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WORCESTER – In 2023, Holy Cross’ four seniors, Meg Cahalan, Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly, Kaitlyn Flanagan and Simone Foreman, were freshmen on HC’s first NCAA Tournament team in 16 years.
The Crusaders, a 15 seed, played at heavily favored No. 2 seed Maryland.
“That was the first ‘big team’ I ever played,” Flanagan, HC’s four-year starting point guard, said, “and it was a shock to the system, and that’s an understatement.”
The Terrapins jumped to a 23-4 lead after one and cruised to a 93-61 victory.
“But having that,” Flanagan said, “prepared us for the next year.”
More: Holy Cross women's basketball seniors make history with third NCAA trip
Holy Cross repeated as Patriot League champion and after ousting Tennessee-Martin in an NCAA First Four game, took on Iowa in the Hawkeyes’ sold-out home gym at the height of the Caitlin Clark craze.
The Crusaders hung tough with Iowa and Clark and trailed by just two points after the first quarter before falling, 91-65.
Similarly, during the last two regular seasons, Holy Cross matched mighty UConn and Duke in the early minutes of 36- and 43-point losses.
“The more of those kinds of games you have under your belt, regardless of the outcome,” Flanagan said, “you feel more prepared the moment you step on the court.”
HC, which captured its 14th Patriot League championship when it defeated Lehigh, 77-70, in the final, earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play at No. 2 seed Michigan in a first-round game at 5:30 p.m. March 20 (ESPN2).
The Crusaders, who are making their third NCAA appearance in the last four years, are handling the magnitude of facing a Big Ten opponent on its home court, where the Wolverines are 14-1 this year, like veterans.
“We’ve been here before,” Cahalan said. “We know what it’s like to play a team that’s a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. It’s not something that intimidates us. We’re all basketball players. We’re excited.”
In NCAA women’s history, No. 15 seeds are 124-0 against No. 2 seeds.
“Can we find a way somehow?” Holy Cross coach Candice Green said. “We’ll prepare the same way we prepare for everything – identify what they do well and ‘how can we take it away?’ Obviously, we will have to play a perfect game and we’ve proven to ourselves we can do it (for parts of games), but a 40-minute game is tough. We just have to take it one minute at a time. Our girls are used to that environment. They don’t have to deal with the shock.”
While Holy Cross (23-9) is a senior-led team, Michigan has relied on its talented sophomores, especially the backcourt tandem of Olivia Olson and Syla Swords.
The Wolverines (25-6) set a school record with 24 regular-season wins and earned their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan fell to Iowa, 59-42, in the Big Ten semifinals.
Michigan, which averages 83.6 points per game, is making its eighth straight NCAA appearance.
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between HC and Michigan and the Crusaders lead the series, 2-1.
The last time the teams played, on Feb. 8, 2001, HC beat the Wolverines, 62-58, at the Hart Center.
Wolverines junior Ashley Sofilkanich, who transferred to Michigan after two years at HC’s Patriot League rival Bucknell, was a high school teammate of Cahalan and junior Janie Bachmann at Saint John Vianney in New Jersey.
The Crusaders celebrated and rewatched their exciting win over Lehigh in the PL title game multiple times before getting back to business and traveling to Ann Arbor after a sendoff from the Luth Athletic Complex.
Holy Cross takes a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s about being consistent in our preparation,” Foreman said. “We’ve been working for it all year and we just have to keep playing with the same drive and the same mentality.”
–Contact Jennifer Toland at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holy Cross women's basketball faces Michigan in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
The Crusaders, a 15 seed, played at heavily favored No. 2 seed Maryland.
“That was the first ‘big team’ I ever played,” Flanagan, HC’s four-year starting point guard, said, “and it was a shock to the system, and that’s an understatement.”
The Terrapins jumped to a 23-4 lead after one and cruised to a 93-61 victory.
“But having that,” Flanagan said, “prepared us for the next year.”
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More: Holy Cross women's basketball seniors make history with third NCAA trip
Holy Cross repeated as Patriot League champion and after ousting Tennessee-Martin in an NCAA First Four game, took on Iowa in the Hawkeyes’ sold-out home gym at the height of the Caitlin Clark craze.
The Crusaders hung tough with Iowa and Clark and trailed by just two points after the first quarter before falling, 91-65.
Similarly, during the last two regular seasons, Holy Cross matched mighty UConn and Duke in the early minutes of 36- and 43-point losses.
“The more of those kinds of games you have under your belt, regardless of the outcome,” Flanagan said, “you feel more prepared the moment you step on the court.”
HC, which captured its 14th Patriot League championship when it defeated Lehigh, 77-70, in the final, earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play at No. 2 seed Michigan in a first-round game at 5:30 p.m. March 20 (ESPN2).
You must be registered for see images attach
The Crusaders, who are making their third NCAA appearance in the last four years, are handling the magnitude of facing a Big Ten opponent on its home court, where the Wolverines are 14-1 this year, like veterans.
“We’ve been here before,” Cahalan said. “We know what it’s like to play a team that’s a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. It’s not something that intimidates us. We’re all basketball players. We’re excited.”
In NCAA women’s history, No. 15 seeds are 124-0 against No. 2 seeds.
“Can we find a way somehow?” Holy Cross coach Candice Green said. “We’ll prepare the same way we prepare for everything – identify what they do well and ‘how can we take it away?’ Obviously, we will have to play a perfect game and we’ve proven to ourselves we can do it (for parts of games), but a 40-minute game is tough. We just have to take it one minute at a time. Our girls are used to that environment. They don’t have to deal with the shock.”
While Holy Cross (23-9) is a senior-led team, Michigan has relied on its talented sophomores, especially the backcourt tandem of Olivia Olson and Syla Swords.
The Wolverines (25-6) set a school record with 24 regular-season wins and earned their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan fell to Iowa, 59-42, in the Big Ten semifinals.
You must be registered for see images attach
Michigan, which averages 83.6 points per game, is making its eighth straight NCAA appearance.
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between HC and Michigan and the Crusaders lead the series, 2-1.
The last time the teams played, on Feb. 8, 2001, HC beat the Wolverines, 62-58, at the Hart Center.
You must be registered for see images attach
Wolverines junior Ashley Sofilkanich, who transferred to Michigan after two years at HC’s Patriot League rival Bucknell, was a high school teammate of Cahalan and junior Janie Bachmann at Saint John Vianney in New Jersey.
The Crusaders celebrated and rewatched their exciting win over Lehigh in the PL title game multiple times before getting back to business and traveling to Ann Arbor after a sendoff from the Luth Athletic Complex.
Holy Cross takes a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s about being consistent in our preparation,” Foreman said. “We’ve been working for it all year and we just have to keep playing with the same drive and the same mentality.”
–Contact Jennifer Toland at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holy Cross women's basketball faces Michigan in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
