The clock struck midnight on the Eagles' Cinderella season, changing a potential victory bus into the proverbial pumpkin on Wednesday night as AU lost to Holy Cross in the Patriot League Championship game 56-48. The loss prevents the team from reaching its first NCAA tournament.
Contrary to the way that they had been playing throughout the year, the Eagles came out strong in the first half. Sophomore Nicole Ryan hit the first bucket of the game to give AU the early lead only to be followed by a short run by Holy Cross to give them a quick 8-2 advantage five minutes into the game.
AU would respond with back-to-back three-pointers by Ryan and junior Liz Hayes to tie the game up at eight.
After trading baskets over the next few minutes, Hayes and Ryan would lead the Eagles on an 18-5 run over the final eight minutes of the half to take a commanding 29-19 lead at the break.
The key to the Eagles strong first-half performance was their shooting percentage. AU shot 12 of 29 from the field, including five of eight three-point shooting. Their defense also limited the Crusaders to eight of 26 shooting and only one of seven from behind the arc.
As cold as the Crusaders were in the first half, they were just as hot in the second. Freshmen Bethany O'Neil and Briana McFadden hit back-to-back three pointers to cut the Eagle lead to four at 29-25.
The Eagles stretched the lead back up to 33-25 on jumpers by Hayes and Ryan four minutes into the half but it would not stop the Crusader onslaught. Another pair of three-point shots by McFadden and O'Neil tied the game at 33, part of seven the Crusaders would hit in the second half.
The lead would swing back and forth throughout the second period, with Holy Cross taking their first advantage on a three-pointer by O'Neil with nine minutes to play, 38-36.
AU would go back up on a pair of Pam Stanfield free-throws to go ahead 44-42. This would be the last time the Eagles would be ahead for the rest of the game, as McFadden hit another pair of shots from beyond the arc to give Holy Cross a 50-44 lead.
Ryan would hit another three-pointer with two minutes to go to cut the lead to 50-47 but this would be as close as AU would get as the Crusaders held on for a 56-48 victory.
A lack of shooting in the second half marked the Eagles' collapse, as AU only hit eight of 26 shots, including a single three-pointer after the break. By comparison, the Crusaders were on fire, hitting seven of 11 from beyond the arc and 13 of 33 overall.
Bethany O'Neil was the star for Holy Cross, hitting six of 13 shots from three-point land to collect a game-high 20 points. McFadden and fellow teammate Kaitlin Foley each recorded 14 points apiece for the Crusaders. Even in defeat, Hayes and Ryan scored double-digits for the Eagles, getting 14 and 10 respectively.
Ending the season at 13-19, the Eagles will look to build off of this year's success next winter, returning all but one starter, as they lose senior Abby Lipskis to graduation this year.
