Bring on Caitlin: Holy Cross women's hoop upends UT Martin at NCAAs; top-seeded Iowa is next
www.telegram.com/story/sports/college/2024/03/21/holy-cross-womens-hoop-upends-ut-martin-at-ncaas-iowa-caitlin-clark-are-next/73063219007/
Tyler Tachman
Des Moines Register
IOWA CITY — For a few days now, Iowa women’s basketball has known when and where it would play its first 2024 NCAA Tournament game.
Now the Hawkeyes know who they are playing.
In a matchup of 16 seeds, Holy Cross and UT Martin squared off at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night for the chance to get a shot at the formidable Hawkeyes in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.
Holy Cross earned that opportunity, knocking off UT Martin, 72-45.
"This group is so special, and we love each other so much," Holy Cross coach Maureen Magarity said. "We just didn't want it to end. We didn't want it to be our last practice. We didn't want it to be our last shootaround. We didn't want it to be our last game."
It was a thorough drubbing by Holy Cross, which came out firing, hitting four 3-pointers by the first media timeout. The Crusaders did not trail for a single second on Thursday.
Holy Cross put on an offensive display, shooting 46% from the field and 38% from deep. Meanwhile, Holy Cross held UT Martin to 26% from the field and 1 of 19 from deep. Entering Thursday, the Crusaders allowed just 56.2 points per game. That number only improved after Thursday's strong defensive showing.
Holy Cross guard Cara McCormack was phenomenal. She had 23 points, which included knocking down 7 of 10 from behind the arc. She has now scored in double figures in eight of her last 12 games.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy also showed flashes of prowess. She had 15 points on 6 of 15 from the field. She has scored in double figures in her last nine games, including at least 30 points twice. During one of those outbursts, she went 7 of 10 from deep.
Thursday’s offensive performance, though, was better than the norm for a Holy Cross team that entered the day averaging under 63 points per game and shooting 32.9% from deep.
But Thursday, McCormack and Power-Cassidy proved they can score the rock in a high-stakes game. Iowa’s guards, such as Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall and Sydney Affolter, will be tasked with slowing down Holy Cross' experienced backcourt.
In her fourth season at the helm, Magarity has done an admirable job with the program. This was the Crusaders’ third consecutive season recording at least 20 wins. Holy Cross’ 24 wins during 2022-23 was the second most in a single season in program history.
"I think something special about our team is that family atmosphere," McCormack said. "And I feel like it all stems from coach (Magarity). We're all so close to her. She's so easy to get along with. And I think just having that close environment with all of our coaches is really important. And I feel like she's what we all look forward to before games. And I feel like the postseason, and this game especially, she really got us excited and really motivated us."
This season marks Holy Cross’ second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season, the Crusaders fell to Maryland, 93-61.
HC's First Four victory is the second in Patriot League history, the first since the Crusaders topped Maryland in 1991.
Holy Cross will get a crack at another Big Ten team in the Big Dance this season after the win over UT Martin. The season has at certain points been turbulent, though. At one point, HC won nine games in a row. Shortly after, though, the team embarked on a stretch of four straight losses.
But the Crusaders found their stride at the right time, winning the regular-season finale and then three games to capture a Patriot League Tournament title and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
With Thursday's victory, the Crusaders now ride a five-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s 2 p.m. matchup (ABC) with Iowa.
"We have to fight and try to figure out ways to just get possessions," Magarity said of the matchup with Iowa. "There's no doubt in my mind we'll be prepared. This team is ready. And it's going to be an amazing experience. I think just to have the opportunity to play on Saturday, I think, is obviously a dream come true for all of us."
During the first half of Thursday’s game, a good portion of the Iowa women’s team, including Clark and coach Lisa Bluder, watched on at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Clark’s stardom has attracted so much attention, not only to herself but also to the Iowa program as a whole. And yet, the Hawkeyes have managed to live up to almost all expectations — with the exception of a Big Ten regular-season title.
The Hawkeyes are currently 29-4. They have built substantial momentum of late, winning their last six games, three of which came on the way to a Big Ten Tournament title. That includes erasing an eight-point deficit with less than three minutes remaining in regulation during the championship game against Nebraska.
"I think our players have watched a lot of Caitlin Clark," Magarity said. "Obviously, we have all of the respect in the world for her and what she's done for the game of basketball, not only just women's basketball. Obviously, we have to try to limit her touches.
"But she's just one of those one-in-a-million type of players that even if you do that, she's one of the best passers that I've ever seen as well," the HC coach added. "So it's a lot about Caitlin, but they are the team they are because of all of the people she can pass to, too."
But so much of a team’s legacy is defined by its performance in the NCAA Tournament.
There's a long way to go, but Iowa will try to finish what it couldn’t last season. The Hawkeyes' magical run to the national championship game, which included knocking off powerhouse South Carolina, ultimately ended short of their final objective with a loss to LSU.
Can the supporting cast provide enough firepower alongside Clark? If not, can Clark do enough on her own? Will all of the pressure ever reach a breaking point?
The journey to the Final Four in Cleveland figures to be a challenge. But now Iowa knows the full details of where that road starts: vs. Holy Cross at Carver on Saturday.
—Follow Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com.
