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Women's Basketball
The 2001-02 women's basketball team came into the preseason
featuring the return of four starters, five of the top six
scorers from a year ago, and two top 50 recruits in the nation.
The five-time defending regular-season champs and the four-time
defending Patriot League playoff champions are expected to
capture their sixth-straight Patriot League regular season
title as voted by the League's head coaches and sports information
directors.
After defeating Nor'Easter Storm, 69-53, in an exhibition
game, the Crusaders opened the regular season with three
home games against Massachusetts, Providence and Siena.
Guard Maggie Fontana '05 (Palatine, Ill.) scored a game-high
17 points as Holy Cross defeated the Minutewomen, 68-42.
Three different Crusaders scored in double figures and helped
the team post the largest margin of victory (26) in the season
opener since 1989-90 when they defeated Northeastern, 79-35.
Guard Amanda Abraham '02 (Plymouth, Mich.) added 16 points
while center Katie O'Keefe '03 (Stratham, N.H.) scored 14
points and grabbed a team high eight rebounds. Fontana also
led the team with six steals and added six rebounds.
Holy Cross then stretched its home winning streak to 12
games—dating back to Dec. 5, 2000—behind Abraham's
career high 25 points as they defeated Big East foe, Providence,
75-58. The Crusaders shot 53 percent from the floor in the
first half and took a 39-25 halftime lead. Holy Cross outscored
the Friars, 24-13 in the first 10 minutes of the second half
to take a 25-point lead on its way to the win. Abraham scored
19 of her 25 points in the second half while O'Keefe scored
all of her 12 points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting.
Fontana recorded her first career double-double with 13 points
and 10 rebounds.
Holy Cross then hosted the defending MAAC Champions, Siena,
and defeated the Saints, 88-73. O'Keefe finished the game
11-for-15 from the field and scored a career-high 23 points
while leading four Crusaders in double figures. Fontana recorded
her second double-double in as many games with 17 points
and 10 rebounds. Guard Jeanette Paukert '02 (Chicago, Ill.)
also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists,
while Abraham chipped in with 18 points.
Holy Cross next traveled to Chestnut Hill, Mass., for its
first road game of the season where it took on Boston College.
O'Keefe led the team for the second straight game with 15
points and Abraham added 12 points, but the Eagles shot 57
percent from the field and handed the Crusaders their first
loss of the season. The team bounced back to defeat Northeastern,
71-51, at the Hart Center to pick up its fourth win of the
year. Led by O'Keefe, who scored 19 points and made nine
rebounds, and forward Mary Rose Campbell '03 (Richmond, Va.),
who came off the bench to add 13 points and eight rebounds,
the Crusaders improved to 4-1 on the year.
Holy Cross then traveled to Tucson, Ariz., to play in the
Arizona Basketball Classic. The Crusaders pulled a dramatic
upset in the tournament with an 83-74 victory over the host
school, Arizona, in the first round. Fontana scored a game
and career high 23 points and added five rebounds. O'Keefe
scored 16 points and added six rebounds in just 27 minutes
of play due to foul trouble. Holy Cross was whistled for
23 fouls and had three starters foul out but battled hard
for the win.
With the win over the Wildcats, Holy Cross advanced to the
championship game against #20 Wisconsin. Wisconsin took a
29-25 lead into the locker room at the half after big runs
by both teams. After the Badgers opened the game with an
18-8 run, Holy Cross answered with a 15-3 run of its own.
Wisconsin then closed the half with an 8-2 run to take the
lead. The Badgers shot 63 percent from the floor in the second
half and led by 18-points, 56-38, with 11:53 to go in the
game. The Crusaders scored the next 13 points, cut the lead
to five and made it a four-point game with 3:21 left, but
it wasn't enough as they dropped to 5-2 on the season. O'Keefe,
who led the team with 21 points, was selected to the All-Tournament
team.
Four days later Holy Cross traveled to Hartford, Conn.,
to face #1 Connecticut in front of a crowd of 16,294. The
Huskies had too many offensive weapons as they defeated the
Crusaders, 97-54. Holy Cross will have to quickly regroup
and get ready for the rest of its non-conference slate before
heading into conference action where the Crusaders will be
seeking an unprecedented sixth straight regular season title.
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