FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2012
Falcons picked to win Northeast-10 regular
season after last year's Final Four appearance
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Bentley University received 225 points and 15 first-place votes to take the top spot in the 2012-13 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, as voted upon the league's head coaches.
Bentley (31-4, 20-2 NE-10) is coming off a season in which it claimed the Northeast-10 regular-season title and Northeast-10 Championship before hosting the NCAA Division II East Regional and advancing to the Final Four.
In the process, the Falcons reeled off seven straight postseason wins, including a dramatic come-from-behind Elite Eight victory against Wayne State that saw them overcome a 19-point deficit over the final 14 minutes.
Bentley was also ranked No. 2 in the country in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Preseason Poll. To view the preseason poll, please click here.
Assumption College (17-10, 14-8 NE-10) finished second in the poll with 198 points and one first-place vote.
Pace University (20-9, 16-6 NE-10) was third with 191 points, while Southern Connecticut State University (25-6, 19-3 NE-10) finished fourth with 176 points. Both teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
Southern New Hampshire University (19-10, 14-8 NE-10) finished fifth with 158 points in the voting.
Rounding out the top-10 was The College of Saint Rose (18-10, 14-8 NE-10) with 139 points, Franklin Pierce University (20-10, 15-7 NE-10) with 138 points, Stonehill College (13-14, 9-13 NE-10) with 136 points, University of Massachusetts Lowell (11-16, 9-13 NE-10) with 113 points, and American International College (13-15, 11-11 NE-10) with 106 points.
Making up the remainder of the poll was Saint Anselm College (13-15, 7-15 NE-10) with 79 points, Adelphi University (9-17, 7-15 NE-10) with 76 points, Saint Michael's College (12-15, 9-13 NE-10) with 75 points, Merrimack College (5-21, 4-18 NE-10) with 48 points, University of New Haven (3-23, 3-19 NE-10) with 40 points, and Le Moyne College (8-18, 5-17 NE-10) with 22 points.
Northeast-10 play begins on November 13 and 14 across the conference.
The Northeast-10 Conference 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 6,000 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.
Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll Results
1. Bentley (15) – 225
2. Assumption (1) – 198
3. Pace – 191
4. So. Connecticut – 176
5. So. New Hampshire – 158
6. Saint Rose – 139
7. Franklin Pierce – 138
8. Stonehill – 136
9. UMass Lowell – 113
10. American Int'l – 106
11. Saint Anselm – 79
12. Adelphi – 76
13. Saint Michael's – 75
14. Merrimack – 48
15. New Haven – 40
16. Le Moyne – 22
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