The Holy Cross women's basketball team puts their eight game winning streak on the line when the 2023 Patriot League tournament champion Crusaders take on 2022 Patriot League tournament champion American Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Hart Center Arena. The contest will stream live on ESPN+.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HOLY CROSS (12-5, 6-0 PL): 

• The Crusaders captured their eighth win in a row defeating league opponent Loyola (Md.) Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. Senior Bronagh Power-Cassidy scored a game-high 20 points with four triples while sophomore Simone Foreman double-doubled for the third time this season.
• Power-Cassidy was named Patriot League Honorable Mention on Monday. She averaged 16.0 points 1.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 65 percent (13-for-20) and 60 percent (6-of-10) from deep.
• The Crusaders' current eight game winning streak matches the longest in the Maureen Magarity era. Last season, the Crusaders won eight straight contests from Dec. 30, 2022 to Jan. 21, 2023.
• Power-Cassidy is averaging a team-high 17.0 points with 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game on 52 percent (53-for-102) shooting and 46.7 percent (21-for-45) three point efficiency during the winning streak.
• As a team in six conference contests Holy Cross is atop the Patriot League rankings in scoring offense (71.8), scoring defense (53.7), scoring margin (18.2), field goal percentage defense (35.5), three-pointers made per game (6.8), rebounds per game (39.5), defensive rebounds per game (28.2), rebound margin (9.5), turnovers per game (11.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.53), and assists per game (17.8).

SCOUTING THE EAGLES (7-10, 5-1 PL): 

• American is off to a 5-1 start in Patriot League action picking up a 59-55 win at home against Lehigh on Saturday afternoon in the District of Columbia. Three players reached double-digit points for the Eagles including Ivy Bales who scored a game-high 15 points to go with six boards and four steals.
• Bales was selected as Patriot League Honorable Mention on Monday. Bales averaged 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds 4.5 steals and 4.0 assists per game in a 1-1 week for the Eagles.
• American's Emily Johns was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League team. Johns is the team leader and ranks 10th in the Patriot League in scoring at 12.4 points per game.
• The Eagles who currently are in second place in the Patriot League were slated to finish fifth in the 2023-24 Patriot League Preseason Poll. American earned 90 points and two first place votes.

LAST TIME THEY MET: 

• Holy Cross is 26-22 (.542) in the series against American which began in 1990. The Crusaders are 15-9 (.625) in the Hart Center Arena versus the Eagles.
• In their last meeting during the 2023 Patriot League Quarterfinals the Crusaders earned a 73-44 win. The 29 point margin of victory was the program's largest in a Patriot League Tournament game. Janelle Allen was a dominant force down low scoring a game-best 19 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists.  

 
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross women's basketball team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossWBB | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrosswbb | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Women's Basketball | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross