No. 2 Women’s basketball hosts No. 10 Colgate for 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Quarterfinals on Monday

OPENING TIP:

The No. 2 Holy Cross women's basketball team will host No. 10 Colgate at Hart Center Arena on Monday, Mar. 9 for the quarterfinals of the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Tournament. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
Tickets can be purchased on the Holy Cross Ticket Office website or by calling 1-844-GO-CROSS.

HOLY CROSS NOTES:

The Crusaders enter the playoffs having won six-straight games and 10 of their last 11.
Holy Cross finished the regular season with a 20-9 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the Patriot League.
The Crusaders clinched the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after mounting a 12-point fourth-quarter comeback in the regular season finale with Boston University on Wednesday, Mar. 4.
Senior guard Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly poured in a career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the victory. She added 11 rebounds, two assists and a steal against the Terriers.
Senior forward Meg Cahalan sparked the comeback with 10 of her 18 total points coming in the fourth quarter. She made a jumper from the left wing with 3:50 to play, capping a 13-0 run for the Crusaders, giving them their first lead of the second half. After BU reclaimed the lead, Cahalan came through again, nailing a shot from the top of the key at the 3:16 mark, putting Holy Cross on top for good.

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS

The Crusaders had three of its players earn postseason honors from the Patriot League on Friday, Mar. 6.
Cahalan headlined the group with a first team selection. Senior guard Kaitlyn Flanagan was named to the second team and junior guard Kendall Eddy rounded out the trio on the all-defensive team.
Cahalan ranks third in the Patriot League in field goal percentage and is tied for the league lead in free throw efficiency, shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the line.
Through 18 league games, she averaged 15.3 points per game, along with 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Cahalan has finished in double figures on 23 or more occasions this season and 43 times in her collegiate career.
Flanagan earned a second team selection for the second-straight season after an outstanding regular season campaign that saw her reach multiple career milestones.
Flanagan led the Patriot League in assist to turnover ratio (1.9) and total assists (116) while finishing third in assists per game (4.0/g). She tied her career-high for points with 21 against Bryant on Dec. 7. Flanagan also showcased tenacity on the glass, tying her career-high in rebounds twice with eight against BU on Feb. 2 and at Lafayette on Feb. 18.
Eddy lands on the all-defensive team after a phenomenal regular season that saw her finish second in the Patriot League for total steals (63) and steals per game (2.8/g). She has tallied multiple takeaways in 13 of her last 17 games including a career-high six in the team's victory over Colgate on Jan. 28. and five vs Bucknell on Feb. 21.
On the boards, Eddy finished with 92 total rebounds, including 73 on the defensive end. Against Loyola (Md.) on Feb. 14, she set a new career-high with nine rebounds, eight of which came defensively.

SENIOR STANDOUTS:

Holy Cross' senior class of Cahalan, Donnelly, Flanagan and Simone Foreman all have put together incredible final seasons donning the purple and white.
The seniors have collectively averaged 39.7 points per game this season.
Over their four year careers, Cahalan (833), Donnelly (547), Flanagan (1,020) and Foreman (883) have combined for 3,283 points.
Since first suiting up on the Hill the group is 84-43 overall and 49-23 in Patriot League play.
On Feb. 7 at Lehigh, Flanagan eclipsed 500 career assists, becoming just the seventh player in school history to achieve the feat.
On Feb. 18 at Lafayette, Flanagan became the 37th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points, doing so with a nine-point outing against the Leopards. She currently ranks 33rd in all-time scoring with 1,020 career points.
Flanagan is only the third player in program history with 1,000+ points and 500+ assists, joining Alex Smith (2010-2014; 1,644 points, 568 assists) and Anna Kinne (1996-00; 1,234 points, 532 assists).
Flanagan's final major milestone of the regular season came last Saturday against Loyola (Md.), where she made her 126th career start to set a new program record. She has played in 127 career games, starting all of them.

SCOUTING COLGATE:

No. 10 Colgate is 7-23 overall and finished the regular season with a 2-16 record in the Patriot League.
The Raiders defeated No. 7 Bucknell on the road, 57–47, in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament.
Ella Meabon led Colgate's offense with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting along with five rebounds and three assists. Meabon leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game.
Colgate ranks second in the Patriot League in opponent three-point percentage, holding teams to 28.9 percent from deep.
The Raiders are also second in the league in team offensive rebounds (11.3/g) and third in combined team rebounds (34.8/g).
Colgate is coached by Shannon Bush who is in her first year at the helm. Bush '06, is a Holy Cross women's basketball alum.
In her four years on The Hill, Bush played in 110 career games, averaging 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Bush was also a member of the 2002-03 Patriot League All-Rookie Team.

THE HC-COLGATE SERIES:

Monday marks the 79th all-time meeting between the Crusaders and Raiders.
Holy Cross leads the all-time series against Colgate, 65-14.
Last time out, the Crusaders picked up a 75-64 road victory over the Raiders, with all four seniors finishing in double figures.
Flanagan led the scoring effort with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Cahalan added 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting while posting three rebounds, a block and a steal.
Foreman added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in addition to five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Donnelly finished with a double-double posting 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 14 rebounds, two assists and a block.
Colgate's offense was led by Madison Schiller, who finished with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the last appearance.
In their last match at the Hart Center, Holy Cross got the upper hand, winning by a final score of 60-50 in overtime.
Monday's matchup will mark the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs 2013 Patriot League Semifinals. The Crusaders won that contest 59-38.

DOWN THE STRETCH:

The Crusaders are 10-1 since picking up a road win at American on Jan. 24, 70-58. Holy Cross started that stretch with three consecutive wins and bounced back from the one loss to Lehigh (Feb. 7) with a win at Colgate (Feb. 11). They closed the regular season with six-straight wins to earn the No. 2 seed.
Over that stretch, the Crusaders are outscoring opponents 62.2-51.8 and have dominated the fourth quarter and overtime; outscoring the opposition 220-152.
Holy Cross has held its opponents to a 34.7 field-goal percentage, while shooting 42.2% in that stretch.
Cahalan (16.5) and Donnelly (10.5) have emerged as the primary scoring options for the Crusaders. Donnelly is also averaging 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the last 11 games. Flanagan has averaged 9.1 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds over that stretch.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
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