February 1, 2012
Lafayette 66, Army 47
A
DeWitt Leiva double double (12 points, 11 rebounds) helps us avenge our earlier loss to the Black Knights. Not usually a good passing team, we average fewer than ten assists per game, but this time 20 of our 25 baskets are assisted.
Bily Weiler hands out six dimes, and
James Burford–playing lots of minutes after
Stephen Thames has to leave the game with a migraine–dishes out five more. We’re back to .500 in Patriot League play.
Record: 14-9 (4-4).
February 4, 2012
Navy 57, Lafayette 45
Once again, we have no answer for
Steven Ison. He drops 21 on us, right on his season average, and the trip home from Annapolis seems longer than it is.
Stephen Diaz and
Robert Castleman share our scoring honors with 10 points apiece. To make matters worse,
Clark Nolan hurts his back. He’ll probably be out of action for a week or so.
Record: 14-10 (4-5).
February 8, 2012
Lafayette 64, Holy Cross 51
The Leopards battle back from a 30-22 halftime deficit, delighting a big, noisy home crowd. This time, we do a wonderful job defending a high-scoring guard, forcing
Paul Van Winkle to misfire on 13 of his 14 shot attempts. Meanwhile,
Stephen Diaz pours in 19, and
DeWitt Leiva grabs 16 rebounds.
Stephen Thames returns to action and scores 9 points, all coming from the free throw line.
Record: 15-10 (5-5).
February 11, 2012
Lafayette 61, Lehigh 40
We celebrate Senior Day with a satisfying victory. Each senior acquits himself well.
Robert Castleman (16 points) regains his scoring touch.
DeWitt Leiva nearly posts a double-double, finishing with 9 points and 9 rebounds and adding 4 assists for good measure.
Stephen Diaz struggles with foul trouble, but finishes with 8 points in 17 minutes. That opens the door for
Joseph Burford to play 25 minutes, filling the scoresheet nicely.
Record: 16-10 (6-5).
February 18, 2012
Colgate 58, Lafayette 55
We miss our chance to guarantee at least a .500 conference record with five minutes of sloppy play at the end of the game. In doing so, we waste
Billy Weiler’s best game of the season; he played 32 minutes, scored 14 points, and didn’t turn the ball over once.
Stephen Diaz (13) and
Robert Castleman (10) join Billy in double figures.
Record: 16-11 (6-6).
February 21, 2012
American 95, Lafayette 67
The Eagles are the class of the Patriot League. Their 12-1 record is at least five games better than anyone else in the league. Tonight, they show us why that’s the case.
Kirill Korolev and
Victor Reed combine for 51 points; sixth man Reed gets his in only 18 minutes. To make matters worse,
DeWitt Leiva leaves the game with an injury that looks pretty bad.
Robert Castleman provides our only good news with 21 points.
Record: 16-12 (6-7).
February 25, 2012
Lafayette 62, Bucknell 45
We enter the last game of the regular season needing a win to meet the AD’s challenge of a .500 record in conference competition. We’ll have to do that without the services of
DeWitt Leiva, whose sprained wrist is far too badly injured to allow him to play. The Leopards step up and defeat the Bison behind 14 points and 12 rebounds from
Robert Castleman.
Stephen Diaz and
Stephen Thames add 12 more apiece.
Record: 17-12 (7-7).
February 29, 2012
Patriot League Tournament, First Round
(5) Army 87, (4) Lafayette 78 (OT)
Besides American, who is a cut above the rest, the team I’d most hate to face in the Patriot League tournament is Army. Still, it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, and we come close to denying the pesky Black Knights that achievement. We fall behind 36-24 in the first half and battle back gamely, and we send the game into overtime with a clutch basket from
Stephen Thames. The Black Knights regain control in the extra session and and eliminate us from the conference tourney.
James Gonzales (26 points) and
Jarred Olivo (23) are the big stars for the winners, while
Robert Castleman (17 points), Thames (16), and
Billy Weiler (14) earn high marks for their performance in a losing effort. I can't help thinking we would have won if
DeWitt Leiva had been able to play. This one hurts.
Record: 17-13.
I wonder if our record will be good enough to earn us a spot in one of the minor national tournaments? We'll find out soon.
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2011 Patriot League Standings
TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
American 13 1 .929 22 7 .759 33 42
Holy Cross 8 6 .571 20 11 .645 214 46
Navy 7 7 .500 14 16 .467 254 25
Lafayette 7 7 .500 17 13 .567 172 27
Army 6 8 .429 10 20 .333 180 13
Bucknell 5 9 .357 13 17 .433 226 35
Lehigh 5 9 .357 13 16 .448 167 26
Colgate 5 9 .357 8 22 .267 243 22