The Spire

Billy Holmes ’25

Staff Writer

After a tremendous 2022-2023 season, The Holy Cross Women’s Basketball will return to regular season action against the Boston College Eagles on Monday, November 6th. Last season was marked by great success for the Crusaders as they achieved a 24-9 overall record, won the Patriot League tournament with a victory over top seeded Boston University, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. 

This season, there is a great deal of optimism as the team looks to build on the success they had last year. Besides guard Addisyn Cross, who graduated in the spring, every player who saw game action last season will return for the Crusaders this upcoming season. As the season approaches, two primary names to keep in mind are senior guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy and senior forward Janelle Allen. The two led the team in points per game last season as Power-Cassidy averaged 13.6 PPG in 33 games played and Allen averaged 10.4 PPG in her 29 appearances. Over her three year years at Holy Cross, Power-Cassidy has seen major increases from year to year in almost every statistical character as she has improved greatly as a player. Last year she was recognized for her terrific on-court play by being named to the All Patriot League 2nd Team along with receiving the honor of Patriot League Championship MVP. Allen was also recognized for her contributions to the Crusaders’ strong season as she was selected to the All Patriot League 3rd Team. 

Despite the excellent contributions of both seniors during last year’s campaign, a large part of the team’s success was also due to some rising newcomers. Last year when they came to Holy Cross, Lindsay Berger and Kaitlyn Flanigan were a sophomore and a freshman looking to make impactful contributions to the team in any way possible. By season’s end, both Berger and Flanigan were two of the top five scorers on the team and played pivotal roles in the Crusaders’ overall success. With another full year of experience playing against collegiate competition, the two will look to take their game to new heights in hopes of helping the team reach their full potential. 

Looking at the rest of the guard rotation, Cara McCormack, Simone Foreman and Mary Elizabeth-Donnelly all averaged over 15 minutes per game last season and McCormack was in the starting lineup for more than half of the games she appeared in. They will look to bring stability to the guard rotation as the position group looks to be filled with a great deal of talent and depth. When taking a look at the frontcourt for the 2023-2024 season, Callie Wright will look to bring her skills and energy to the table to solidify the Crusaders’ all around forward group. Wright saw numerous stretches last year where she played double digit minutes, especially as the season progressed, so there is a strong possibility her role will increase even further this upcoming season. 

Finally, when looking towards the beginning of the new season, it is helpful to reflect on the success Holy Cross women’s basketball has had under the leadership of Head Coach Maureen Magarity. Since becoming the head coach of Holy Cross women’s basketball in 2020, the team has achieved much success, which can be seen by their 51-26 record since then. Magarity was recognized for her tremendous coaching in 2022 as she was named the 2022 Patriot League women’s basketball coach of the year. Under her leadership, the team has made incredible strides, which can be seen through their program record of 14 wins in Patriot League play in 2022 and their first NCAA Tournament appearance in over 15 years last season. 

Overall, with the combination of leadership and skill shown in the past by the seniors, the talent and potential of the younger players along with the guidance and prowess of the coaching staff, Holy Cross women’s basketball looks primed for another great season of competition!