CHAMPIONSHIP INFO  |  WEBCAST  |  NCAA PROGRAM

WALTHAM, Mass. – After capturing the Northeast-10 Conference with an outstanding defensive effort, the Bentley University will look to carry that momentum into the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Regional at Southern New Hampshire University.

The Falcons garnered the fifth-seed and will face number four Jefferson University Friday in the nightcap of quadruple-header. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm and the game from the Stan Spirou Fieldhouse will be streamed over the NE10 NOW Digital Network.

It'll be the first meeting between the two programs since 2018 when they also met in the first round of the NCAA East Regional. Bentley closed that one with a 16-6 run to turn a five-point deficit into a 71-66 victory with Victoria Lux and Megan Lewis combining for 38 points in the two-seven game. All-time, the Falcons are 4-0 against the Rams.

Bentley, an NCAA tournament participant for the record 36^th time overall and the first time since 2019, enters the regional with a five-game winning streak, tied with Daemen College for the longest active in the East, and a 19-8 record. Coach C White's club is just a win away from the 35^th 20-win season in program history.

The Falcons captured their record 21^st Northeast-10 Conference championship on Sunday, outscored Stonehill College 15-4 in the final stanza en route to a 56-49 victory. They were down five after one, seven at the half and four entering the fourth before closing strong before an enthusiastic home crowd.

Jefferson, which is looking for its first NCAA win since 1998, owns a 21-8 record after falling to USciences, 53-44, in Sunday's CACC championship game. Coach Tom Shirley's team has been impressive away from home, with a 14-3 record, and is 10-3 since late January. Against NCAA tournament teams, the Rams are 3-4, including 1-2 against each of the other two Philadelphia institutions, USciences and Chestnut Hill.

Bentley's defense was superb during the conference championships with the Falcons limiting the opponents to an average of 49 points, along with a .343 field goal percentage and a .136 three-point accuracy mark.

All five Bentley starters saw their name included when the Northeast-10 handed out its postseason awards recently. Heading that list was graduate forward Autumn Ceppi (Bedford/Dana Hall School), the Most Outstanding Player of the NE10 Championships. Ceppi, the only current Falcon who has been in an NCAA game (2019, while at Bucknell), was voted to the All-Northeast-10 first team.

Junior guard Ella Thompson (Greenville, Ind./Center Grove HS) was voted to the second team, senior guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS) was a third-team selection and the All-Rookie team included sophomore Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) and freshman Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS).

Ceppi, coming off a 17-point, 13-rebound percentage in the conference title game, leads the Falcons in scoring, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. Over the last six, she's provided 17 points and nearly 11 boards a game.

Thompson (12.0) and Brekke (11.3) also score in doubles and are the team's top threats from deep. Thompson has dropped 61 three-balls through the basket and Brekke is a 45 percent shooter from outside the arc.

Kabantu and Whitmore are two of the five first-year players who are part of White's regular rotation with the group also including Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS), Janessa Gonzalez (Meriden, Conn./St. Paul Catholic HS) and Brooke Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely HS).

The top scorers for Jefferson are five-foot-ten sophomore Haley Meinel and six-foot freshman Cassie Murphy. Meinel scores 14 a game, with a high of 29 against Felician, and Murphy is right behind at 13.8. with a high of 30 against Chestnut Hill.

Sophomore Morgan Robinson's value is much more than her 8.4 scoring average. She's delivered 175 assists and is one of two Rams with over 70 steals (Meinel is the other). Jefferson's premier three-point shooter is sophomore Emily Keehfuss, who connects at a 47 percent success rate, 45 of 96.

Bentley and Jefferson have some similar team numbers. The Falcons score 67.8 points a game, allow 57.3 and shoot .429 overall. In comparison, the Rams come in at 66.5, 57.8 and .428. Bentley has a significant edge in three-pointers made while Jefferson averages more steals.

Before Bentley and Jefferson tip off in the final game of the day, USciences will face Le Moyne, Chestnut Hill will take on Pace and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire will play Daemen.

The semifinals will be Saturday, with the SNHU-Daemen winner taking on either Bentley or Jefferson in the 7:30 game, and the finals will be Monday at 7 pm.