FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2014
Top seed Bentley to face third-seeded LIU Post Monday
night (7:00 p.m.) with trip to Elite Eight up for grabs
WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University earned its spot in Monday night's NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Region Championship contest after the top seed took down conference rival and fourth-seeded Stonehill College, 79-63, Saturday night at the Dana Center.
The Falcons will take on LIU Post Monday night at 7:00 p.m. with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, as the third-seeded Pioneers held off second-seeded Adelphi University, 85-83, in the other semifinal in Waltham on Saturday night.
#1 BENTLEY 79, #4 STONEHILL 63
Bentley's Courtney Finn and Jen Gemma (pictured) both totaled 16 points and five rebounds in in the Falcons' victory on Satuday, which marked the 98th time Stonehill and Bentley matched up head to head. Gemma's line came in just 23 minutes of action off the bench. Northeast-10 Player of the Year Lauren Battista got off to a slow start but finished with 15 points, including a pair of late three-pointers to help put Stonehill away. Caleigh Crowell added 12 points and seven boards.
For the Skyhawks, Mary Louise Dixon had 15 points and seven rebounds but also committed seven turnovers in the loss, while Shannon Brown and Tori Faieta had 13 and 12, respectively.
#3 LIU POST 85, #2 ADELPHI 83
Adelphi's Sade Jackson fought through foul trouble but still finished with 26 points (8-15 FG, 4-9 3PT, 6-6 FT), seven rebounds and eight assists in Saturday's tough loss to LIU Post. Jessica Kitrys had 22 points and six rebounds for the Panthers, while Calli Balfour registered an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.
The Pioneers had three score 20-plus points, led by 28 from Kiki Sears, who connected on 7-of-12 three-pointers (including 5-of-8 before halftime) in the victory. Alexis Peters and Chelsea Williams added 22 and 21 points, respectively, to help the Pioneers move on to Monday's regional final.
Adelphi found itself down by 18 points not even 12 minutes into the contest at 38-20, as LIU Post shot 55 percent 6-of-13 from three in the first half. The Panthers managed to cut the halftime deficit to just six at 50-44, but again found themselves down by doubles figures at 70-60 with 8:37 to play. However, Jackson got hot late, netting 19 of her 26 in the second half to help close the gap, as Adelphi was down just two with three seconds to play in regulation. The inbound pass came to Kitrys, but her shot attempt was partially blocked and fell short as time expired on the Panthers' season at 23-8.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 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 in terms of sport sponsorship. 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.
NCAA Women's Basketball East Regional- VIDEO | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | LIVE STATS| BRACKET
Friday, March 14 - Quarterfinals | RECAP
Game 1: #3 LIU Post 60, #6 Assumption 59 | BOX
Game 2: #2 Adelphi 92, #7 New Haven 86 | BOX
Game 3: #1 Bentley 80, #8 Bloomfield 65 | BOX
Game 4: #4 Stonehill 79, #5 Dist. Columbia 61 | BOX
Saturday, March 15 - Semifinals
Game 5: #3 LIU Post 85, #2 Adelphi 83 | BOX
Game 6: #1 Bentley 79, #4 Stonehill 63 | BOX
Monday, March 17 - Regional Final
Game 7: #3 LIU Post vs. #1 Bentley
– #NE10 –
