March 7, 2007
2007 Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship Page
Box Score
Worcester, Mass. - No. 3 Holy Cross earned its 11th Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship title with a 56-48 win over No. 4 American on Wednesday at the Hart Center. The Crusaders improve to 15-17 on the year, while the Eagles conclude the season at 13-19.
After trailing 29-19 at the half, Holy Cross turned the corner on a Bethany O'Dell 3-pointer - one of six she made on the evening - at 3:37, putting the Crusaders up 47-44 and bringing the Hart Center faithful to their feet. O'Dell then sunk another trey a little over a minute later, but American's Nicole Ryan answered back with one of her own. It was O'Dell again who sealed the win with a jumper, making it 54-48, while Briana McFadden added the last two points of the game from the charity stripe.
Holy Cross' win marks just the third time in Patriot League history a No. 3 seed has taken home the hardware. The other instance of its kind took place in 1997 when third-seeded Lehigh was crowned champion.
"No one thought we'd be in the Hart Center cutting down out own nets," said Foley, a senior captain on the Crusader roster.
With No. 1 Bucknell and No. 2 Army upset in the quarterfinal rounds of the Patriot League Tournament, Holy Cross earned the right to host the championship game with a win over No. 6 Lafayette in the quarterfinal and an overtime victory against Lehigh in the semifinal. American defeated No. 5 Navy and No. 8 Colgate to make their second-ever trip to the Patriot League Tournament Championship Game.
Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player honors went to O'Dell, who netted a game-high
20 points, including 18 from beyond the arc. Foley notched a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 15 boards for the Crusaders who outrebounded the Eagles, 49-30. Brittany Keil pulled down 10 of the team's 49 rebounds. McFadden had 14 points of her own and dished out a game-best six assists. O'Dell, Foley and McFadden were named to the 2007 Patriot League All-Tournament Team.
For American, Liz Hayes and Ryan earned spots on the All-Tournament Team. Hayes ended the game with a team-high 14 points and totaled 46 over the tournament, while Ryan had 10 on Wednesday and 50 overall. Maggie Smith-Davidson led the Eagles on the glass with 11 rebounds.
Also named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team was Lehigh's Adrienne Blount, who's Mountain Hawks went to the semifinal round and lost to Holy Cross in overtime. Blount recorded 35 points and 27 rebounds over two contests.
The 11 Patriot League Championship titles are the most by any one team in the 17 years the League has hosted a women's basketball tournament.
"Eleven of out 17 is just incredible," said Holy Cross Head Coach Bill Gibbons, who improves to 35-6 in Patriot League Tournament games. "I credit our players and my coaches."
Holy Cross will learn of its NCAA fate on Monday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNHD. First round action will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18 at campus sites. The Crusaders notched the only win in the NCAA Tournament in Patriot League women's basketball history, doing so in 1991.
2007 Patriot League All-Tournament Team
Liz Hayes, American (46 points, 10 assists)
Nicole Ryan, American (50 points, 9 3fgm)
Kaitlin Foley, Holy Cross (51 points, 30 rebounds)
Briana McFadden, Holy Cross (35 points, 18 assists)
Bethany O'Dell, Holy Cross (48 points, 11 3fgm)
Adrienne Blount, Lehigh (35 points, 27 rebounds)
2007 Patriot League Most Valuable Player Bethany O'Dell, Holy Cross
