Holy Cross earned its third conference title in four years, outlasting Lehigh, 77-70, to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Crusaders claimed their 14th Patriot League Championship and cemented their position as the conference’s basketball dynasty. Senior point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan led a decisive, attacking offense with 16 points and was named tournament MVP.
All five starters scored in double-figures, led by Meg Cahalan, Flanagan and Simone Foreman who each scored 16 points. The Crusaders improved to 23-9.
Holy Cross emerged ahead of pre-season favorites Navy and Army and dethroned defending champion Lehigh to cap an improbable run. The team’s four senior starters finish their careers with three Patriot League titles and head to Michigan to play the Wolverines in the NCAA’s first round.
How did the Crusaders pull it off?
Head coach Candice Green made all the right moves
Lehigh swept the season series and were winners of the last six contests between the two squads. Adjustments were needed from Holy Cross. But what changes does a team with 22 wins make as it prepares to host a final on its home court?
The confines in Worcester are comfy, the winning percentage is high, so what’s to change?
You may have heard in the days running up to the final that the Crusaders were looking for a slow-paced game, and a reliance on their league-leading defense. Would Holy Cross grind through the shot clock on offense and lock up on defense for the final?
Deception is an art.
It takes courage to change tactics when you’re playing in the biggest game of the year. While Green is fond of calling her team’s stellar defense ‘the anchor’ of the squad, it was the team’s approach on offense that made the difference.
Facing a Lehigh team with length and athleticism, and one predicated on creating chaos, Holy Cross used its opponent’s aggressiveness against it. The Crusaders offense slipped screens and ran back cuts on overplays like they were running a drill.
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Simone Foreman and Flanagan consistently attacked the defense’s movement off that action and got into the paint and at the rim all game. The Crusaders looked for pace and made decisive attacks off the dribble in the halfcourt from the tip. They were less predictable on offense than in the previous two contests with Lehigh.
When the Mountain Hawk defense pressed up on the perimeter, the offense attacked. When Lehigh’s help rotated, Holy Cross looked for the mid-range opportunity. It was an up-fake and dribble pull up from 17-feet from junior guard Kendall Eddy that essentially sealed the game, giving the home team a 69-61 lead with 45 seconds remaining.
The assertiveness on offense produced a 51.7% shooting mark – the team’s best shooting performance against a league opponent this season and its second-best over the last two league campaigns.
As a leader that has earned the trust and confidence of her players, Green’s relationship-building was the center of this championship run.
She kept her players focused on their respective roles and earned the buy-in needed to pull off a run to the title. That’s no easy work.
Green’s growth and greatness were on display in this game. In a well-coached match from both benches, Green was the difference-maker in the final.
There’s Something About Mary
Let’s talk about Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly’s last six games.
Down the stretch, in a fight with Army for the second-seed behind first-place Navy, Holy Cross matched the Black Knights win-for-win, forcing a key tiebreak and clinching the second spot. Donnelly was the key to that run. A streak that ultimately forced the title to go through Worcester when Lehigh upset Navy in the semifinals.
It was an up-and-down season on offense for Donnelly and the Crusaders. The senior guard scored in the single-digits 19 times this season and didn’t score a point in either regular-season contest versus Lehigh, both losses.
This year’s version of the Crusaders has limited scoring depth; it needs consistent contributions from each starter on the offensive end to be successful.
Donnelly’s emergence in the final stretch of games pushed the Crusaders to another level heading into the playoffs, giving them the balance of scoring the group lacked throughout most of the season.
What do the numbers say?
Over the last six games, she averaged 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.8% from the floor (33-for-57). The 5’11 guard found the range from distance as well, converting 20-for-35 for 57.1% from behind the arc over that stretch.
How significant an improvement was it for Donnelly from deep? In the slate of 15 league games prior to the six-pack of power performances, she shot 17-for-56 from three, good for 30.3%.
The Manasquan-product flipped the switch when it mattered most, capping the run with 12 points in the championship on a 5-for-10 effort from the field.
Double-double and double trouble
Simone Foreman was on a mission. Foreman set a goal for the title game: to eclipse her performance in last season’s semifinal versus Lehigh, a 65-44 loss on the road. The senior had 16 points and 10 boards in that matchup, including four offensive rebounds.
The senior guard’s aggressiveness on the boards set the tone for the game as the Crusaders snagged 10 offensive rebounds in the opening quarter.
The 5’9 senior accomplished her goal, posting a double-double, grabbing another four offensive rebounds and besting last year’s overall mark against Lehigh by two. She finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, helping her squad to a key 36 to 25 edge on the glass. It was her 10th career double-double.
Foreman’s relentlessness on the boards and aggressiveness in attacking the rim off the dribble sent a message to the Mountain Hawks in the opening quarter and galvanized a rowdy crowd at the Hart Center.
Foreman’s assertiveness on offense helped her match a season-high in points scored in league play, and her 16 field goal attempts were a season-high in conference action.
Foreman leads Holy Cross with 7.3 rebounds per game.
What to expect in the NCAA matchup versus No.9 Michigan
Holy Cross earned a 15-seed and is in Ann Arbor to face 2-seed and ninth-ranked Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 on Friday, March 20th. The Wolverines are 25-6 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten.
The Crusaders are on a nine-game winning streak and land in Michigan with nothing to lose. It’s a familiar scene for the Holy Cross seniors – they experienced the best of the Big Ten on their last trip to the NCAA tournament in 2024.
Holy Cross faced a 1-seed Iowa team led by Caitlin Clark in 2024 and fell 91-65 but came out firing, trailing just 23-21 after the first quarter. Can the Crusaders test Michigan early?
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As for what to expect in the matchup:
- A young team. Michigan’s top four scorers are all sophomores.
- 6’1 guard Olivia Olson leads the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game and a team-best 6.2 rebounds.
- Shooting guard Syla Swords has a team-high 74 made three and scores 14.5 points per game.
- Patriot League fans will recognize Michigan forward Ashley Sofilkanich. The former Bucknell forward and Patriot League Player of the Year has started 31 games in her first season as a Wolverine. The junior averages 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Sofilkanich will be making her NCAA tournament debut.
- Michigan went 14-1 at the Crisler Center during the regular season; its only loss was to No. 2 UCLA in early February.
- The Crusaders and Wolverines haven’t met since 2001; Holy Cross leads 2-1 all-time in the matchup.
