Women's Basketball

Adelphi, Assumption, and SNHU Advance to Women's Basketball Quarterfinals

No. 6, 7, and 9 Seeds Advance to Sunday

Championship Central

No. 6, 7, and 9 prevail as 2025 Championship tips-off.

No. 6 Assumption 65, No. 11 Franklin Pierce 53  Box Score

The No. 6 seeded Assumption University women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort as they rallied from down 14 in the second quarter to defeat the No. 11 seeded Franklin Pierce 65-53 in the Northeast-10 Conference First Round, Friday evening
 
THE BASICS: 
Score: Assumption University 65, Franklin Pierce University 53
Records: Greyhounds (17-12, 9-11 NE10), Ravens (9-18, 6-14 NE10)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Franklin Pierce came out red hot as they shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from long range to race out to a 23-11 lead after 10 minutes. The Ravens continued to see their lead grow into the second quarter, as Colette Mulderig's jumper, with 3:09 remaining in the frame, pushed the FPU lead to 14 points (31-17). The Greyhounds closed the quarter strong, as they went on an 11-4 run with Marina Callahan leading the way with four points, sending the game into halftime with the Ravens maintaining a 35-28 lead. 
 
After allowing Franklin Pierce to shoot 51.8 percent (14-of-27) in the first half, the Hounds defense locked down the third, holding them to just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from the field and turned six FPU turnovers into 15 Assumption points. Trailing 39-32, the Greyhounds went on a 10-0 run to capture the lead for the first time since the opening basket. 
 
In the fourth, the Ravens closed the deficit down to one point (50-49) following a pair of free throws by Mulderig, but Assumption closed out the game strong, with Callahan and Molly Stokes combining for 12 points and going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to pull away for a 65-53 final score. 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 

  • Marina Callahan tied for a game-high 16 points while adding eight boards, five assists, and three blocks. 
  • Molly Stokes (13) and Kajihe Hall (11) joined Callahan in the double-digit club. 
  • Laura Johnson-Shedd stuffed the stat sheet, recording seven points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal. 
  • Franklin Pierce outrebounded Assumption 40-28, but the Greyhounds outscored the Ravens 30-20 in the paint. 
  • After allowing nine baskets in the first quarter, the Hounds defense locked down to allow just eight in the final three quarters. 
  • This is the second straight year that the Greyhounds have ended the Raven's season, as they eliminated them in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (58-43). 
  • Assumption leads the all-time series 32-18. 

- Recap Courtesy of Assumption Athletics -

No. 7 Adelphi 52, No. 10 American International 28    Box Score
In their first playoff victory since the 2019-20 season, the Adelphi University women's basketball team won its first round conference tournament game against American International College on Friday evening at the Center for Recreation & Sport, by a final score of 52-28.

Defense stood out in this tilt, as the Yellow Jackets were held without a point until nearly the 3:00 mark. Scoring didn't come easy for the Panthers either however, with the home team only mustering four points until that point courtesy of Rolanda Robinson and Gamila Betton buckets. 

Adelphi then began to go on a run in the latter part of the frame, with Ariana Kupi chipping in to the point total as well. The 'Cats held a seven point advantage at the end of one. 

The second set of 10 also proved to be a slow burn, with 15 total points scored by the halftime horn. AIC played themselves back into the game as time wore on, cutting the lead to two after Chelsea Reeves drilled one from the stripe with five ticks left. Isabella Asencio then flew down the court and managed to convert a contested layup with 0.3 on the clock plus an extra free throw. At the break, Reeves had 11 of the visitors' 13. 

Despite the Yellow Jackets earning the first bucket of the second half, the Panthers then responded with an 8-0 run of their own. Asencio continued to shine, with four of the points coming from her alongside Victoria Morgan and Robinson. Christina Sanchez extended the lead to double digits after a three-point make, putting the 'Cats in a comfortable position heading into the fourth. 

Kaitlyn O'Connell had been quiet most of the game, but her eyes widened in the final frame with history on the doorstep. Finding herself behind the line more often, the senior put home the first two deep shots she attempted in the quarter. With the crowd beginning to feel what was at stake, she hit another to tie the single-season record of 79 with 4:19 to play. 

Less than a minute later, as the CRS audience stood, she launched one high that later fell through the bottom of the net. This one stood as her 80th of the season, a new Adelphi single-season record for three-point field goals made. 

As the onslaught ensued as the clock winded down, the final buzzer ringed throughout the gym with the scoreboard showing a 24 point victory for the Brown and Gold. 

Head Coach Sade Jackson, with her first postseason win for Adelphi, will be back in action with her team on Sunday, March 2 when they travel to No. 2 seed Saint Anselm College. Game time from Manchester, N.H. is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. with a berth to the NE10 semifinals on the line.  
 

- Recap Courtesy of Adelphi Athletics - 

No. 9 SNHU 70, No. 9 Saint Michael's 63   Box Score

Junior Meghan Gordon (Attleboro, Mass.) pumped in 18 points, and sophomore Ava Winterburn (New Boston, N.H.) added 16 as the Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team won 70-63 at Saint Michael's College in the first round of the Northeast-10 Championship on Friday night in Colchester, Vt.   The Penmen will play at top-seed Bentley University on Sunday in the quarterfinals.
 

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
  • Gordon - 18 points (6-11 FG, 6-6 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
  • Winterburn - 16 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 1-2 FT), 8 rebounds
  • Graduate student Stephanie Davis (Windham, N.H.) – 14 points (4-8 FG, 6-9 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
  • Freshman Samantha Pfeil (Methuen, Mass.) - 10 points (3-4 FG, 1-1 3-FG, 3-3 FT), 4 rebounds
KEY MOMENTS   
  • Gordon connected on a jump shot with 6:32 to play in the first quarter to give the Penmen an early 6-2 lead, but the Purple Knights responded with a 10-2 run for a 12-8 lead.
  • Winterburn hit a three-pointer as the first quarter ended to give SNHU an 18-16 lead.
  • Gordon hit a jumper to start the second quarter as SNHU again led by four at 20-16.  
  • There would be five lead changes in the second period, and the Purple Knights took a 31-30 lead to the locker room.
  • The third quarter also saw five lead changes, with the Penmen taking a 49-46 lead after three quarters when Davis hit a driving layup and free throw.
  • Pfiel hit a lay-up to start the fourth quarter and give SNHU a 51-46 lead, the biggest lead for either team to that point in the contest.
  • Winterburn hit two lay-ups around a three-pointer by Brianna Furch for Saint Michael's, and SNHU led 59-55 halfway through the fourth quarter.
  • Wager drilled a jumper to extend the lead to 61-55 and DeVries connected on two free throws to maintain the six-point lead with 2:54 remaining.
  • Two Davis free throws gave the Penmen a 65-57 lead at 1:40, and Saint Michael's could not get closer than four points down the stretch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Senior Sydnie DeVries (Monson, Mass.) gathered six points (1-5 FG, 4-6 FT), seven rebounds and three assists.
  • Sophomore Abby Wager (Mansfield, Mass.) added four points (2-8 FG), 2 rebounds, and 1 assist
  • Sophomore Madison Hughes (Columbia, Conn.) had two points, two rebounds and an assist
  • Freshman Taylor Brennan (Southbury, Conn.) pulled down three boards and added a helper.
  • Southern New Hampshire shot 46.2 percent (24-52) to Saint Michael's 39.4 percent (26-66).
  • The Penmen hit on 20-of-27 free throws (74.1%) while the Purple Knights were 0-4.   
  • Beyond the arc, Saint Michael's went 11-for-32 (34.4%) compared to just 2-for-8 (25.0%) for SNHU.
  • The Penmen had a wide 41-29 rebounding advantage and an edge on points in the paint 28-26 and second chance points 16-12.
  • SNHU turned the ball over 15 times leading to 15 points for Saint Michael's.  The Purple Knights committed seven turnovers for 10 Penmen points.
  • Saint Michael's submitted a more impressive assist-to-turnover ratio (17/9-11/15).
NOTES
  • SNHU, the No. 9 seed, will play in the Northeast-10 Quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season.
  • The Penmen will meet top-seed Bentley, ranked third in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Coaches Poll.  The Falcons concluded the regular season with a 23rd consecutive win on Tuesday night over the Penmen and the win streak is the longest in the nation in DII.
  • Saint Michael's leads the all-time series with the Penmen 32-28.  The Penmen had won nine consecutive games with the Purple Knights before falling in Colchester in the regular season on January 22.
  • This was the first post-season meeting between the SNHU women and Saint Michael's since 1991 when the Penmen won 80-68 on the way to the ECAC Tournament Championship.
  • SNHU snapped a four-game losing streak and improves to 72-41 (.637) since the 2021-22 season started.
WHAT'S NEXT
  • The ninth-seeded Penmen travel to top-seeded Bentley University on Sunday (March 2) at 1:30 p.m. for an NE10 Championship quarterfinal contest.
- Recap Courtesy of SNHU Athletics -

2025 NE10 Women's Basketball Championship
 
NE10
1. Bentley 19-1
2. Saint Anselm 14-6
3. New Haven 12-8
4. Southern Connecticut 11-9
5. Pace * 9-11
6. Assumption * 9-11
7. Adelphi * 9-11
8. Saint Michael's 8-12
9. Southern New Hampshire 7-13
10. American International ** 6-14
11. Franklin Pierce ** 6-14

* Within the mini-conference, both Assumption & Pace were 3-1 and Adelphi was 0-4. Assumption & Pace were 1-1 vs. each other during the regular season. When comparing results vs. teams occupying the highest position in the standings, both were 0-2 vs. Bentley. Pace earned the #5 seed based on their 1-1 regular season record vs. Saint Anselm (Assumption was 0-2 vs. Saint Anselm).  

** AIC & Franklin Pierce were 1-1 vs. each other during the regular season. When comparing results vs. teams occupying the highest position in the standings, both teams were 0-2 vs. both Bentley & Saint Anselm. AIC earned the #10 seed based on their 1-1 regular season record vs. New Haven (Franklin Pierce was 0-2 vs. New Haven).

First Round – Friday, February 28th:  
Game 1: #9 SNHU 70, #8 Saint Michael's 63
Game 2: #7 Adelphi 52, #10 American International 28
Game 3: #6 Assumption 65, #11 Franklin Pierce 53
 
Quarterfinals – Sunday, March 2nd: 
Game 4: #9 SNHU at #1 Bentley – 1:30 PM
Game 5: #7 Adelphi at #2 Saint Anselm – 1:30 PM
Game 6: #6 Assumption at #3 New Haven – 2:00 PM
Game 7: #5 Pace at #4 SCSU – 1:30 PM
 
Semifinals – Thursday, March 6th (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 7 winner (at highest remaining seed)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (at highest remaining seed)
 
Championship – Sunday, March 9th (at highest remaining seed):
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner (at highest remaining seed)

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 11 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

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