An inside look at the Lafayette Women s Basketball program throughout the 2011-12 season. Lafayette Women s Basketball OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER, ISSUE # 2 COACH DI S CORNER Happy New Year! May the year ahead bring much joy, happiness and harmony and a Patriot League Championship too! It seems a while, so let s get you up to speed with the Pards. Before Holiday Break, the team took care of business in Brooklyn and defeated the Terriers to go home with a smile. Although our break was short, quality time at home with family and friends is always special. Nothing like getting some TLC from loved ones with a few presents to boot! The Team returned to College Hill the day after Christmas focused and ready to go. The Maryland Holiday Tournament followed by a game at Pittsburgh provided an opportunity to test our skills. Our mantra Let s Give em Something to Talk About played out. Playing the #5 team in the Country was a challenge. We competed but were overmatched. The Terps are for real! More inside! JANUARY 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE MEET THE TEAM PLAYER SPOTLIGHT FRIENDS UPDATE ALUMNI UPDATE CALENDAR
FRIENDS UPDATE F RIENDS UPDATE New high-tops - $65 Gas Money for drive to Easton, PA - $30 Hot Dog and Soda at the game - $10 Two tickets to see the Leopards beat American $10 Hitting the "J" in Kirby Sports Center PRICELESS!!! Call your teammates, pack up the car and come back to Easton for the 2012 Alumni Game Day. Watch the Lady Leopards finish their regular season with a win over American University. After the game, lace up your high-tops for a post-game alumni scrimmage. To register for tickets, email cummingv@lafayette.edu or call 610-330-5475. **Coach Dianne Nolan, her staff, and especially the Lady Leopards are working hard to build the women's basketball program into a Patriot League Championship team. How can you help? Join me in supporting the team with a gift to the Maroon Club and the Women's Basketball Team. Your contribution will help enhance the experience of the players, offset travel expenses, assist with recruiting efforts and help with coaching and staffing needs. M E E T T H E T E A M BRYA FREELAND #5 BRYA FREELAND IS A FRESHMAN POINT GUARD THAT HAILS FROM PASADENA, MARYLAND. THIS SEASON BRYA HAS BEEN A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR IN HER SHORT CAREER, HAVING STARTED 16 OF THE LEOPARDS 18 GAMES. BRYA AVERAGES 5.4 POINTS PER GAME ALONG WITH 2.0 ASSISTS A GAME. SHE HAD A CAREER NIGHT ON 12/9 VS. ST. JOES WHERE SHE SCORED 21 POINTS. HER PERFORMANCE HELPED HER TO EARN PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN DECEMBER. Continue the legacy of excellence at Lafayette! Go to www.goleopards.com and click on Maroon Club to make an on-line contribution today. See you at the gym, Stephanie Hayes '94 MADDIE PEABODY #2 MADDIE PEABODY IS ANOTHER FRESHMAN POINT GUARD FROM LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. MADDIE HAS PROVIDED A TREMENDOUS SPARK OFF THE BENCH FOR THE LEOPARDS WITH HER TENACIOUS DEFENSE AND ABILITY TO DISTRIBUTE THE BALL. SHE IS CURRENTLY AVERAGING 2.6 POINTS PER GAME AND 1.7 ASSISTS IN 21 MINUTES OF PLAY. 2
We regrouped and beat East Carolina the next day. It was a gut check game and the Pards did us proud. Our freshman Emily Homan was named to the All Tournament Team. The bus ride to Pittsburgh was filled with laughter and good movies. The Pards competed vs. Pitt and left it all out on the floor. An overtime loss hurt but we left with our heads held high, setting a record of assists to baskets (27 to 29) and tying the field goal percentage record in the Petersen Events Center. Spending New Years in Easton is always a treat, however our bus did not get back in time to watch the Crayon Drop at the Town Square. Playing back in Kirby for the first time in a month was a treat. The Pards were ready and beat Columbia. It was a total team effort as every player tallied a basket. We opened League play with Navy. It was a tale of two halves. Our first half performance was as good as it gets, but our second half- not so much. Although we battled throughout the game we fell short to the defending champions. Each day we get better and are continuing to put ourselves in a position to climb to the top of the league. As we reflect on the last year and look forward to the exciting times ahead, our thoughts turn to you. We value your support. Every email, letter, phone call, intern opportunity, baked goods at reception, dinners and gifts are greatly appreciated. COACH Di S CORNER (CONTINUED) Our quest of moving the program to the top of the league is a collaborative effort and you are an integral part of our success. We are extremely grateful for all you do. It continues to be a privilege working with our players to best represent Lafayette College. BEST, DIANNE 3
~Player Spotlight~ With the start of Patriot League play, I think we are right where we need to be. We had a tough non- conference schedule and responded to that pretty well for being such a young team, with 9 of our 15 players being freshmen and sophomores. We had the opportunity to play a couple nationally ranked teams and played in some big time arenas such as the Carrier Dome of Syracuse University, the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland, and the Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh. All of these were great experiences and we had a lot of fun. I think we grew the most as a team during our five- day, 3- game road trip to Maryland and Pittsburgh. Playing a powerhouse like Maryland (ranked 5 th in the country, a possible national champion contender) was quite an experience and we played hard and fought with them all 40 minutes. The following day we had a quick turnaround against a very athletic East Carolina team in which we played a great game of basketball and came away with a 7- point victory. From Maryland we boarded the bus and headed to the University of Pittsburgh. We played another great game, led most of the game, and forced the game into overtime. With a couple of our post players fouled out, it was a tough overtime and Pitt ended up with the win, but we definitely matured as a team that weekend. The Patriot League is very open this year, with each team being pretty evenly matched. With our height advantage inside and our increasing guard play on the perimeter, we are a tough matchup for any team in the league. This being my senior year, I have one goal in mind and that is to win the Patriot League Championship and I think we are right on track to do so. ~Melissa Downey 12 4
CONGRATS TO EMILY HOMAN FOR BEING NAMED PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR! EMILY IS ALSO THE SECOND PERSON IN PATRIOT LEAGUE HISTORY TO RECEIVE BOTH PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER AND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK IN THE SAME WEEK! EMILY CURRENTLY LEADS THE LEOPARDS IN POINTS PER GAME (11.2) AND IS SECOND ON THE TEAM IN REBOUNDS (5.8). 5
ALUMNI UPDATE Emily Garner 09 After graduating in 2009, I had the opportunity to try out for a couple of pro teams in Puerto Rico and Germany. I was fortunate enough to get a couple of offers, but blew out my knee in Germany. Though the outcome wasn t as I had hoped, it afforded me to see some places that I probably wouldn t have gotten to see otherwise. I spent the following year rehabbing my knee and substitute teaching back home in Virginia. I helped coach my high school team, and transitioned into AAU coaching in the spring. I knew I wanted to pursue college coaching though, and applied to a number of places in the spring. With the help of one of my assistants from college, I was able to land a graduate position at LIU. It s been a total eye opener. I m so much more thankful for the opportunities I had as a player, and for the hard work and dedication of my coaches. While my job is more administrative in that I handle film exchange, equipment, etc., it s given me incredible insight in to what my coaches did for me when I played. While at LIU, I m also getting my Master s in Education. I m student teaching this spring, as well as staying on as a Director of Operations for the rest of the season. Lafayette definitely gave me the foundation I needed to balance school and a job, and I m incredibly thankful for my four years there. As always, Go Pards CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS: JANUARY 11 LAFAYETTE @ Army 7pm JANUARY 14 LAFAYETTE @ Bucknell 7pm JANUARY 18 LAFAYETTE vs. Holy Cross 7pm (HOME) JANUARY 21 KEEP UP WITH THE Leopards Type in Lafayette Women s Basketball and like our Fan Page on Facebook LAFAYETTE @Lehigh 7pm JANUARY 25 LAFAYETTE vs. Colgate 7pm (HOME) JANUARY 28 TH Follow Coach Nolan! Type in @Coachnolan LAFAYETTE @ American 2pm **Alumni Post- Game Reception is scheduled for February 25, 2012 after the last home game vs. American.** For more information on Lafayette Athletics go to: Goleopards.com