Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...

May 16, 2001 - LHU WOMEN'S HOOPS TEAM READYING FOR TRIP  
                     TO ITALY

(Lock Haven, Pa.) -  The members of the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team will extend their experience beyond the traditional season by becoming international travelers as they head off to Italy on May 21st.  Over the course of their week’s stay, the Lady Eagles will participate in a tournament in Florence, Italy, before playing a single game just outside of Rome, Italy. 
            “There were many reasons for deciding to take this trip,” said fourth-year LHU Head Coach Leah Magestro. “Aside from the excitement of traveling outside of the United States, it will help them start formulating a winning attitude for next season and work on functioning as a team.”
            “Traveling abroad gives a different perspective on the world, and I think it will be a great life experience for all the players.  Seeing another culture will give them something they can always carry with them.”
            The Lady Eagles were hard at work in the planning stages back in September, sending out sponsor letters and planning a series of fundraisers in order to finance the trip.  “We sent out sponsor letters to relatives, boosters, and other businesses, which turned out to be a successful approach,” said Magestro. “We also held three Kids’ Nights Out, did clothing and SuperBowl ticket sales, and the band Sirens helped us raise a good portion of the expenses with a benefit concert back in the fall.”
            Preparations also included ten practices in April for the Lady Eagles to brush up on their fundamentals and ready for the competition against Italy’s club teams.  “When you finish in March and you don’t see the girls again until October, it seems as if the next season is a world away.  This trip and all the practices leading up to it will be an excellent bridge,” continued Magestro.  “We can take the time to work on fundamentals and break things down to the basics, something we don’t have the time to drill as intensively when the regular season is in full swing.” 

LHU Women’s Basketball – Italy Game Itinerary (May 21-29, 2001)
Date / Opponent / Location

May 23 / vs. Toscana All-Stars /  Palazzetto Dello Sport San Marcellino Tournament
                                                           (Florence, Italy)

May 24 /  vs. A.S. Florence Basket Zanders / Palazzetto Dello Sport San Marcellino 
                                                                                Tournament   (Florence, Italy)

May 27 / vs. Caserta Team / Piazza Carlo III, Reggia de Caserta, Italy

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Feb. 19, 2001 - LADY EAGLES' CROWL EARNS  PSAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS

(Lock Haven, Pa.) - Cyndi Crowl (Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg), a freshman guard for the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team, earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Rookie of the Week honors for games ending Feb. 18.
            Crowl paced Haven scorers with a career high of 30 points in last Saturday’s 76-67 loss to California (Pa.) University, connecting for five three-pointers and 7-of-9 attempts from the free throw line.  The 5’9” rookie guard also posted 11 points in 20 minutes of playing time against PSAC West front-runner Shippensburg University, an 82-63 loss.
            The Lock Haven women’s basketball team is now 8-15 overall (0-10 PSAC West).  The Lady Eagles have two regular season games remaining, a road trip to Indiana (Pa.) University on February 21, and a home contest versus Edinboro University on Saturday, February 24.

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Feb. 12, 2001 - LADY EAGLES' JONES MERITS PSAC WEST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS

(Lock Haven, Pa.) -  Amanda Jones (Middletown/Middletown), a freshman forward for the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team, was selected as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Rookie of the Week for all contests ending February 11.  This is the first such award for Jones.
            The 5’10” freshman forward averaged 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.0 steals in Lock Haven’s two games last week, narrow losses to Indiana (Pa.) University (64-61) and Clarion University (62-57).  In the contest against Clarion, Jones posted her first career double-double with 14 points and 13 boards along with a career best of six steals.  She added nine points and six rebounds versus Indiana (Pa.).  
            The Lady Eagle basketball team is now 8-13 overall and 0-8 in the PSAC Western Division.  Lock Haven’s next challenge will be Shippensburg University this Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 6 p.m.

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Nov. 29, 2000 -  LHU'S BALLINTINE NAMED PSAC WEST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

(Lock Haven, Pa.) -  Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania's Tara Ballintine (Allison Park/Hampton) was selected as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week for games ending Nov. 28.
            Ballintine posted 15 points in 22 minutes played in the Lady Eagles' 105-89 victory over Columbia Union last Sunday, including six-for-nine shooting from the floor.  The rookie guard was one of three players with four rebounds, and also added three steals in the win. For the season, Ballintine is sixth on the team in scoring with 5.8 points per game.  She also averages 1.8 rebounds per game for the Lady Eagles.
            The Haven women's basketball team is currently 3-1 overall and next travels to Bloomsburg University on Saturday, December 2, for a 1 p.m. contest against the Huskies.

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January 24, 2000 -- FLINT NAMED PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania women's basketball student-athlete Kelly Flint (Port Allegany/Port Allegany) has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Player of the Week for the week ending January 23rd.

The Lady Eagles’ high scorer in two of their three wins last week, Flint posted 19 points in a 62-55 victory against Mansfield University and 24 points in LHU's 78-69 overtime win versus California University of Pennsylvania. The junior put up four crucial points in the overtime period against California and sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds of the Mansfield win.

In LHU's three games last week, Flint shot 50 percent (9-18) from the three-point arc and 84.6 percent from the free throw line (11-13). In addition, she averaged 8.7 rebounds, two assists, and two steals per game.

With last week's victories, the Lady Eagles improved their record to 6-9 overall and 2-1 in the PSAC Western Division. They return to action on Wednesday, January 26th at 6 p.m. in Lock Haven University's Thomas Field House when they will face PSAC-West rival Shippensburg University.
January 14, 2000 -- LHU BASKETBALL OPENS CONFERENCE SEASON TOMORROW

The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania men's and women's basketball teams both open the conference portion of their seasons tomorrow, January 15, at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. The women's contest is slated for 3 p.m., while the men's game is scheduled to get underway following the women's contest at approximately 5 p.m.

THE WOMEN: The Lock Haven women's team is 3-8 overall after a big 70-67 win over Millersville University of Pennsylvania (9-4), ranked third in the NCAA Division II East Region. Their depth much depleted by injury and the loss of their starting point guard, the Lady Eagles struggled early this month, suffering two losses to East Stroudsburg (64-77) and the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (56-72).

The Lady Eagles are currently led by junior forward Shawna Boyd (North East/North East) and junior sharp shooter Kelly Flint (Port Allegheny/Port Allegheny). Boyd is averaging 13.8 points per game, including 17 against Millersville, and 6.0 boards per contest. Flint averages 13.5 points each time out, and registered her third game over the 20-point mark by pouring in 20 points against the ’Ville, including three treys. Senior forward Tanya Brown (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) and freshman guard Kristi Ward (Philadelphia/Nazareth Academy) have also contributed spirited play to the Haven effort. Brown is the third Lady Eagle averaging in double-figure scoring with 10.6 points a game, and leads the team in rebounding with 7.0 caroms per contest. Ward has come on strong recently, taking over the starting point guard position. In the last four games, Ward has averaged 8.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 points per contest. The other regular starter has been another new face, freshman guard Anita Charles (Lancaster/Lancaster Catholic). Charles averages 3.2 point and 3.4 rebounds each time out.

The Haven's first PSAC West challenger will be Slippery Rock this Saturday. The Rock, the No. 2-ranked team in the East Region, owns a blazing 12-1 record, and is 1-0 in PSAC West action with a 71-61 win over California University (Pa.) last Wednesday. In 1998-99, Lock Haven finished the conference season with a 4-8 record.

THE MEN: The Lock Haven men's basketball team is now 5-7 after a 98-76 victory over Baptist Bible College last evening, revenging a 79-93 loss to the Defenders last season. That win snapped a three-game losing skid by the Bald Eagles, which began in December with a 74-91 loss to Mansfield University.

Lock Haven is led by All-PSAC junior guard Rico Abbondanza (Pittsburgh/Seton LaSalle), who is averaging team-highs of 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Abbondanza was the Bald Eagles' high scorer in the Baptist Bible win, registering 27 points (10-of-12 from the floor) and seven rebounds. Two other players are averaging in double-digits, rookie Justin Seitz (Wrightsville/Eastern York) and junior Cedric Hameed (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons). Seitz stands at 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while Hameed tallies 11.7 points and 5.6 caroms per contest. Hameed recorded 25 points (11-of-13 from the floor) and eight boards and Seitz contributed 12 points and six assists in last night's win. Senior shooting guard Joaquin Porrata (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Florida Air Academy) is averaging 9.2 points per game and 5.1 boards per contest. Other key players in the Bald Eagle lineup include sophomore guard Kevin DeVan (Harrisburg/Susquehanna Township) (8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and freshman point guard Kristopher Holtzer (Matamoras/Delaware Valley) (5.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg).

The Haven's first PSAC West opponent will be Slippery Rock University, who has built a 7-5 overall ledger to date. The Rock is already one game into its conference schedule, having suffered a 51-63 loss to California University (Pa.) last Wednesday. This season's Bald Eagle team will look to better last year's 1-11 PSAC West mark.