BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The No. 5 seeded Holy Cross women's basketball title defense came to an end with a 65-44 loss to No. 1 Lehigh in the semifinal round of the 2025 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship Thursday evening in Stabler Arena.
Top-seeded Lehigh (26-6) advances to the Patriot League Championship Game on Sunday, March 16 at noon to take on No. 2 Army (24-6). The Crusaders' campaign ends at 19-12.
Holy Cross junior guard
Simone Foreman recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds – four offensive. It was her fifth of the season and eighth of her career. She shot 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the field. Senior forward
Lindsay Berger chipped in 12 points on 6-of-12 (50 percent) shooting to go with two rebounds and two assists.
Maddie Albrecht paced Lehigh with a game-high 19 points adding five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A Berger mid-range jumper off a baseline out of bounds play pushed the Crusader lead to 11-7 with three minutes to go in the first. Lehigh notched nine consecutive points to lead 16-11 after one.
- The Mountain Hawk run expanded to 13-0 in the second as they led 20-11 with 7:44 left before the break. A junior Kaitlyn Flanagan step-back jumper with the shot clock winding down dropped the margin to five, 24-19. Lehigh led 28-21 at the half.
- Foreman followed her own missed three and ripped the ball away for a second chance two to trim the deficit back to five, 35-30. Lehigh outscored Holy Cross 11-4 from that point to lead 46-34.
- Foreman canned a three-pointer to bring her team within seven, 46-39 with 8:59 to play. The hosts held the Crusaders to five points the rest of the way.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Berger finished her Crusader career with 917 points and 610 rebounds.
- Lehigh scored 31 points off turnovers. Holy Cross scored zero.
- The Mountain Hawks scored 38 points in the paint compared to the Crusaders' 22.
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