For Immediate Release
February 15, 2012
South Easton, Mass. – While Bentley University moved up one spot to No. 6 in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches' Poll, Southern Connecticut State University slid into the top-25, coming in at No. 22 in the country.
It marks the first time this season that So. Connecticut (20-4, 17-3 NE-10) has appeared in the rankings after receiving votes in the poll each of the last two weeks. The Owls, who got off to a 3-4 start, have won 19 of their last 20 games since the beginning of December, including a four-point win at Bentley on January 28. The team's lone setback came on February 4 in a 71-65 loss at The College of Saint Rose.
Bentley (22-3, 18-2 NE-10) has been hot as well, winning nine of their last 10 contests while maintaining a one-game lead over So. Connecticut in the Northeast-10 Conference standings.
The Falcons will host Stonehill College on Saturday afternoon (1:30 p.m.) before their regular-season schedule comes to a close with a road contest against the University of Massachusetts Lowell on. Feb. 21. The Owls, meanwhile, will travel to the University of New Haven on Saturday (5:30 p.m.) before closing out their schedule at Adelphi University next Tuesday.
Pace University (18-6, 15-5 NE-10) and Assumption College (17-7, 14-4 NE-10) both received votes in the poll as well. Pace has now appeared in the category in each of the last six weeks, while Assumption at one point ranked as high as No. 12 in the country this season.
Four Northeast-10 institutions have now been featured in the national rankings during the 2011-12 campaign, while conference schools have appeared in the 'Others Receiving Votes' category on 22 different occasions.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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