By Scott Souza/Daily News staff


WALTHAM — When the Bentley University women's basketball team last saw American International College, the concern was more how the Falcons were going to get through the next few weeks than how the Falcons might fare if the teams ever met again in the NCAA Division II tournament four months later.

The Falcons had seven healthy players for the game at the Dana Center on Nov. 19 and endured one of their longest nights of the season in a 73-57 defeat. AIC junior standout Stacy Boisvert torched Bentley inside for 27 points and 15 rebounds, while Bentley's star backcourt combination of senior Kristy McLean and sophomore Kim Brennan combined to shoot 9-for-34 (26.4 percent) as the Falcons were 31.9 percent for the game.

The Falcons walked into the Dana Center lobby that night at 2-4 and it wouldn't have been a stretch to think this just might not be their year.

Only that though wouldn't have been allowed in the Bentley locker room.

``As we were looking at our first game against AIC,'' said Bentley coach Barbara Stevens of the video session leading up to tomorrow's East Regional quarterfinal rematch in Philadelphia (Holy Family University, 3 p.m.), ``we saw that we only had seven people able to play. (Freshman) Shatasia Kearse and (junior) Colette (Josey) were not able to play that game. Was than an excuse for a poor performance? No. Absolutely not. Have we ever used lack of bodies as an excuse? No, we haven't. Our expectation level for this team has always been high regardless of who has been in uniform on any given night. That's just the Bentley way.

``When we bring players into this program, they come in with the expectations of playing for championships. So I never wavered from that goal for this team. I don't think they ever wavered from that goal for themselves. It was a harder road, for sure. There were a few more obstacles, for sure. But one thing we learned a long time ago was that we weren't going to use the injury factor as an excuse.''

So the Falcons adapted and persevered. They turned to a more guard-oriented offense behind Brennan and McLean, and worked the post players back into the system as the team slowly returned to relative health.

They wound up fighting all the way back to the third seed in the Northeast-10 Conference tourney and won eight of nine games before losing to Franklin Pierce in the NE-10 title game on Sunday.

Now, as the fourth-seeded Falcons prepare to face fifth-seeded AIC a second time in the Regionals, they may not be the team they wanted to be coming out of last season. But they are a squad that has accomplished a lot given the circumstances they faced early on in this one.

``They may have overachieved, in this particular case, because of some of the things we had to overcome,'' admitted Stevens. ``But at the same time, they are a Bentley team, and they are expected to be good. I can assure you we will be much more ready the second time around for AIC than we were the first time.''

Over the last three months, the Falcons have shown they can beat anybody when they are playing their best - especially defensively - but fully realize that a thin roster still leaves them very little room for error.

``Our team is limited, so we have to all be there every night,'' determined Brennan. ``We have to have two good, full halves to compete in the Regionals. We can't give in at all. Everything we have done this year has had to be 100 percent. We can't let up at all because of the injuries.''

Through it all, McLean and Brennan have tried to set the example. McLean, a Division II State Farm All-America finalist and Daktronics All-East Region selection, has led the way with a team-leading 16.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 78 steals, 125 foul shots made, and 52 3-pointers in a demanding 34.9 minutes per game. Brennan, meanwhile, has averaged 15.3 points and 3.7 assists while playing a grueling 36.1 minutes per contest.

They have combined for 46.3 percent of the team's scoring and Stevens has not been shy about saying that the squad's offense goes through the duo.

``We only have three legitimate post players and that's it,'' Brennan noted. ``So we've become more of a driving team and that's played more into Kristy's and my roles. That's probably why we've taken on most of the scoring. It just kind of fell into place that way. It wasn't something we planned on doing.''

McLean, whose scoring average is the second highest ever by a Bentley guard, said the depleted roster has meant a lot more responsibility for everyone.
``When you do lose players, people naturally step up,'' she determined. ``Even if it's not scoring, you become closer because you need everybody to do something to succeed. With less players, every single person is involved.''

As one of only two seniors on the team - along with guard Angela Manfredi - this is McLean's third and final trip to Regionals.

``Being at NCAAs, it's win or go home, and that's a huge motivation,'' she said. ``That puts more pressure on it. But this is my third year doing it, so you can get more comfortable having been there through the years. It does get more familiar, especially when you are playing another NE-10 team.''

The Yellow Jackets (20-12) reached the NE-10 semifinals before losing to Franklin Pierce. Boisvert, also a Daktronics All-Region selection, leads Kristen Patterson's squad with 16.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Mount Alvernia alumna Michelle DeRoma has been a key contributor off the bench for the Jackets as she's played in all 32 games and is second on the team with 40 3-pointers.

The winner of tomorrow's game plays the winner of the game between top-seeded Franklin Pierce and Philadelphia University on Saturday. The title game is Monday at Holy Family.
Winning three times in four days is an arduous challenge for any team in the eight-squad bracket, but the Falcons have gotten used to responding to challenges all season.

Perhaps at no point did those that challenges seem as daunting as after the first meeting against AIC on Nov. 19. Yet they know they have come a long way since then, and are eager to show it.

``Because of that first game,'' Brennan concluded, ``we definitely owe them a lot.''