Navy women playing for NCAA bid

Normally, having homecourt advantage would make a huge difference in a conference championship game. That might not be the case tonight when Navy hosts Holy Cross in the finals of the Patriot League Tournament for women's basketball.

It's spring break at the Naval Academy and almost all of the Midshipmen have dispersed, hampering the home team's ability to create a raucous atmosphere at Alumni Hall. Students are the ones who are normally the loudest and rowdiest, so third-seeded Navy will have to rely on loyal fans and members of the community to make some noise.

Sophomore forward Audrey Bauer appealed to all Navy fans to come out and support the team via an open letter posted on the academy's athletic website. "We would love for you to add to our home court advantage this Saturday and cheer the team on once again! Come on out to Alumni Hall and show your Navy pride by wearing your best blue and gold!" Bauer wrote.

Holy Cross probably won't be intimidated or rattled no matter how many fans turn out tonight. The fifth-seeded Crusaders have won two straight road games in the tournament, beating No. 4 Army in front of a large contingent of Cadets then traveling all the way from Worcester (Mass.) to Washington (D.C.) to take down top-seeded American.

"We have played pretty well on the road and we kind of thrived on hearing the Cadets at Army in the first round. It's always nice to silence a big crowd," Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons said. "That being said, I was pretty happy to hear that Navy's on spring break. I think Holy Cross will have a nice contingent because I've heard from a lot of alumni and other supporters from throughout the Maryland-D.C. area."

Navy is seeking to become the third Patriot League program to capture consecutive championships. Holy Cross, which has 11 conference crowns to its credit, won back-to-back in 1995-96 then won four in a row from 1998 through 2001. Lehigh also accomplished the feat in 2009-2010.

"Home court doesn't win games, but it will be nice to play in front of our home fans and in comfortable surroundings and not have to travel," Navy head coach Stefanie Pemper said.

Navy and Holy Cross each won convincingly on the other's home court this season. The Crusaders raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back in beating the Mids, 55-38, on Jan. 11 at Alumni Hall. It was the complete opposite at the Hart Center on Feb. 8 as Navy scored jumped out to a 19-0 lead and were never headed en route to a 73-56 rout.

"We kicked their butt in Annapolis and they kicked our butt in Worcester. It's kind of strange that both games were decided by 17 points," Gibbons said. "Both games came down to defense. Neither team played very good defense in the games they lost."

Holy Cross leads the Patriot League in scoring offense (63.5) and field-goal percentage (.417). Meanwhile, Navy ranks first in the conference in scoring defense (52.4) and field-goal percentage defense (35 percent).

The Crusaders are led by first team All-Patriot League selection Alex Smith, a guard who averages 12.2 points on the strength of 37 percent shooting from 3-point range. The 5-foot-8 sophomore led the league in 3-pointers made and ranked second in percentage.

"Alex Smith is a very complete player. She's a good shooter, a good passer, a good ball-handler," Pemper said.

Holy Cross also has a pair of solid post players in second team All-Patriot League pick Amy Lepley (13.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and All-Rookie selection Emily Parker (10.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Gibbons said the rapid development of Parker has allowed Lepley to move from the center to power forward, where she is more comfortable.

"Amy is finally able to play her natural position and has thrived as a result. She's our best passer and can also put the ball on the floor," he said.

Sophomore guard Brisje Malone can be a dangerous driver while senior guard Meredith Ward is a heady leader with a reliable perimeter shot.

"Holy Cross is very deep, very balanced and very versatile. They can do a lot of different things," Pemper said. "They like to apply pressure defensively and are very good in transition."

Holy Cross pulled a shocker when it went into Bender Arena and blew out American, which had gone undefeated in capturing the regular season championship. The Crusaders played strong defense and shot lights out, making 50 percent of their field goals while limiting the Eagles to 29 percent and leading by 24 points at one juncture.

"We played very, very good basketball against American. But we don't want to be known as the team that upset the top seed then lost in the final," Gibbons said. "We want to go down as the first team in Patriot League history to win three games on the road to become champions."

Navy had a pair of second team All-Patriot League picks in center Jade Geif and small forward Alix Membreno, both sophomores. Geif leads the Mids in scoring (10.7) and rebounding (7.9) while ranking second in assists (79) with just two fewer than point guard Kara Pollinger.

"Geif is a terrific player - very heady, very crafty, very strong," Gibbons said. "If you try to guard her one-on-one, she's going to find a way to get to the basket, but she also does a very good job of passing out of double-teams."

Membreno averages 9.0 points and 6.6 rebounds while leading the team in steals (36). Sophomore forward Audrey Bauer has enjoyed an fine all-around season - ranking second on the team in scoring (10.1) and steals (32), third in rebounding (5.0) and first in blocked shots (20). Rounding out the starting lineup is senior guard and team captain Erin Edwards, the Patriot League leader in 3-point shooting percentage (.422).

"We have a lot of respect for Navy. They have all the pieces of a championship team," Gibbons said. "They are tough to defend because they surround a very effective post player with four players that can really shoot. Pollinger is playing much better than she was earlier in the season while Membreno is really the X factor with her versatility and ability to make plays."

This marks the third time Holy Cross and Navy have met in the Patriot League championship game with the former winning both times.

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bwagner@capgaznews.com

Source: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2012/03_10-22/NAS

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