Penmen to Host the Falcons on Sunday.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - For the first time in program history on Sunday, Southern New Hampshire women's basketball will be playing for a Northeast-10 Conference Championship. SNHU's opponent, however, is no stranger to the big stage - as reigning NE10 champion Bentley will make its league-record 31st appearance in the Conference final.
The third-seeded Penmen ousted second-seeded Assumption, 67-60, while the fourth-seeded Falcons held off eighth-seeded Pace, 57-52, in the NE10 Championship semifinals on Thursday night. SNHU will host Bentley in the Championship final on Sunday, with tip-off scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
For the full Championship schedule, please see below. All NE10 Championship contests, including Sunday's final, will be live streamed on NE10 NOW - the Conference's digital streaming platform.
No. 2 SNHU 67, No. 3 Assumption 60 - Box Score
WORCESTER, Mass. - Senior Adriana Timberlake scored a game-high 22 points, as the third-seeded Southern New Hampshire women's basketball team secured a 67-60 victory over second-seeded and No. 19/21 Assumption in an NE10 Championship semifinal tilt Thursday evening at Laska Gymnasium.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Timberlake – 22 points (8-13 FG, 4-5 3-FG, 2-3 FT) – 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Junior Julia Colby – 16 points (5-12 FG, 2-6 3-FG, 4-5 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists
- Junior Jess Knight – 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-2 FT) – 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals
KEY MOMENTS
- Southern New Hampshire trailed by two with under three-and-a-half minutes left in the opening quarter when five points from Timberlake powered a 7-0 run that put it into the lead at 11-6 with 1:32 to go. The Penmen would lead, 11-9, after one.
- With the scored tied, 11-11, just over 30 seconds into the second quarter, a 16-2 blitz – led by seven points from NE10 Player of the Year Timberlake – opened a 27-13 advantage for SNHU with 3:46 to go before the break. The Penmen would bring a 33-18 lead to the break.
- A Colby 3-pointer at the 8:13 mark of the third quarter finished off a 5-0 spurt that gave Southern New Hampshire its largest lead of the night at 38-20, but a 10-2 counter-run from Assumption slashed its deficit to 40-30 with 3:50 remaining. The gap was nine (43-34) going to the final frame.
- The Greyhounds opened the fourth quarter with two straight buckets that made it a five-point game at 43-38 less than a minute-and-a-half in. A Timberlake three-point play and a Colby triple took some pressure off and extended the Penmen lead to 52-41 just past the midway point of the stanza.
- The lead was still 11 with a little over a minute-and-a-half to play when Assumption scored 13 of the next 19 over the ensuing minute to pull within 64-60 with 30 ticks to go. A layup from freshman Meghan Gordon (Attleboro, Mass.) made it a six-point game, while Timberlake followed an Assumption miss with one of two at the line to make it a three-possession game with 12 seconds on the clock.
No. 4 Bentley 57, No. 8 Pace 52 - Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – Following a hard-fought 57-52 semifinal win over Pace Thursday night on Barbara Stevens Court, the Bentley women's basketball team has advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference championship game for the 31st time and will be seeking its record 22nd conference title on Sunday afternoon.
The championship game will be played at third-seeded Southern New Hampshire, which held off number two Assumption, 67-60.
Freshman forward Julia Elie powered the fourth-seeded Falcons to their 20th win, a milestone they achieved for the first time since 2019 and the 34th time in program history, with a career-high 16 points off the bench. Sophomore guard Amanda Kabantu also played a key role with 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
Elie, who has averaged 13.3 points during Bentley's three-game march to the championship game, also had four points. Kabantu, six-of-ten from the field, had her highest scoring game of the season, and Ciara Norman joined them in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds.
NE10 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round Friday, February 24th:
Game 1: #4 Bentley 59, #13 Saint Michael's 39
Game 2: #12 Franklin Pierce 57, #5 New Haven 49
Game 3: #11 Saint Rose 77, #6 American International 63
Game 4: #7 So. Connecticut 72, #10 Adelphi 66
Game 5: #8 Pace 60, #9 Saint Anselm 48
Quarterfinals Sunday, February 26th:
Game 6: #8 Pace 49, #1 Le Moyne 47 (OT)
Game 7: #2 Assumption 60, #7 So. Connecticut 44
Game 8: #3 So. New Hampshire 69, #11 Saint Rose 55
Game 9: #4 Bentley 70, #12 Franklin Pierce 54
Semifinals Thursday, March 2nd (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 10: #4 Bentley 57, #8 Pace 52
Game 11: #3 So. New Hampshire 67, #2 Assumption 60
Championship Sunday, March 5th (at highest remaining seed):
Game 12: #4 Bentley at #3 So. New Hampshire - 1:30 P.M.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 13 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.
