|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 20:48:10 GMT -5
Good work by Jen Toland this morning, spotlight on Simone. Apologies if this has already been posted.
Holy Cross at NCAAs: Simone Foreman's defense, rebounding lifts Crusaders Jennifer Toland Worcester Telegram & Gazette
During Holy Cross’ three-game run to the Patriot League Tournament championship, HC coach Maureen Magarity was most pleased with her team’s defensive effort.
The Crusaders’ limited Bucknell, Loyola and Boston University to an average of 55 points.
HC senior forward Janelle Allen shone while handling some very tough matchups inside, and in the final against BU, the Crusaders, who did a great job doubling, held Caitlin Weimar, the PL Player of the Year, to five points on 2-of-7 shooting.
Sophomore guard Simone Foreman, HC’s leading rebounder (8.6 rpg) this year, also played a major role in the Crusaders’ defensive performance. Her work on the glass stood out. The 5-foot-9 Foreman averaged 9.6 rebounds in the three tourney games.
“Her rebounding is incredible,” Magarity said. “Sometimes I’m watching her and the ball goes up — and we’ve played some teams with height and size — and she just goes up there and gets it. She’s willing herself, I think, the last couple games of doing whatever she can for us to win.”
The University of Tennessee-Martin, Holy Cross’ NCAA First Four opponent Thursday night at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, will have a size advantage at the guard position, presenting another challenge for HC’s defense, which once again ranked among the best in the PL this season.
In Holy Cross’ quarterfinal win over Bucknell, Foreman tied a career high with 14 rebounds. She has had double digit rebounds in 12 games this year.
Early in the second quarter of the final, Foreman swarmed BU guard Alex Giannaros in the corner and harassed her into a shot-clock violation.
Foreman, who averaged five points and three rebounds as a freshman, started the first 24 games of 2023-24. Following a tough offensive stretch, she has been coming off the bench since mid-February.
“With Simone and (starting senior guard) Cara (McCormack), it’s been a great combination,” Magarity said. “Cara will start off on the opponent’s best guard, and she does a great job of wearing her out, and then, ‘Boom!’ we sub Simone in off the bench, and she’s been a great spark at both ends keeping that pace that Cara and (sophomore guard) Kaitlyn Flanagan have started.
“Simone comes in and gives us a little more size (McCormack is 5-3 and Flanagan 5-8),” Magarity said. “We’ve worn down teams’ guards, and on the glass, she’s unbelievable.”
'We want to keep it going'
The 1991 Holy Cross team remains the only Patriot League women’s squad with an NCAA Tournament victory.
The current Crusaders would obviously love to join their predecessors when they face UT Martin Thursday night at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“It’s an honor to always wear the purple, and we want to keep it going,” HC senior Bronagh Power-Cassidy said. “We’re going in with confidence. We want to get an NCAA win, so with that mindset, we want to keep rolling.”
The ’91 HC team, an 11 seed, defeated Maryland, a 6 seed, 81-74.
“It’s cool to go to the tournament and represent those women as well,” Power-Cassidy said. “We have so many amazing alums, and we do it for them as well. There’s a great history here at Holy Cross, and it’s an honor to be able to represent them on the biggest stage of basketball.”
Many Holy Cross women’s basketball alums, including Jeannette Paukert, Laura Aloisi and Kaitlin Foley, were at Sunday’s final against BU. Power-Cassidy said the team received many congratulatory messages from HC’s former players after the game.
If Holy Cross, which departed Worcester Tuesday morning, can beat UT Martin, the Crusaders will face Iowa and Caitlin Clark in a first-round game at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“Hopefully, we play in more than one game,” Magarity said. “We packed for five days, so we have that mentality. I’m excited for this group. They deserve everything that comes their way.”
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 17:41:28 GMT -5
"Self-destructive" may be a bit over the top, but I'd rather just enjoy this week as a fan of this team, than worry about the half-empty glass I left in the other room.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 14:54:45 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 12:02:27 GMT -5
Boston Globe article.
If Holy Cross women win Thursday, they get a special reward: Caitlin Clark and Iowa on national TV By Ethan Fuller Globe Correspondent,Updated March 20, 2024, 9:00 a.m.
When the Holy Cross women’s basketball team landed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday afternoon, the representative who greeted them was buzzing about women’s basketball — and specifically Caitlin Clark.
The Crusaders reached March Madness for the second straight year by beating Boston University in Sunday’s Patriot League championship game. They’re in the First Four as a No. 16 seed with a game against Tennessee-Martin Thursday — much more winnable than their Round of 64 matchup against second-seeded Maryland last season.
If they prevail, the Crusaders get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: A dance with Clark and top-seeded Iowa Saturday on ABC in front of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd.
“We have to play really well to beat UT Martin, but after that, the reward is we get to play Iowa, at Iowa,” Holy Cross coach Maureen Magarity said. “And we get to play somebody that’s arguably the best women’s basketball player to ever play the game.”
At first glance, Holy Cross’s banner season looks much like 2022-23. The Crusaders (20-12, 11-7) won the conference title with a very similar cast, again headlined by guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy, and beat BU in a rematch of the 2023 final.
But this season wasn’t as smooth. After winning their first eight league games, the Crusaders went through a 1-5 slump in which they did not clear 50 points three times.
“I’m not going to lie, it was a really tough stretch,” Magarity said. “I thought we were practicing really well. I’m really proud of how the team stayed together and really stayed connected throughout all that, practiced hard, stayed within the game plan.
“Everyone kept asking what’s going on, are people injured, what’s going on in the locker room, all that kind of stuff. I’m like, ‘Nothing, we just hit a tough patch there.’ ”
Magarity tinkered with the lineup multiple times and credited the players’ willingness to change. Senior forward Callie Wright joined the starters for the last seven games, with Lindsay Berger and Simone Foreman shifting to major minutes off the bench.
Power-Cassidy, a senior wing from Dublin, stepped up with 26 points in a Feb. 21 overtime win against Bucknell that put Holy Cross back on track. She proceeded to average 22 points with a 49.1 percent 3-point clip across her final eight contests, including 21 points in the Patriot League championship game.
“No one ever wants to lose, but we were worried about losing more than we were about, like, let’s go win,” Power-Cassidy said. “I think when that mind-set kind of switched for the whole team, and we were like, you know what, we just want to go out there and enjoy every moment, and really just take every game as it comes, and just focus on being present every single game. That’s when we were able to buckle down and really get some good wins under our belts.”
Selection Sunday was a whirlwind as Holy Cross found out its First Four status mere hours after beating BU. After coming 7 miles short of qualifying for a chartered flight in 2023, and having to take a bus down to Maryland for their first-round game, the Crusaders left at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning on a charter plane. It was a first for Magarity and Power-Cassidy.
“It was just kind of really next-level — it was cool,” Power-Cassidy said. “You always kind of see other teams doing it, so to be able to do it and land here in Iowa City was really fun.”
Holy Cross is already locked in on UT Martin and had a film session planned as soon as the team arrived at its hotel. The Skyhawks (16-16, 11-7) triumphed in the Ohio Valley Conference to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2014. Magarity believes they have a versatile defense that could give the Crusaders some fits.
“You never really like to say this, but I’ve really enjoyed watching them on film,” she said. “They’re a really well-coached team that just really plays hard.”
Holy Cross has enough motivation to pursue its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1991. But the prize of playing Iowa is tantalizing. Clark, the all-time leading scorer in Division 1, has helped the Hawkeyes smash ratings records all season. For one game, her spotlight also could shine on Holy Cross.
“I don’t think you can put into words what that would mean, not only for our program, but for Holy Cross athletics and the college as a whole,” Magarity said. “What an amazing opportunity to promote our school, and talk about how great our school is, and to get people to Google us, and look us up and see what a great college it is.”
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 11:52:39 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 11:50:21 GMT -5
<abbr>O</abbr>nly one of those 122 teams won a regular season conference title. Only one went to an NIT. Only one won more than 20 games. Just one.
Who was the coach?
Sue Johnson went to the WNIT in 1998-1999. Ah yes - forgot, But she never won a regular season championship or more than 20 games. I was thinking of the only one who did all three, and had a better record at UNH.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 20, 2024 9:51:23 GMT -5
All you need to play in the other tournaments is money... And sometimes that's the only way, isn't it?
On a completely unrelated note, here's a fun quiz. The University of New Hampshire has been playing men' basketball continuously since 1937, and D1 women's basketball since 1987. In those 122 seasons, they have never been to the NCAA Tournament.
Only one of those 122 teams won a regular season conference title. Only one went to an NIT. Only one won more than 20 games. Just one.
Who was the coach?
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 19, 2024 9:08:07 GMT -5
MM is the itch our little sh*t-flinging monkey can't scratch, and he's in a bit of a lull right now - really needs to get back to work on his photo montage of the Kelsey Hogan era.
Happy "UNH Basketball Never Sniffing the Dance" Month to those who celebrate, btw.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 19, 2024 8:40:15 GMT -5
On route
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 16:29:56 GMT -5
Simon Wilbar has played at two D1 schools (HC, Indiana State), a D2 (Lincoln Memorial), and a D3 (Maryville).
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 15:58:00 GMT -5
Judson Martindale just entered the Portal. After the debacle at Pacific this season, wouldn't be a shock to see most of their guys heading for the exit.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 15:39:47 GMT -5
The list of former HC players with multiple transfers is growing: Pridgen (3) Luc Martindale Wade Lowder Did I miss any? Dajion Humphries (Garden City CC, Bowling Green)
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 15:36:48 GMT -5
Simon Wilbar? Lincoln Memorial Indiana State HC Is he at a 4th school now? Wilbar appeared in a few games last November for Maryville College (D3) in Tennessee, but is no longer listed on the team's 2023-24 roster.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 15:25:20 GMT -5
Heard there's a special ceremony for Trevor Woodruff in the works
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 15:18:50 GMT -5
Sounds like the post-game camaraderie of the Red Sox back in the '70s, when their motto was "25 players, 25 cabs."
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 8:50:55 GMT -5
Princeton and Columbia would beat Holy Cross easily. You can blame MM poor scheduling for them being in the playin game while Princeton played at UCLA, at IU, and Columbia hosted Duke, played Florida, Georgia, Providence (top 100 team in NET), Seton Hall, Nova. How many top 100 teams did MM schedule? Thank God for Kelsey Hogan, eh?
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 18, 2024 7:21:38 GMT -5
T&G take.
'This is probably the best feeling in the world,' Power-Cassidy earns MVP honors as Holy Cross clinches berth in NCAA Tournament Jennifer Toland Worcester Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER — Holy Cross senior Bronagh Power-Cassidy, HC’s pride of Dublin, Ireland, could not have imagined a better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
On Sunday, in her final home game at a packed Hart Center, Power-Cassidy scored a game-high 20 points to lead the top-seeded Crusaders to a 61-55 win over No. 3 seed Boston University and their second straight Patriot League Tournament championship.
Power-Cassidy, draped in Ireland’s flag as she reveled with her teammates and they raised the trophy, was the tourney MVP.
“This is just like a dream come true,” Power-Cassidy said. “Luck of the Irish is one thing, but I don’t think anything about this win was luck. We all worked so hard all season, and for everything to click today, I wouldn’t have wanted to be here with any other group, whether it was St. Patrick’s Day or any other day, but to do it today, at the Hart Center, our home, this is probably the best feeling in the world.”
Holy Cross (20-12), which earned the Patriot League’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid, will face the University of Tennessee at Martin in a play-in game in Iowa on Thursday at a time to be determined. If the Crusaders win, they will meet Iowa and Caitlin Clark, who became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer this year.
The PL tourney championship was the 13th overall for Holy Cross. HC, which beat BU in the final for the second consecutive year, became the first PL team to win back-to-back tournament titles since Navy won three straight from 2011-13.
“(After winning it last year) we said, ‘Let’s do it again,’” Holy Cross senior Janelle Allen said. “We’re a very tight senior class and a very good senior class. We have confidence in ourselves. We put in the work to be here. I wouldn’t want to be seniors with anyone else.”
Fans, dressed in purple for HC, red for BU and green for St. Patrick’s Day, filled the bleachers and rocked the Hart Center.
“The atmosphere was electric,” Holy Cross coach Maureen Magarity said. “It took my breath away a few times just looking around.”
With 15 wins at the Hart Center this year, the Crusaders set a single-season program record.
Against the Terriers, HC played outstanding defense and held PL Player of the Year Caitlin Weimar to five points on 2-for-7 shooting. Holy Cross' Kaitlyn Flanagan looks to put up a shot.
“She’s a heck of a player,” Magarity said. “It’s not so much stopping her; it’s limiting her touches, and I thought we did fabulous job of pushing her off the block and not allowing her to just catch and seal deep and go up. Our team defense was great. We clogged the paint, stayed off the shooters, our doubles were fantastic and our rotations were great.”
BU, which finished 20-12, beat Holy Cross, 66-63, late in the regular season in Boston. HC surrendered a big first-half lead.
The teams played a memorable PL final last year at BU’s Case Gym. Holy Cross built a huge lead, and held off a furious Terriers’ rally to take a 66-61 victory.
Holy Cross never trailed Sunday, and the Crusaders led by as many as 17 early in the third quarter.
“We were trying not to compare today to last year,” Magarity said, “but we kept saying, ‘We have go continue to play like we’re down. Don’t look at the score.’ A 10-point lead didn’t feel like a 10-point lead in a game like today. We knew they were going to make their runs and not give it to us. We had to go take it.”
The Terriers, behind junior guard Alex Giannaros, did make their move, and cut HC’s lead to six with just under 8 minutes left.
Like she did throughout the tournament, HC senior guard Cara McCormack hit a pair of timely, back-to-back baskets, a 3 from the corner and a layup, to push the Crusaders’ lead back to double digits.
“My teammates always believe in me and my coaches always believe in me,” said McCormack, who finished with 15 points. “It’s easy to be confident when everybody believes in you.”
It was a seven-point game after a pair of free throws from Weimar, but HC sophomore Kaitlyn Flanagan and junior Lindsay Berger made clutch foul shots to help hold off the Terriers.
“What a game,” Magarity said. “We had some tough ones with BU, and we knew it was going to come down to the wire. I’m so proud of our defensive effort. We were so locked into what we were doing, and it translated into our offense.
“It’s really, really hard to win at our level,” said Magarity, who has guided the Crusaders to two regular-season PL titles and two PL tourney championships in her four years. “I’m so grateful to continue to play with this group. To make it to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments as a coach is a dream come true, and to do it with these girls just means the world to me.”
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 22:06:50 GMT -5
This is the first time Holy Cross has been to consecutive dances since the turn of the century.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 21:22:07 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 20:50:24 GMT -5
Against SHU or anyone we have to avoid the kind of drought of 6:58 we experienced in the 2nd half today
Holy Cross made just three shots from the field over the final sixteen minutes - all by McCormack - and eleven points from the line (ten of those in the final two minutes).
At the under-four of the 3rd quarter (iirc), Bronagh came out and was attended to in the runway for what looked like an issue with a hand. Came back in and took just one shot from the field the rest of the way (a missed three), and went 1-2 at the line.
Weimar was a non-factor offensively from the get-go. Was bodied up and doubled any time she went in the paint, spent too many possessions out high setting screens. Missed a couple bunnies down the stretch that hurt. Had a game-high 14 rebounds, but just two at the offensive end (Foreman had four). Allen earned her way onto the all-tournament team with her back-to-back work on Weimar and Therien and she continues to be the best on the team drawing fouls and draining FTs (12-13 over the last five games.)
Crusaders created lots of second chances offensively by going +6 on the offensive boards and +7 on TOs.
Best atmosphere at the Hart in many years, jubilant championship celebration on the floor (for the first time in forever). Students (and football team in particular) showed up big. RJ there with his young daughter.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 19:37:46 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 19:34:41 GMT -5
How does the OVC rank conference-wise vs. the PL?
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 19:09:57 GMT -5
HC plays Sacred Heart in a play in game in Iowa city.. My prediction.. In the immortal words of Calvin Coolidge, "You lose."
Sacred Heart playing Presbyterian (also rumored as an HC opponent).
Rooting for an old-fashioned #16 vs. Iowa - team would love it.
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 17, 2024 9:30:43 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 15, 2024 20:36:35 GMT -5
The kind of loss that really has to sting.
Let's sweep them out tomorrow.
|
|