WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior Alex Giannaros scored a team-high 21 points, and freshman Aoibhe Gormley collected 17 points, but the third-seeded Boston University women's basketball program was unable to overcome top-ranked Holy Cross in the Patriot League Championship, falling 61-55 on Sunday afternoon at the Hart Center.
 
BU (20-12) whittled down as much as a 17-point, second-half deficit to two possessions, but could not come closer as the Crusaders (20-12) never trailed en route to capturing their second-consecutive Patriot League title and 13th in program history.
 
Giannaros made 50 percent of her shots while finishing with three assists and three rebounds. Gormley was 7-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-4 from deep. Senior Caitlin Weimar finished with 14 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
 
Bronagh Power-Cassidy scored 17 of her 21 points in the first half to pace Holy Cross. Cara McCormack recorded 15 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Crusader defense forced four Terrier turnovers in the opening three-and-a-half minutes, allowing Holy Cross to build an 8-2 lead.
• Giannaros' three halted the run, but Power-Cassidy answered with her own triple to extend the gap to 13-5.
• Trailing by eight, Gormley knocked down a three from the right wing before the first quarter expired to pull BU within 15-10.
• Trailing 20-13, the Terriers went on a 6-0 run on buckets from Gormley, Weimar, and sophomore Anastasiia Semenova down low, pulling within one with 5:15 left in the second quarter.
• Gormley's layup with 2:11 on the clock made it 27-23 in favor of Holy Cross, but the Crusaders ended the frame on a 7-0 run, the last five from Power-Cassidy, to take a 34-23 lead into halftime.
• The third quarter started with Giannaros' right-elbow jumper, but an 8-0 Crusader burst, magnified to a 20-4 stretch over the previous 8:16, put Holy Cross ahead 42-25 with 5:52 remaining in the third.
• Trailing by 15, BU rattled off an 8-0 with five coming from Gormley on a straightaway three and driving layup to cut it to 43-36, but McCormack nailed a three at the end of the third to restore a 10-point Crusader lead.
• A layup and jumper from Giannaros to start the fourth brought the Terriers within six, but McCormack countered with a corner three and a layup for a 51-40 Holy Cross edge with 6:57 to play.
• Giannaros drilled another three, as did Gormley following Kaitlyn Flanagan's two foul shots to bring BU within 53-46 with 2:09 remaining.
• The closest the Terriers got from there was six points after Giannaros' right-wing three made it 59-53 with 34 seconds to go, but the Crusaders kept BU at bay with free throws.

STATS

• BU shot just under 43 percent in the game, and was 8-for-19 from three.
• Holy Cross made about 35 percent of its shots, and also hit eight three-pointers.
• The Terriers held the edge in bench points (23-14) and paint points (20-12).
• Rebounding favored the Crusaders, 34-33, including 12-6 on the offensive glass.
• Holy Cross shot 17-for-25 from the foul line, while BU was just 5-for-7.

NOTES

• Giannaros and Weimar were named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team. Weimar earns her second-straight All-Tournament honor, while Giannaros captures her first.
• Weimar closes the season with 88 blocks (second-most in a year in program history), 579 points (third-most), 221 field goals (third-most), 330 rebounds (third-most), 10.6 rebounds per game (tied for third-highest), 18.7 points per game (fourth-highest), 137 free throws (fourth-most), a .553 field goal percentage (tied for sixth-highest), and 1,104 minutes played (eighth-most).
• In the Terrier record books, she is 11th all-time with 1,277 points, second with 178 blocks and 9.8 rebounds per game, third with 15 points per game and a .551 field goal percentage, and fifth with 835 rebounds.
• With her trio of three-pointers, Giannaros is now tied with Katie Nelson for seventh place in program history with 162 career triples. She caps her junior campaign with 963 career points.
• Senior Sophie Beneventine suited up in 95 career games in her four seasons, and set personal-bests this season in assists, starts, points scored, and field goals made.
• Despite missing the final five games of the season due to injury, senior Kelsi Mingo also marked career-highs in 2023-24 in points, games played and three-pointers, shooting 40 percent from distance in her career.
• Gormley's trio of three-pointers were a career-high.
• Holy Cross improves to 3-0 against BU in the Patriot League Tournament, and 24-15 all-time.