Mid Massachusetts News

For the first time since 2007, the Holy Cross women's basketball team captured the Patriot League Championship, defeating top-seeded Boston University, 66-61, in Case Gymnasium on Sunday, March 12. 

With the win, the Crusaders (24-8) won their league record 12th Patriot League title and advances to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, where they will face No. 2 seeded Maryland, as announced on Sunday night's selection show. 

Junior Bronagh Power-Cassidy was named the PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship MVP and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Power-Cassidy scored a game-high 21 points on 70 percent (7-of-10) shooting and 50 percent (2-for-4) from three-point range. She was a perfect 5-for-5 (100 percent) from the line and dished out a career- and game-high five assists.

Power-Cassidy averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 58.3 percent (21-of-36) from the field and 50 percent (9-of-18) from three-point land across all three tournament games.

Three other players reached double figures as junior Janelle Allen notched 16 points and five rebounds; sophomore Lindsay Berger chipped in 11 points and seven boards; and Cara McCormack added 11 points off the bench.

Sydney Johnson paced the Terriers (24-8) with a team-best 19 points. Trailing by 22 with 2:54 left in the third quarter, BU pulled close, thanks to a 25-4 run over 9:49 from the third going into the fourth quarter. Johnson hit a three-ball on the right wing with 2:30 left to come within one, 62-61. Power-Cassidy answered on the next possession, knocking down a pull up jumper from the elbow, and the Crusaders held the Terriers scoreless for the remainder of the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Senior Addisyn Cross countered an opening possession layup by BU with a triple from the left corner for the first Crusader lead at 3-2. BU answered with eight straight markers, all close to the rim, for a 10-3 lead. Holy Cross pulled back ahead, 11-10, as Power-Cassidy stopped the BU burst, canning a three on the left wing, and McCormack hit another triple to cap a 10-0 run. A Lauren Davenport basket knotted the contest at 15 all, but Power-Cassidy drained another three for the 18-15 advantage through one.
• In the second, an Allen post score pushed Holy Cross ahead 24-17. Alex Giannaros pulled up from the stripe to put BU down three, 26-23, with 6:45 left before half. Power-Cassidy completed a hoop and harm to increase the Crusader lead to 37-29. At the half, Holy Cross was ahead by nine, 39-30.
• A 9-3 start to the second half by the Crusaders, spearheaded by seven points by Berger, opened up a 48-33 lead. Two McCormack free throws built a 22-point lead, 58-36, for Holy Cross with 2:54 left in the third. BU closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to drop the deficit to 14 heading into the final period.
• Five straight points by Johnson and a Pina triple expanded the BU run to 16-0 and dropped the margin to six, 58-52 with 7:17 left in the game. McCormack temporarily stopped the scoring binge driving the right lane and kissed a layup off the glass to make it 60-52. A Davenport jumper and two Johnson freebies brought it down to four, 60-56.
•  After BU cut within one point with 2:30 left, Power-Cassidy hit a three with 2:01 remaining and iced the game with two free throws with just two seconds remaining, securing the 66-61 victory.

OUTSIDE THE BOX:

• Holy Cross won their 50th Patriot League Tournament game, the most in the conference.
• The Crusaders became only the second No. 2 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the conference championship game.
• Holy Cross matched the highest free throw percentage in a single game during the conference tournament minimum 15 attempts (16-for-16, 100 percent). The last team to shoot 100 percent in a tournament game was Army on March 2, 1991.

2022-23 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship MVP 
Bronagh Power-Cassidy, Holy Cross, Jr., G 

2022-23 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team
Maren Durant, Boston University, Sr., F
Sydney Johnson, Boston University, Sr., G
Caitlin Weimar, Boston University, Jr., F
Bronagh Power-Cassidy, Holy Cross, Jr., G
Reese Ericson, Army West Point, Fr., G 

Original source can be found here.