January 4, 2012
Navy 58, Lafayette 54
Not the way we want our Patriot League season to begin. We shoot 32% for the game, including a woeful 2-16 from three-point range. The Patriot League's leading scorer,
Steven Ison, torches us for 25 points. Our high scorers are
Robert Castleman and
Joseph Burford, with 11 each.
DeWitt Leiva fouls out with 4 points, and
Stephen Diaz leaves the game early with an injury.
Clark Nolan comes off the bench to pull in 10 rebounds. A lot goes wrong, and we nearly win anyway.
Record: 9-6 (0-1 in conference play).
January 7, 2012
Army 58, Lafayette 57
Another service academy hands us a narrow loss at home.
Jarred Olivo sinks two free throws with five seconds left to play, undoing another yeoman effort from
Robert Castleman (21 points, 6 rebounds). A courageous
Stephen Diaz wraps up his wrist and plays 30 minutes. We can't stay out of foul trouble, and the Black Knights make us pay (20-25 from the line).
Record: 9-7 (0-2).
January 10, 2012
Lehigh 75, Lafayette 70
Another tough loss, this time away to our traditional rival. We play much better, placing five men in double figures, led by
Robert Castleman's 16.
Joseph Burford (11 points in 20 minutes, 3-3 from 3) again provides us with production from the bench. Is our conference season slipping away from us already?
Record: 9-8 (0-3).
January 14, 2012
Lafayette 67, Holy Cross 64
I would not have picked a road game at Holy Cross to be the one to break our losing streak.
DeWitt Leiva plays like a grown man, netting 11 points and pounding the boards for 15 rebounds. Another balanced scoring attack finds five Leopards with between 10 and 12 points;
Dana Broughton, with 10 in 13 minutes, stands out. We make 20 of our 25 free throws, with
Stephen Thames, an 84% shooter, going 8-9.
Record: 10-8 (1-3).
January 17, 2012
Lafayette 81,Yale 72
We interrupt our conference schedule with a victory against an Ivy League foe.
Robert Castleman (17 points, 8 rebounds) is named Player of the Game, but a good argument can be made for
Stephen Diaz (19 points) or
Joseph Burford (14 points in 20 minutes).
Record: 11-8 (1-3).
January 21, 2012
Lafayette 55, Colgate 43
If you appreciate offense, this is not the game you want to watch. Colgate's leading scorer,
Douglas Cleveland, scores 12 points, but he misses all six of his three-point attempts. Our scoring leader,
DeWitt Leiva, scored his dozen in a much more efficient manner, and pulls in 22 rebounds. That's the Patriot League single game record, and I wonder how it ranks nationwide.
Record: 12-8 (2-3).
January 25, 2012
American 57, Lafayette 50
The Eagles come into this game with a 5-0 record in conference play, and most of their games haven't been close. Keeping it close isn't a victory, but it doesn't feel terrible, either. We play good defense, and so do they. No Leopard scores in double figures, and their high scorer only manages 11.
Record: 12-9 (2-4).
January 28, 2012
Lafayette 55, Bucknell 40
We need a win, and another stout defensive effort delivers one. Meanwhile, the Bison can't handle
Robert Castleman, who sinks 9 of 12 shots and finishes with 20 points.
Stephen Thames provides quality scoring help with 14.
Record: 13-9 (3-4).
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2011 Patriot League Standings
TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
American 6 0 1.000 14 6 .700 23 42
Army 4 2 .667 7 14 .333 132 13
Navy 3 3 .500 9 12 .429 310 25
Lafayette 3 4 .429 13 9 .591 197 27
Bucknell 3 4 .429 11 10 .524 166 35
Holy Cross 2 4 .333 12 9 .571 288 46
Lehigh 2 4 .333 9 10 .474 133 26
Colgate 2 4 .333 5 15 .250 254 22