No. 3 Skyhawks and No. 2 Falcons meet for 115th time, with eighth NE10 Championship encounter
NE10 Women's Basketball Championship Central
NE10: Championship Weekend Preview
Raymond is averaging 21.3 points per game and shooting over 51-percent from the floor in the NE10 Tournament so far. (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens) |
EASTON, Mass. (March 5, 2022) – Stonehill College, the Northeast Division's No. 3 seed, and rival Bentley University, the Northeast's No. 2 seed, will meet with a Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball championship on the line for the eighth time in the rivalry's rich history with the 115th all-time chapter between two of the more successful women's basketball programs in New England at the Charles A. Dana Athletic Center in Waltham on Sunday at noon.
Admission for Sunday's NE10 Championship will be $5.00, with students from NE10 institutions admitted free of charge with ID. Please note the Bentley Athletics Spectator and Vaccination Policy prior to attending Sunday's game. NE10 NOW coverage will be available via links from stonehillskyhawks.com as Stephen Zerdelian, '88 will have the call of the action. In addition to watching online, NE10 NOW viewers will also be able to watch the action live on their televisions through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Stonehill (16-8, 12-7 NE10), the defending NE10 Champions after posting an 80-61 triumph over Saint Anselm College at Merkert Gym in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, has reached the NE10 Championship for the 13th time, and third time over the last four tournaments, with the Skyhawks seeking a seventh title, having won the championship in 1983, '87, '95, '97, 2008 and 2020. Stonehill is the lone NE10 member to compete in all 40 NE10 Women's Basketball Tournaments since the Conference began sponsoring the championship in 1982.
Bentley (18-8, 13-6 NE10) is making its NE10 record 30th appearance in the NE10 Championship game, having won the title a record 20 times, with its last coming at Stonehill's expense with a 73-72 overtime decision in 2018 in a game that was moved to Bryant University due to a power outage at Stonehill. The Falcons have made 39 appearances in the NE10 Tournament overall, posting an .832 winning percentage (89-18) in the event, with titles in 1982 (first in NE10 history), '84, '85, '90, '92, '93, '96, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '03, '05, '11, '12, '13, '14, '16 and '18.
Sunday afternoon will mark the 115th meeting all-time between these two NE10 rivals, the 28th in postseason play and 16th in the NE10 Tournament, squaring off with an NE10 Championship on the line for the eighth time. Bentley holds a 74-40 advantage in the all-time series after the two split the regular season series, each winning on the other's home court. The Falcons are 19-8 all-time against Stonehill in postseason play, with a 10-5 edge in the NE10 Tournament and 5-2 mark in championship games. Stonehill is 6-6 all-time in NE10 championship games, while the Falcons are 20-9 in finals.
Kelly totaled 13 points in the Skyhawks semifinal win and is contributing 11.7 points per game in the playoffs (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens) |
Tournament Most Outstanding Player Megan Lewis led Bentley in the 2018 NE10 Championship meeting between the two that saw the Falcons claim a 73-72 overtime triumph in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, adding three assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Kelly Martin, '18 posted a double-double for Stonehill with 29 points, ten rebounds and two assists.
Stonehill and Bentley split the regular season series between the two this winter, with each winning on the other's home court. Bentley posted a 62-51 victory in Easton on November 23 as postgrad Autumn Ceppi (Bedford, Massachusetts/Dana Hall) led the Falcons with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Stonehill followed with a 76-73 overtime triumph in Waltham on February 3 after jumping out to a 29-11 lead after ten minutes, with senior Kayla Raymond draining a career-best 7-of-11 three-pointers on her way to 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
Raymond has averaged 17.5 points on 41.4-percent shooting, including 7-for-16 (43.8%) from three-point range, with 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game over the two games with Bentley this season. Senior Emily Bramanti has added 14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and a steal per game in the series for the Skyhawks, while Ceppi has averaged 12.5 points on 45.8-percent shooting for the Falcons against Stonehill this season, with 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocked shots and a steal per game.
The winner of Sunday's championship game will earn the NE10's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament that will get underway with regional championship play next weekend. The automatic bid will be of utmost importance to Bentley and Stonehill as the pair are ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, in this week's NCAA East Regional rankings, and with the East Coast Conference not currently having a team ranked inside the top eight, Sunday's NE10 runner-up could end up on the outside looking in when NCAA Tournament bids are announced during the selection show later Sunday night, due to the ECC's automatic bid to its tournament champion this weekend.
Stonehill advanced to Sunday's championship with a 59-56 decision over Southwest Division No. 4 Southern Connecticut State University at Merkert Gymnasium on Thursday night. Raymond led the way for the Skyhawks once again with a game-high 18 points, including nine in the fourth quarter alone to seal the victory, on 8-of-19 shooting, with nine rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Junior Mia Kelly added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, with four rebounds, two assists and a steal with under ten seconds to play that ultimately sealed the win.
Raymond is averaging 21.3 points per game through three NE10 Tournament games for Stonehill so far, shooting 51.1-percent (24-for-47) from the floor, including 8-for-14 (57.1%) from three-point distance, converting all eight free-throw attempts, to go with 6.0 rebounds, a blocked shot and steal per game. Kelly adds 11.7 points on 40.9-percent shooting (9-for-22), connecting on 14-of-18 (77.8%) free-throws, with 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Skyhawks this postseason.
Bramanti is a second team All-NE10 performer for the Skyhawks, ranking third among NE10 assists leaders and eighth in scoring (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens) |
Stonehill opened the tournament with a 65-55 decision over Southwest No. 6 The College of Saint Rose in the first round, before posting a 61-51 win at Southwest No. 2 Pace University in Monday's quarterfinal leading into Thursday's semifinal win. The Skyhawks are allowing just 54.0 points per game in the NE10 Tournament so far, down from 62.2 points against per game for the season, limiting opponents to just 34.4% shooting, including 30.8% from deep, while scoring 63 points per game in postseason play so far.
Bentley reached the championship game with a 57-47 victory at Southwest No. 1 Le Moyne College on Thursday. Ceppi posted a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds against the Dolphins, shooting 7-for-12 from the floor, to go with four assists, three steals and three blocked shots, while senior Kari Brekke added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-7 from three, with three rebounds and three assists.
Bentley opened the tournament with a 75-48 win over Southwest No. 7 University of New Haven in the first round, before notching a 63-52 quarterfinal win over Northeast No. 6 Franklin Pierce University. Brekke is averaging a team-best 15.0 points per game in the NE10 Tournament on 55.6% shooting (15-for-27), including 9-for-16 (56.3%) from three, with 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while Ceppi is adding 14.0 points on 41.5% shooting, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 blocked shots and 1.7 steals. The Falcons are holding opponents to 49.0 points per game in the playoffs on 34.8% shooting, including 7-for-40 (17.5%) from three, while scoring 65.0 points per game on 41.1% shooting.
Stonehill enters the championship game having won four straight, seven of eight and 11 of its last 13 games. The Skyhawks are 14-4 since starting the season with two wins over their first six games. Stonehill ranks fourth in the NE10 in scoring offense (65.7 ppg) and eighth in scoring defense (62.2 ppg), ranking fifth in the Conference for field goal percentage defense (.377) and sixth in field goal percentage (.393). The Skyhawks are second in the NE10 (16th nationally) with 5.0 blocked shots per game and rebound margin (+6.0), while ranking third in offensive rebounds per game (13.7), assists per game (15.0) and free-throw percentage (.754).
Glidden leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 8.3 per game in the NE10 Tournament (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard) |
Stonehill is led by a pair of All-NE10 selections in Raymond, a two-time first team pick, and Bramanti, named to the second team this week. Raymond, an honorable mention All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association two seasons ago, is among three in double-figures for Stonehill with 19.4 points per game (3rd NE10) on 43.3-percent shooting from the field and converting 83.6-percent of her free-throws (3rd). The reigning NE10 Championships Most Outstanding Player adds 6.8 rebounds per game (14th), 1.7 assists and 1.5 blocked shots (4th) in 28.7 minutes per game. Raymond became the program's 33rd 1,000-point scorer last month and currently ranks 25th on the program's career scoring list with 1,174 points in 68 career games played.
Bramanti adds 13.8 points per game (8th), converting 81.5-percent of her free-throws (9th), with 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists (3rd) and 1.3 steals in 35.4 minutes (5th) per game. Senior Isabella Santoro contributes 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals per contest, while classmate Sophie Glidden chips in 8.0 points on 44.9-percent shooting, with a team-high 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest.
Bentley enters Sunday's NE10 Championship winners of its last four after dropping three of four, including two-straight, before regrouping in the Falcons regular season finale. Bentley leads the NE10 in scoring defense (57.7 ppg), while ranking second for scoring offense (68.3 ppg) as the top shooting team in the NE10 (43.4%) and ranking third in three-point percentage (33.4%) and rebound margin (+5.6/gm)
Ceppi, an All-NE10 first team selection, leads three from Bentley scoring in double-figures this season with 14.2 points (7th) on 47.6-percent shooting (6th), 7.5 rebounds (9th), 2.5 assists (13th) and 1.8 steals (9th) in 29.4 minutes per game. Junior Ella Thompson% (47-for-102) from three-point distance, converting 90.3% (28-31) of her free-throws, with 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.
Bentley also gets contributions from NE10 All-Rookie Team selections, sophomore Maggie Whitmore and freshman Amanda Kabantu.
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2022 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Basketball Tournament
Friday, February 25
First Round
Game 1: NE#3 Stonehill 65, SW#6 Saint Rose 55
Game 2: NE#2 Bentley 75, SW#7 New Haven 48
Game 3: SW#2 Pace 76, NE#7 Saint Michael's 64
Saturday, February 26
First Round
Game 4: SW#4 Southern Conn. State 65, NE#5 Assumption 58 (OT)
Game 5: NE#4 Saint Anselm 61, SW#5 American International 53
Game 6: NE#6 Franklin Pierce 61, SW#3 Adelphi 58
Monday, February 28
Quarterfinals
Game 7: SW#1 Le Moyne 64, NE#4 Saint Anselm 60
Game 8: NE#3 Stonehill 65, SW#2 Pace 51
Game 9: NE#2 Bentley 63, NE#6 Franklin Pierce 52
Game 10: SW#4 Southern Conn. State 71, NE#1 Southern N.H. 64
Thursday, March 3
Semifinals (hosted by higher seeds)
Game 11: NE#2 Bentley 57, SW#1 Le Moyne 47
Game 12: NE#3 Stonehill 59, SW#4 Southern Conn. State 56
Sunday, March 6
Championship (at highest remaining seed*)
Game 13: NE#3 Stonehill (16-8, 12-7 NE10) at NE#2 Bentley (18-8, 13-6 NE10), Noon
* - if same seed, site determined by conference record and then winner of regular-season matchup
