Jan. 13, 2005

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THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette continues its six-game homestand, hosting American in a Patriot League contest. Both teams are looking to snap losing streaks and put their first mark in the Patriot League win column. American has dropped seven in a row, and eight of nine, while Lafayette has fallen in 10 straight. Today's game is the third in six days for Lafayette.

PUT AWAY THE TRAVEL BAGS: Lafayette's current six game homestand is the longest in the 33-year history of the program. Lafayette has played five in a row at home on four separate occassions, the most recent being during the 2002-03 season.

LOOKING FOR A SPARK...: Lafayette's offense has struggled from the floor during the current 10-game skid. The Leopards have not hit the 60-point plateau since a 63-47 win over Radford on Dec. 2 and have made fewer than 20 field goals in each of the past eight outings. In five of the past seven games, Lafayette has had one or fewer players reach double figures in scoring.

...AND FINDING A FLICKER: Lafayette played an inspired second half against Lehigh on Wednesday night and seemed to break out of its recent scoring slump. The Leopards knocked in 13-of-30 shots from the floor (43.3 percent) and scored 33 points, posting their best offensive half since a 13-of-29 (44.8 percent), 36-point performance against Texas-Pan American on Dec. 29.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Freshman Vanessa Van De Venter has made an immediate impact in her rookie season. The 6-0 forward is currently the only Leopard averaging double figures in scoring (10.6 ppg.) and is also leading the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg.). She tossed in a career-high 23 points against UTPA and is one of just four players in the Patriot League to post two double-double performances this season. She had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the opener against UMES and collected 12 points and 10 boards against Radford. Van De Venter currently ranks second in the Patriot League in free throw percentage (.855), fourth in field goal percentage (.457), sixth in rebounding and 12th in scoring.

FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: One bright spot for Lafayette last season was at the foul line. The Leopards shot 75 percent (402-of-536) for the season at the foul line, tops in the Patriot League. Lafayette's 402 free throws were the second-most in the league, trailing Colgate, which played three more games, by just 14 buckets...This Season...As a team, Lafayette has hit 182-of-253 foul shots (71.9 percent). The Leopards' 182 foul shots are the second-most in the Patriot League.

INDOE DROPS DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Junior center Tricia Indoe posted her third career double-double in the loss at Yale. She collected 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Indoe's two previous double-doubles were in the final regular season games of the 2003-04 season. She tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds against Navy (2/26/04), then followed that with an 11-point, 11-rebound peformance against American two days later.

BLOCK PARTY: Lafayette blocked eight shots against Howard on Jan. 3. Lindsay Myers and Tricia Indoe led the way with three blocks apiece. The Leopards' eight blocks as a team were two off the school record of 10, set against Temple on Dec. 2, 1980.

SHOOTING STRUGGLES: Twice this season, Lafayette has been held to 33 points and 10 field goals in a game. The Leopards made just 10-of-60 field goals and scored 33 points against Penn on Monday. On Dec. 22, Lafayette was held to 33 points on 10-of-41 shooting at St. Francis. The Leopards' 33 points are the fewest in a game since an 84-28 loss at St. Joseph's on Jan. 6, 1996.

HITTING THE BOARDS: Lafayette's 51 rebounds against Howard were the most in a single game for a Lafayette team since a 50-rebound performance against Dartmouth on Dec. 28, 2001. Vanessa Van De Venter and Lindsay Myers led Lafayette with nine and eight rebounds, respectively, against Howard.

INTO THE MIX: Freshmen Vanessa Van De Venter and Maureen Johnson have made eight and seven starts, respectively, this season. Van De Venter is averaging 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in her eight starts, while Johnson has averaged 4.6 points and 3.0 rebounds from the point guard position in her seven starts.

VAN DE VENTER CLAIMS THIRD ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONOR (1/3): Freshman forward Vanessa Van De Venter was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the third time this season based on her performance against Texas-Pan American on Dec. 29. Van De Venter had arguably her best all-around game of the season, dumping in a career-high 23 points, including 17 in the second half, and collecting eight rebounds. She hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor and 7-of-9 from the foul line.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: Only two of Lafayette's 14 games this season have been decided by fewer than 10 points. Both of the Leopards' wins have been by 16 points, marking Lafayette's largest margin of victory since the 2000-01 season.

ON THE BENCH: Head coach Tammy Smith is in her fourth season at Lafayette. Smith, whose first three teams were beset with injuries, is 9-89 as Lafayette's head coach. She has a career record of 122-157, which includes a 113-68 mark and two NCAA Tournament appearances in seven seasons at Division III Muhlenberg College.

LAFAYETTE vs. the PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 282 games against the seven other current members of the Patriot League and is 130-152 (.461) in those contests. Lafayette vs. the Patriot League:

American 1-11	Army 20-15	Bucknell 29-24	Colgate 25-16
Holy Cross 5-32	Lehigh 36-27	Navy 14-27

SUCCESSFUL OPENERS: Lafayette's 60-44 win over UMES was the first win in a season-opener since a 74-60 win over Drexel to open the 1997-98 season. The Leopards also claimed a 63-47 win over Radford in the home opener on Dec. 2, Lafayette's first win in a home opener since a 75-72 win over Rider in the 2001-02 season. The win over Drexel to open the 1997-98 season represents the last time Lafayette won both the season opener and home opener in the same season.

THE CAPTAINS: One senior and two juniors are serving as co-captains for the Leopards this season. Senior center Brianne Welte and junior guards Kristin Doherty and Katie Kokolus will share the duties.

NEW FACES: Lafayette has played six first-time opponents this season, three at home and three on the road. The Leopards opened the season with three road games against first-time foes, while UMBC, Texas-Pan American and Howard made their first trips to Kirby Sports Center. Lafayette is 1-5 against first-time opponents this season.

VAN DE VENTER ROOKIE OF THE WEEK, PART 2 (12/5): Freshman forward Vanessa Van De Venter was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the week ending Dec. 5, based largely on her performance in the win over Radford. Van De Venter posted her second double-double against the Highlanders, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the floor and finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

MYERS DRIVES THE OFFENSE: Senior guard Lindsay Myers played all 40 minutes against UMBC on Dec. 9 and finished with a career-high 22 points in the loss. She hit 8-of-14 shots from the floor and 6-of-9 from the foul line. Myers currently is second amongst her teammates in scoring (8.6 ppg.) and rebounding (5.6 rpg.).

NAIDA'S NIGHT: Senior forward Naida Dupovac was the catalyst of Lafayette's 13-2 game-opening run against Radford. Dupovac scored seven of the Leopards' first 13 points, establishing a new career high just 3:30 into the contest. She finished 4-of-4 from the field and tallied nine points.

POST PRODUCTION: Lafayette dominated play in the paint in the win over Radford. Seniors Naida Dupovac and Brianne Welte and freshman Vanessa Van De Venter combined to hit 13-of-16 shots from the floor, while collecting a total of 29 points and 20 rebounds. For the game, the Leopards held a 49-29 edge on the boards.

SOLID "D": Lafayette held Radford to just 5-of-27 shooting (18.5 percent) in the second half in the home opener on Dec. 2. The Highlanders' 15 second-half points were the fewest allowed in a half by Lafayette since Air Force scored 12 in the first half on Dec. 21, 2000.

FROM THE LAND O' PLENTY: Sophomore guard Kara Stetler has established herself as a threat from the perimeter through the season's first half. Stetler has hit 20-of-64 three-point attempts (31.3 percent), including a season-high 4-of-8 against Wayne State on Nov. 20. She ranks fifth in the Patriot League in three-pointers made and 11th in three-point percentage. As a team, Lafayette is shooting 27.2 percent (44-of-162) from three-point range.

DOHERTY FROM DOWNTOWN: Junior guard Kristin Doherty led her teammates with 25 three-pointers last season, nearly one-third of the team's total (80) for the season. The only Leopard to play in all 28 games last year, Doherty hit at least one triple in 15 games, including a school-record tying five against Quinnipiac on Jan. 5...This Season...Doherty was 4-of-5 beyond the arc at Buffalo (11/27) and is currently second amongst her teammates with 13 triples.

VAN DE VENTER ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (11/22): Freshman forward Vanessa Van De Venter was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for her performance in the season's opening weekend. Van De Venter made the most of her collegiate debut, collecting 14 points and 10 rebounds in the opener against UMES. She tacked on nine points, courtesy of a 9-of-10 day at the foul line, and four rebounds in the loss to Wayne State.

STETLER NAMED TO EMU ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: Sophomore guard Kara Stetler represented Lafayette on the Eastern Michigan Classic All-Tournament Team. Stetler scored 28 total points in the two games and was 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. She also grabbed nine rebounds over the two games.

INJURY UPDATE: Lafayette struggled with injuries throughout the 2003-04 season, resulting in 12 different players appearing in the starting lineup a year ago. The Leopards open the 2004-05 campaign healthy, with one notable exception. Junior Katie Kokolus is out indefinitely after doctors discovered her as having two blood clots, one in her shoulder and one in her lung. Kokolus missed all but three games with a torn ACL last year.

ALL-TIME RECORD: Lafayette's women's basketball program is in its 33rd season and has played 785 games. Lafayette is 375-410 (.478) 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. Holy Cross edged out Colgate as the preseason favorite, with both teams earning five first-place votes.

PATRIOT LEAGUE SCHEDULE: There have been a pair of significant changes to the Patriot League's scheduling format for the 2004-05 season. The first is a decision to play men's and women's games at opposite sites. Previously, doubleheaders were common for league games, with the women's contest preceding the men's. Under the new format, when the Lafayette men are playing at home against, for example, Bucknell, the Lafayette women will be playing at Bucknell on the same date. The other change is in the format for the Patriot League Tournament. Previously, the quarterfinals and semifinals were played at a neutral site, with the championship game played at the home site of the highest remaining seed. Under the new format, the top two seeds on the men's and women's sides will host four-team mini-tournaments, with the championship game still to be played at the site of the highest remaining seed.

THE GIANT Q: The biggest question mark for Lafayette entering the season is how to replace the production of Colleen Fitzpatrick. A four-year starter, Fitzpatrick graduated in May as the school's fourth all-time leading scorer (1,399) and sixth all-time leading rebounder (678). She led the Leopards in scoring and rebounding each of her final three seasons and posted the top field-goal percentage in the Patriot League for four straight seasons.

FINISHING STRONG: Junior center Tricia Indoe finished the 2003-04 season with a flurry, and is expected to be one of the first players off the bench this season. Indoe started each of the final four regular season games a year ago, posting double-doubles in the last two. She collected 12 points and 10 rebounds against Navy on Feb. 26, then tallied 11 points and 11 boards in the win over American on Feb. 28. For the season, Indoe snagged at least five rebounds in 10 different games, and finished second on the team in total rebounds with 110.

PERFECT TIMING: Lafayette's lone win last season could not have come at a better time. The Leopards defeated then league-leading American, 64-61, at home on the final day of the regular season. A pair of seniors led the charge in their final game in Kirby Sports Center. Colleen Fitzpatrick collected 13 points and 15 rebounds, while guard Elecia Kruise dumped in a career-high 16 points.

LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the eighth-straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 10 games televised and have the possibility of adding three more televised contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network will air the 10 games to more than 9.1 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. Several of Lafayette's games that appear on the Lafayette Sports Network will also be picked up by Empire Sports Network which reaches more than 19.5 million viewers in Upstate and Western New York as well as more than 60 million potential viewers on DIRECTV (626) and Dish Network (432).