDULE: The Patriot League will go with the second year of its modified same site, same day format for men's and women's games. Weekday league games for women's teams will generally be played on Tuesday nights, while the men will tip off on Wednesday. Both teams will play on Saturday, with the home institution assuming responsibility for setting the order and start times of those contests.

The schedule for the Patriot League Tournament will remain intact. The top two seeds will host four-team mini-tournaments, with the championship game still to be played at the site of the highest remaining seed. Annapolis, Md. and Navy's Alumni Hall will serve as the host for first two rounds of the 2006-07 women's tournament before the final moves to the site of the highest remaining seed.

LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the 10th straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The women's basketball team will see a minimum of nine contests hit the television air waves live in 2006-07 and have the possibility of adding televised contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air those games to more than 9.8 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region, Philadelphia, central New Jersey, New York City and Boston.

Locally the telecasts can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5 and broadcast channel 60. Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the 10th straight year, while former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone will provide color commentary for the ninth season. RCN's Dan Mowdy will report from the sidelines for the sixth year.