WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University Falcons, after a 30-2 season that featured a three-peat as Northeast-10 Conference regular season and playoff champions, are ranked number seven in the final USA TODAY Sports Women's Basketball Division II national coaches poll, conducted by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

It's the third straight year that coach Barbara Stevens' team has been in the top ten in the final poll and the 31st consecutive poll that has included Falcons in the top ten, the longest current streak nationally.

Ashland University, which defeated Dowling College in the national championship game last Friday, was a unanimous choice for number one, and Dowling, which denied the Falcons a third straight trip to the Elite Eight, was second. Rounding out the top five were Elite Eight participants Western Washington, Augustana (S.D.) and Clayton State.

Four of the top 13 teams in the nation were from the East Region with Bentley and Dowling joined by number 11 Stonehill College and 13th-ranked Holy Family University.

Bentley will return 11 of 12 players next winter with senior guard Kelsey Roberson (Arlington/ Arlington Catholic HS). She led the Falcons in three-pointers (70) and averaged 8.6 points.

The list of returnees includes three members of Bentley's 1,000-point club, including two-year consensus All-America Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS). She's tenth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,504 points. Jacqui Brugliera (Fitchburg/Wachusett Reg. HS) will enter her senior year with 1,125 points and Courtney Finn (Winthrop/Winthrop HS) will begin her final season with 1,051.

In the final NCAA Division II statistics, Bentley was second in fewest fouls (12.2), fourth in winning percentage (.938) and sixth in both scoring margin (+16.5) and three-point percentage (.370). Individually, Battista was 23rd in field goal percentage (.527) and junior Christiana Bakolas (Manchester, N.H./Central HS) was 41st in assist-turnover ratio (1.88). 

Final Poll