I took in Holy Cross' season-opening game against Yale on Friday night and took the chance to ask the always quotable Holy Cross coach Bill Gibbons about what the return of Caroline Doty could mean to this year's UConn squad. I'll save what he said for my advance which will run in Sunday's Register but when I informed him that both Doty and freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis are expected to play, Gibbons said "Merry Christmas to me."

Gibbons knows what he is in for when Holy Cross plays UConn on Sunday afternoon. The Crusaders just gave up 16 offensive rebounds to an undersized Yale squad, committed 23 turnovers and missed 13 free throws in a 76-71 loss to Yale. Just 41 hours after the game end, Holy Cross will have to face the Huskies and will do so without its top scorer in Friday's game as Gibbons does not want to risk star freshman Emily Parker reinjuring her knee.

"I am not going to play Parker against UConn, I'd be nuts to do that," Gibbons said. "She is coming off the knee injury and it would just be stupid. That is just a different level, we are going to need her for the Patriot League."

Parker was cleared to play on Thursday and the last thing he expected was to see her score 17 points in her first collegiate game.

Gibbons knows it would have been easier for his team had they opened with a win over Yale but the Crusaders lost their season opener for the fifth straight year and are looking at an 0-2 start to the season.

"That is why this game is so big because if you can get a win going to UConn, it is much better than having a loss," Gibbons said. "It happened last year. but we are going down there and compete and try to get better. What are you going to do, the schedule is the schedule that is why I play them and they are not going to take it easy on us. We are going to watch film tomorrow and be ready to go on Sunday."