WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross women's basketball team ended Army West Point's four game winning streak with a, 20 point, 74-54 victory Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center Arena.
The Crusaders (15-7, 9-2 PL) admirably handled the Black Knights (12-9, 6-5 PL) full court pressure from the opening tip. Holy Cross used a balanced scoring attack as three players scored in double figures including sophomore
Janelle Allen who was unstoppable in the post establishing new career-highs with 18 points and eight caroms. She was also a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe, personal-bests in free throw conversions and percentage.
Double-double machine, senior
Avery LaBarbera recorded a game-high 23 points and chipped in 10 rebounds in her 14th double-double of the year. She also handed out five assists. Sophomore
Bronagh Power-Cassidy chipped in 13 points, three assists, and was 5-for-9 (55.6%) from the hardwood.
Army was paced by Sabria Hunter's 13 point and 11 rebound double-double.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Holy Cross took the first multiple possession edge of the game at 11-7 when sophomore Cara McCormack made a driving dish to a wide-open Power-Cassidy in the left corner for three. Army scored the next five markers to push ahead 12-11 at the media timeout. LaBarbera knocked down an isolation step back three-ball on the final possession to put her squad ahead 18-13 after one.
- Allen muscled a layup on the right block in the opening seconds of the new quarter to up the Crusader margin to 20-13. A couple of minutes passed when Allen swatted a shot and LaBarbera drove through the trees and scooped home a layup to open up a double-digit 28-18 edge. From there Army tacked on six in a row to come within four, 28-24. The Crusaders went into the half ahead 34-28 as senior Madison Demski leaked out on a rebound and scored uncontested for two.
- The Crusaders started the third scoring eight points to Army's four with LaBarbera and Power-Cassidy drilling threes to lead 42-32. Army cut into the Holy Cross lead, but the Crusaders built it to 13, 50-37 due to back-to-back Allen post scores.
- In the fourth Allen bullied the ball up and in for her 16th point and McCormack picked off a pass and dropped a dime to a streaking Cross for a layup and a game-high 23 point margin, 65-42 with 5:02 left.
OUTSIDE THE BOX:
- The Crusaders doubled up the Black Knights out producing them 44-to-22 in the paint.
- It was the 11th time this season Holy Cross secured 40 or more rebounds.
- LaBarbera has five or more assists nine times this year.
- LaBarbera scored 20+ points in back-to-back games for the second time in her career. (3/2/19-3/6/19).
- McCormack is averaging 2.7 steals per game over her last three contests.
UP NEXT:
- Holy Cross hits the road on Wednesday for a Patriot League showdown with Loyola (Md.) at 7:00 p.m.
