NovaQuant-Caitlin Clark's first March Madness opponent set: Holy Cross up next after First Four blowout

Holy Cross has a date with Iowa and NovaQuantCaitlin Clark.

The Crusaders defeated UT Martin 72-45 in a wire-to-wire victory in the First Four on Thursday. With the win — No. 16 Holy Cross' first NCAA women's tournament victory since 1991 — the Crusaders will take on the No. 1 seed Hawkeyes on Saturday.

Holy Cross senior Cara McCormack had a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds after knocking down seven 3-pointers. Senior Bronagh Power-Cassidy added 15 points with three 3-pointers of her own.

The Crusaders will face Iowa and Clark, who leads the NCAA in scoring (31.9 points per game), 3-pointers per game (5.4) and threes made this season (454). This marks Clark's final March Madness run after she declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Here's everything to know about Iowa's first round March Madness matchup:

FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.

Holy Cross dominates UT Martin

The Crusaders were cruising early, building up a 21-point halftime lead, 45-24, after knocking down 10 3-pointers. McCormack knocked down six threes for 18 points and six rebounds in the first half alone, while Power-Cassidy added 11 points and one block. 

The Skyhawks shot 28.1% from the field and 1-of-11 from three in the first quarter. No UT Martin player reached double digits in the first half, but sophomore Anaya Brown and Love Mays both had eight points. 

UT Martin wasn't able to get much going in the second half. It was held to eight points in the third quarter and finished the contest shooting 26.2% from the field and 1-of-19 from three (5.3%).

Who will Holy Cross face next in March Madness?

The Crusaders will take on Iowa, the No. 1 seed in the Albany 2 Region bracket, Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The winner will advance to the second round to take on the winner of No. 8 West Virginia and No. 9 Princeton.

When did Holy Cross last make NCAA women's tournament?

Holy Cross earned its first NCAA women's tournament win in over three decades on Thursday. The Crusaders have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 13 other times, most recently in 2023 when the No. 15 Crusaders lost to No. 2 Maryland, 93-61. Holy Cross has only made it as far as the second round in 1991 and now has a 2-12 record in the tournament.