IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 16 Holy Cross will take on No. 16 UT Martin in the First Four of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday night at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
HOW TO WATCH: The Crusaders and Skyhawks will meet for the first time when they play in Iowa City. Coverage will begin at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins and Stephanie White on the call.
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ABOUT HOLY CROSS
Press Conference Transcription
* Holy Cross makes the Tournament for the second straight year after defeating Boston University in the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women’s Basketball Championship Game.
* Crusaders’ head coach Maureen Magarity captured her second Patriot League crown in her fourth season at the helm of the program.
* Holy Cross has a League-leading 13 women’s basketball titles and is the first back-to-back League champion since Navy (2011-13).
* The Crusaders enter the postseason on a four-game winning streak which is the second longest of their season after they won nine straight starting in December 2023.
* They are led by Patriot League Championship MVP, senior guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy who is averaging a team-leading 16.8 points per game to go with 5.0 rebounds per game.
HOLY CROSS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
* Holy Cross makes its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance holding a 1-12 record.
* The Crusaders’ lone win in the NCAA Tournament was in 1991 when they defeated No. 6 Maryland, 81-74. The win also marks the only NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament win in Patriot League history.
* Last year the Crusaders fell to No. 2 Maryland, 93-61, as the No. 15 seed in the first round.
ABOUT UT MARTIN
* UT Martin advanced to the title game of the Ohio Valley Women’s Basketball Championship, where they fell to Southern Indiana.
* Their last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2014 when they lost to No. 12 North Carolina, 60-58.
* Freshman guard Kenley McCarn leads the team with 16.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as 97.5 percent of the Skyhawks’ offensive production comes from their freshman and sophomores.
* Sophomore forward Anaya Brown averages 15.1 points and 8.9 points per game.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.
First appeared on patriotleague.org