WORCESTER, Mass. – Paced by seniors
Bronagh Power-Cassidy and
Janelle Allen, the no. 1 seed Holy Cross women's basketball team is moving on in the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship after defeating no. 8 seed Bucknell 61-56 Monday evening in the quarterfinal round at the Hart Center Arena.
Holy Cross (18-12) will take on no. 4 Loyola (Md.) (16-14) in the semifinal round with a trip to the Patriot League Championship game on the line. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 and tickets are on sale now through the
Holy Cross Ticket Office.
Power-Cassidy, who was just named the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, had an off night shooting but that did not impact her game. She still totaled a team-best 14 points, handed out a career-high seven assists, and came away with personal-best matching four steals. She moved into a tie with Briana McFadden (183, 2006-10) for fourth place on the program's all-time three-point list.
Allen was locked in from opening tip-off. The fourth-year forward scored 13 points on 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) shooting with five rebounds, two assists and a game-high two blocks.
Sophomore
Simone Foreman was a beast on the boards matching a career-high with 14 rebounds – seven offensive to go with eight points, an assist and a steal. Senior
Cara McCormack and sophomore
Kaitlyn Flanagan added nine points each.
For Bucknell (13-18), Ashley Sofilkanich scored a game-best 17 points with six rebounds, two assists a steal and a block.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Trailing 12-10, Holy Cross scored five straight points before the media timeout when Flanagan made a sweet dime to Power-Cassidy in the corner and Foreman banked in a layup high off the glass for the 15-12 lead. The Crusaders led 17-16 though one.
- Only seven points combined were scored during the opening 5:23 of the third as a senior Callie Wright layup with the shot clock winding down put the Crusaders ahead 21-19. A Flanagan drive to the rack capped off the stretch of six straight Crusader points for the 25-19 score. Bucknell produced the final four points to trail 25-23 at the half.
- In the third, back-to-back sophomore Meg Cahalan mid-range conversions put the Crusaders ahead 31-27. A 8-2 Bucknell burst put them in front 35-33. An Allen and1 regained the edge to the host side at 38-36. The Bison led 40-39 through three.
- An 8-2 mini run for the Crusaders moved the margin to four, 48-44 thanks to threes from Power-Cassidy and Flanagan combined with a Foreman steal and layup with 6:30 to go. Bucknell trailed by three, 53-50 when McCormack drilled a deep triple with two minutes to go for the two possession margin 56-50. The closest the Bison came were five points with 13 seconds left.
OUTSIDE THE BOX:
- All nine of McCormack's points came in the fourth quarter.
- Holy Cross scored 23 points off 20 Bucknell turnovers. They scored 11 of their 22 points in the fourth quarter off Bison miscues.
- Allen has scored 932 points in her career and need 68 more for 1,000.
- Under head coach Maureen Magarity, the Crusaders are 61-6 (.910) when holding opponents under 60 points a game and 56-7 (.889) when leading at halftime.
POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
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