Collins Closes Out Career With 16 Points To Become 10th 1,400 Point Scorer, Morast Adds 10 Points As Women's Basketball Drops 58-55 Decision To Bentley In 2007 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Quarterfinals

March 9, 2007

NEW HAVEN, Conn.-- Freshmen Colette Josey (Framingham, Mass.) and Dedra Prichard (Lake Hoptacong, N.J.) combined for 27 points and 18 rebounds in leading second-seeded Bentley to a come-from-behind 58-55 victory over seventh-seeded Stonehill in quarterfinal round action of the 2007 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championships Friday afternoon at Southern Connecticut's Moore Fieldhouse.

The Falcons, now 22-7 overall, advance to take on third-seeded Pace in semi-final round of the NCAA Northeast Regionals on Saturday afternoon beginning at 5:00 p.m., as the Setters advanced with a 77-59 triumph over sixth-seeded and defending regional champion American International.

The Skyhawks, who finish the season at 22-9 overall, roared out of the gate in jumping out to an 11-0 advantage just 4:24 into the contest, forcing Bentley to miss its first nine shots from the floor. The Falcons responded by scoring 17 of the game's next 24 points to close to within one at 18-17 with 7:06 to play in the half, as after the two teams traded the lead four times, Bentley used a late bucket to grab at 27-25 lead at the break.

A see-saw start following intermission saw the two squads trade the advantage for the first 10:29 of second half action before Bentley took the lead for good on a lay-in by junior Erica Kirwan (North Kingstown, R.I.) with 9:31 remaining, as the Falcons took a six-point lead (47-41) into the final six minutes of action. A three-point play by senior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) with 4:16 remaining sliced the Stonehill deficit to one, but a 7-1 run over the next two minutes gave Bentley a 57-50 cushion with two minutes to play. The Skyhawks made one last run, cutting their deficit to three, but a last second three-point attempt got stuck in the rim, and though Stonehill was awarded the ball on an alternate possession, the Skyhawks were unable to get a tying shot away.

Josey finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds in the triumph for Bentley, which also received 11 points from Pritchard and 10 points from junior Vanessa Lux (Arundel, Maine). The Falcons shot 34 percent from the field but held a 45-34 edge on the glass, including a 31-13 rebounding advantage after intermission, in the 23rd post-season meeting between the two teams and the fourth overall this season.

Senior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) closed out her career with 16 points in the setback for Stonehill, as she became the 10th player in school history to top the 1,400 career point mark in finishing with 1,410 points. Morast added 10 points for the Skyhawks, who also received seven points and six assists from senior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.) as well as a combined 12 points from junior Daryl Cioffi (New Milford, N.J.) and senior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.).

Stonehill made its 17th NCAA tournament appearance since 1983 and its fourth in the last five seasons under sixth-year Head Coach Trisha Brown.