The Holy Cross women's basketball team will host defending Patriot League champion Bucknell on Saturday, Jan. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Hart Center.

The game will be broadcasted live on NESNplus, with Adam Giardino on the call and John Avino providing color commentary.

Saturday's matchup features two of only three Patriot League teams that are still undefeated in conference play.

Things to Know About the Crusaders (10-4, 3-0 Patriot League):

• Holy Cross enters Saturday on a four-game winning streak, most recently beating Lafayette, 57-56, on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
• Senior Lauren Manis finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and two steals; she hit a game-tying layup with 8.6 remaining, was fouled, and hit the go-ahead free throw on the and-one. On the other end of the court, senior Megan Swords blocked a game-winning shot attempt by the Leopards with 1.4 seconds remaining.
• This season, Manis has recorded 10 double-doubles, and has reached double-figure rebounds in eight straight games.
• With 1,719 career points, Manis is two points away from moving into fourth place in program history; Lauren Maney had 1,721 career points between 1992 and 1996.
• Senior Madalyn Smith leads the Patriot League with 5.3 assists per contest this season and has averaged 6.0 assists per game in league play.
• With a 3-0 record in league play, the Crusaders are off to their best start in Patriot League action since 2015-16.
• Holy Cross is 5-0 at home this season and has won 18 of its last 22 games at the Hart Center.

 
Things to Know About the Bison (10-4, 3-0 Patriot League):

• Bucknell enters the contest having won eight of its last nine games, cruising to a 61-34 victory over Navy on Wednesday.
• Ellie Mack, a preseason All-Patriot League selection, leads the Bison this year with an average of 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
• Bucknell has also earned Patriot League wins over Army and Lafayette so far this year.
• The Bison have shone defensively this year; they rank second in the league in scoring defense and 33rd in the country with just 55.9 points allowed per game.
• After winning the Patriot League Championship in 2019, the Bison were projected to finish third in the league this season in a preseason poll, earning four first-place votes.

 
Last Time They Met:

• Smith drained a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining as the Crusaders took a 61-60 home victory over the Bison on Feb. 23, 2019. The Holy Cross victory snapped a 12-game winning streak for Bucknell.
• Then-freshman Avery LaBarbera led the Crusaders with 16 points, while Manis (12 points, nine rebounds) and Swords (11 points, eight rebounds) also reached double-figure points.
• Bucknell took its other two matchups against Holy Cross in 2018-19, earning a 75-71 win on Jan. 26 in Lewisburg, Pa., and later eliminating the Crusaders in a Patriot League semifinal on March 14.
• In the loss in January, Swords led all scorers with 17 points while also recording eight rebounds. Manis had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.