IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 16 Holy Cross will face No. 1 Iowa in the First Round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

Iowa women's basketball - Figure 1
Photo Patriot League Official Athletic Site

HOW TO WATCH: The Crusaders and Hawkeyes will meet for the first time when they play in Iowa City. Coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET on ABC with Beth Mowins, Stephanie White and Holly Rowe on the call.  Live Stats | Watch

ABOUT NO. 16 SEED HOLY CROSS * The Crusaders are riding a five-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 16.7 points per game to go with 4.9 rebounds per game. * Holy Cross made the NCAA 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).   LAST TIME OUT FOR THE CRUSADERS * Holy Cross advanced to the Round of 64 with a commanding 72-45 victory against UT Martin in the NCAA First Four on Thursday night. * The win marks Holy Cross’ first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1991 when they defeated Maryland and the second NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament triumph in Patriot League history. * Senior guard Cara McCormack scored a career-high 23 points in a career-high seven three-pointers. Power-Cassidy finished with 15 points paced by three three-pointers. * As a team, the Crusaders made a season-high 12 three-pointers. * Holy Cross held the lead for 39:22 of the game, with its biggest lead being a 32-point difference.

ABOUT NO. 1 SEED IOWA * Iowa enters into the NCAA Tournament with its third straight Big Ten championship following a 94-89 win over Nebraska. * Saturday’s game marks the Hawkeye's 30th NCAA Tournament appearance. The program owns a 32-29 mark in the Big Dance.   * The Hawkeyes are paced by Caitlin Clark, who recently became the first player in Iowa women’s basketball history to be named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press. * Clark leads the nation this season in scoring (31.9) and assists per game (8.9). * Katie Martin averages 12.9 points per game and has recorded 15+-point performances in 15 games this season. * The team leads NCAA Division I in scoring (92.8), three-pointers per game (11.3) and assists per game (21.9).

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.