Championship Central
Bentley and Assumption Advance to NE10 Final
No. 1 Bentley 75, No. 4 SCSU 55 Box Score
The first-team All-Conference frontcourt duo of graduate student Maggie Whitmore and senior Kylie DuCharme combined for 36 points and 19 rebounds as Bentley University advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball Championship game for the 33rd time with a 75-55 win over Southern Connecticut State Thursday night on Barbara Stevens Court.
The victory extended Bentley's winning streaks to 25 overall and 13 in conference championship action. The Falcons, 29-1 overall and number three in the WBCA Division II coaches poll, will look to make it a four-peat as conference championships Sunday afternoon when they host sixth-seeded Assumption University at 1:30 pm.
Whitmore, who scored Bentley's first six points in the wire-to-wire win, finished with 20 points, ten rebounds, four assists and two steals. DuCharme added 16 points, nine boards, a steal and a block.
The Falcons' first double-digit lead came midway through the second quarter. After the Owls (19-10) closed to within one, Bentley ran off nine unanswered to go up 29-19. Sophomore guard Niya Morgen hit the first of her four three-pointers, junior forward Ciara Norman scored and third-team All-Conference senior guard Amanda Kabantu followed with a couple of buckets.
It was 36-26 at the half with Whitmore and DuCharme combining for 21 points and nine rebounds.
Midway through the third, back-to-back threes by Morgen, the Division II leader in three-point accuracy, pushed the Falcon advantage from six to 12, 49-37.
Southern was still within reach with 5:45 left in the fourth, 60-51 following a straight away three-pointers by senior guard Delaney Haines (Portland, Maine).
Bentley responded by scoring the next seven to lock up the win, 67-51 with 3:28 left in the fourth. Whitmore hit a jumper just inside the elbow, DuCharme scored an inside basket and Morgen made a three-point play the traditional way.
That 7-0 spurt grew into a game-ending 15-4 run, with the final 20-point spread the highest of the night.
In addition to Whitmore and DuCharme, Morgen and Kabantu scored in doubles for the Falcons. Morgen, six of seven overall and four of five from deep, added 17 off the bench, and Kabantu finished with 14.
Haines, with 17 points, was the top scorer for Southern.
Bentley outshot the visitors 48-35 percent and had a commanding 38-23 advantage on the boards. Coach C White's team was a plus-11 in points off turnovers, 23-11, and scored 30 in the paint, eight more than the Owls.
Assumption earned its trip to the finals with a 54-48 homecourt win over Adelphi. The Greyhounds closed out the game with a 6-0 run to earn their second trip to the finals. The previous one came in 2013 and the Falcons took that one by nine, 68-59.
Bentley, which swept Assumption during the regular season, will be looking for its 24th Northeast-10 championship on Sunday.
- Recap Courtesy of Bentley Athletics -
No. 6 Assumption 54, No. 7 Adelphi 54 Box Score
For the first time, the Assumption University women's basketball team will be playing for the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. The No. 6 seeded Greyhounds held off the No. 7 seeded Adelphi University in the NE10 Semifinals Thursday evening inside Andrew Laska Gymnasium.
THE BASICS:
Score: Assumption University 54, Adelphi 48
Records: Greyhounds (19-12, 9-11 NE10), Panthers (15-15, 9-11 NE10)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the first quarter, Adelphi capitalized on six Assumption turnovers as they ran out to a 12-10 lead led by Kaitlyn O'Connell with a pair of three-pointers. The Greyhounds controlled the paint, as they had all ten points scored in the paint by Kaijhe Hall, Maeve Moriarty, and Teagan Kamm.
The Greyhounds flipped the script in the second quarter, as they used a more balanced attack to regain the lead early in the second, as Molly Stokes drained a corner three to put the Greyhounds in front at 14-13. After trading the next few baskets, Olivia Found sparked a 10-0 run for the Hounds, as they took a 26-22 lead into the intermission.
Adelphi battled back in the third, converting on 10-of-13 shots to regain the lead. Gamila Betton and Christina Sanchez combined for 11 points as the Panthers carried a 44-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Assumption used lockdown defense in the fourth, holding Adelphi to 2-of-13 from the floor, to pull away for a 54-48 final score. Marina Callahan and Molly Stokes led the charge in the fourth, as the duo combined for eight of the 12 points for the Hounds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Kaijhe Hall led the way with a game-high 15 points, adding eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks.
- Molly Stokes added 13 points and two blocks, while Callahan missed the double-double with nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, and three blocks.
- Assumption outrebounded Adelphi 42-24 while also outscoring the Panthers in the paint, 26-24.
- There were ten lead changes and nine ties in the matchup.
- The Greyhounds will head to the Northeast-10 Conference Finals for the first time since the 2012-13 season, as the Hounds fell 68-59 to Bentley.
- Assumption leads the all-time series 10-5.
- Recap Courtesy of Assumption 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: #1 Bentley 64, #9 SNHU 50
Game 5: #7 Adelphi 64, #2 Saint Anselm 61
Game 6: #6 Assumption 57, #3 New Haven 54 (OT)
Game 7: #4 SCSU 68, #5 Pace 61
Semifinals – Thursday, March 6th (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 8: #1 Bentley 75, #4 SCSU 55
Game 9: #6 Assumption 54, #7 Adelphi 48
Championship – Sunday, March 9th (at highest remaining seed):
Game 10: #6 Assumption at #1 Bentley - TBD
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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