FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Falcons and Panthers Advance to Set Up Showdown on Sunday
Adelphi and Bentley both overcame first half deficits in Northeast-10 Conference Semifinal Round action earlier tonight to advance to Sunday's title game. Here's how Thursday's action played out in Garden City and in Waltham
#1 SW Adelphi 67, #3 SW Le Moyne 57 | BOXSCORE
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- The top two seeds in the NE10 will fight for a championship on Sunday, as Adelphi erased a 19-point deficit en route to defeating visiting Le Moyne, 67-57, in the Center for Recreation and Sport on Thursday night.
The Panthers, who trailed 36-17 with 5:40 to play until halftime, ended the second period on a 16-1 run to close the gap to single digits, before coming all the way back for the win in the second half.
The Brown and Gold, the top seeds out of the NE10's Southwest Division, will host Bentley, the No. 1 seed out of the Northeast, at 1 pm on Sunday in Garden City, as the Falcons defeated Saint Anselm, 81-49, at the Dana Center in Waltham, Massachusetts in the other semifinal.
The Panthers will host their second-ever NE10 Championship game, having won the title on home court in the 2014-15 season. Tipoff is slated for 1 pm.
Niajah Morgan provided a spark for the Panthers (25-4) off the bench for the second straight playoff game, tying a career-high, which she set in the previous round, with 19 points of 7-14 shooting and a quartet of three-pointers.
Twelve of Simone Hobdy's 14 points came in the first half, as she and Morgan combined for 24 over the opening 20 minutes to keep Adelphi close. Hobdy also hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds for her fifth double-double on the season.
Le Moyne's Ailayia Demand led three Dolphins in double-figures as she finished with 13. Joanna Dobrovosky and McKayla Roberts each chipped in with 11.
#1 NE Bentley 81, #3 NE Saint Anselm 49 | BOXSCORE
WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior All-America forward Jen Gemma became the all-time leading scorer in Bentley women's basketball history, junior guard Lauren Green joined the 1,000-point club and the 12th-ranked Falcons earned a trip to Sunday's NE10 championship game with an 81-49 semifinal win over Saint Anselm Thursday night at the Dana Center.
Bentley, after recording its 14th straight win this season and 17th straight in NE10 championship action, will take a 26-4 record into Sunday's title game at 25-4 Adelphi. Although both teams were number one seeds in their respective divisions, the Panthers will be the home team by virtue of a 62-60 win over the Falcons back in January.
It'll be the Falcons' 27th appearance in the finals and coach Barbara Stevens' team will be looking for its 20th championship, including sixth in the last seven years.
Both Gemma and Green achieved their milestone baskets during a fourth quarter that the Falcons outscored the Hawks 24-4.
Gemma displaced 2014 WBCA Division II National Player of the Year Lauren Battista from the top of Bentley's career scoring list with a three-point play with 4:18 left in the contest. That gave the two-time NE10 Player of the Year 2,115 points, three more than Battista totaled from 2010-14.
Appropriately, Green became the 34th 1,000-point scorer in program history when she drained a three-ball from the right side with six-and-a-half minutes left in the final stanza. It was her third triple of the night and 182nd of a career that has seen her score 1,001 points. She's only the 18th Falcon to reach that plateau before her final season.
Green, who left the game right after knocking down the milestone three, finished with 11 points, four assists and two steals.
But on a night of milestones, it was the two Bentley starters who didn't earn All-Conference honors that played a major role in the Falcons' success. Sophomore forward Victoria Lux finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, and junior guard Trevena Bennett followed with 17 as the two were a combined 13 of 21 from the floor.
Senior guard Candace Andrews led Saint Anselm with 28 points, five rebounds and three steals. She kept her team in the game during the opening stanza, scoring 22 of the Hawks' 34 points.
Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staffs at Adelphi and Bentley.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 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 student-athletes compete in conference championships, 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.