WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior
Bronagh Power-Cassidy scored a game-high 30 points as the Holy Cross women's basketball team captured its 13th overall Patriot League regular season championship after dispatching Lafayette 77-69 Wednesday evening in the Hart Center Arena.
This marks the second time over the last two seasons that the Crusaders (17-12, 11-7 PL) have claimed the outright regular season title. Holy Cross enters the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship as the No. 1 seed and will host a quarterfinal round game on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through the
Holy Cross Ticket Office.
Power-Cassidy scored 30+ points for the second time over the last three games. She was 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from the field and 7-of-10 (70 percent) from deep, establishing a new career high with seven three-pointers. The seven triples are tied with three other Crusaders as the second-most in a game in program history.
Sophomore
Kaitlyn Flanagan chipped in a season-best 13 points to go along with six assists. Senior
Cara McCormack matched a season-best, dishing out six dimes as well.
For Lafayette (10-19, 5-13 PL), Abby Antognoli scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Holy Cross missed its first five shots of the contest as Lafayette led 5-0. The Crusaders went on a 19-8 run to end the quarter with McCormack chipping in five markers as the hosts led 19-13 through one.
- The Crusaders kept rolling in the second stanza as another 19-8 scoring binge opened up a 17 point lead 38-21 thanks to a pair of free throws from senior Callie Wright. Two Lafayette lay-ins dropped the margin to 38-25 at the intermission.
- Power-Cassidy split one of two at the stripe to keep the Crusaders in the lead, 43-31, with 7:17 to go in the third. Lafayette countered with a 19-7 run of its own to level the margin at 50-50 at the 2:04 mark. Holy Cross scored the final seven points of the quarter, getting a mid-range jumper from sophomore Meg Cahalan for the 57-50 lead through three.
- Two Lafayette free throws brought the visitors within two, 60-58, with 7:16 left. Power-Cassidy drilled a pull-up triple from the right wing to give the Crusaders some breathing room at 63-58. Clinging to a four-point lead with 2:01 to go, the Crusaders doubled up their counterparts eight-to-four over the final minutes as Power-Cassidy sank her seventh triple of the game during that stretch.
OUTSIDE THE BOX:
- With her seven threes, Power-Cassidy moved into fifth place (181) on the program's all-time list, passing Jeanette Paukert (179, 1998-02). She needs three more to pass Briana McFadden (183, 2006-10).
- Power-Cassidy's 65 three-pointers this season rank third in the Patriot League and are tied for the sixth most during a single season in program history (Bethany O'Dell, 2008-09).
- Holy Cross is 7-2 (.778) this season when Power-Cassidy scores 20 or more points.
POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
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