Press Conference

WALTHAM, Mass. – Graduate guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Cedar Grove HS) scored 21 points, senior forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) followed with 17 and the two first-team All-Northeast-10 performers combined to make eight of 11 three-pointers as top-seeded Bentley University posted a 63-50 first-round win over Mercy University in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Regional on the Dana Center's Barbara Stevens Court Friday evening.

Thompson, the fourth most prolific three-point shooter in Bentley annals, sank five of six from behind the arc, matching her career-best. Whitmore, who also filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks, connected on three of five from distance.

Bentley, 27-5 overall, will advance to Saturday's semifinals and will take on 31-1 Jefferson University, a 91-89 overtime winner against Southern New Hampshire, at 7:30 pm in the second half of the twinbill. The first game, scheduled for 5 pm, will pit second-seeded Assumption University against sixth-seeded Daemen University.

After five points from Whitmore helped Bentley get off to a 9-4 start, Mercy (20-10) dominated the final six minutes of the opening quarter by scoring 16 consecutive points to take a 20-9 lead. The Mavericks dominated the boards in the stanza, 14-5, and outshot the Falcons 53-17 percent.

"That was not an eight seed that we played," said Bentley coach C White. "We knew it would be a battle."

Following the quarter break, it was a different game in the second as Bentley outscored the visitors 21-5 to take a 30-25 lead into the halftime break. By that juncture, coach C White's club had a 17-3 advantage in points off turns and was successful on five of seven from deep.

Four of those treys came in the second with Thompson connecting three times, including one from the left wing with 3:14 left to put Bentley in front to stay, 26-25. The quarter also included five points from Whitmore, four from sophomore post Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) and a three-point play by junior guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS).

"Our D got us to that point," said Whitmore. "We need to stick to what we are best at."

Bentley added to its advantage by outscoring the Mavericks 20-10 in the third, including an 11-1 spurt that made it 41-28 with 6:07 to play. Four different Falcons scored, including Whitmore with four.

Meanwhile, Mercy was just 5 of 22 from the field during the middle two quarters.

Thompson helped the Falcons put the game away in the fourth as she scored ten in the quarter.

"This was a great team win," said Thompson. This is the deepest Bentley team in my five years here."

Kabantu and Norman followed Thompson and Whitmore on the Bentley scoring list with nine and six points, respectively.

Mercy featured junior forward Jaclyn Stanavich (Amsterdam, N.Y.) with 18 points and six rebounds.

Both teams shot 42 percent but Bentley outscored the Mavericks 24-6 from beyond the stripe, hitting eight of 15 triples. In addition, the Falcons were 15 of 17 from the foul line and scored 26 points off 21 Mercy turnovers.

"I'm proud of how locked in we were," said White. "They knew the scout."

In the nightcap, Jefferson survived Southern New Hampshire by outscoring the Penmen 16-14 in the fourth quarter. The Rams, who haven't lost since December, received 20 points from both six-foot junior Cassie Murphy (Bethlehem, Pa.) and junior guard Emma Kuczynski (Tamaqua, Pa.).

In the other half of the bracket, Daemen bested Saint Rose, 52-47, in a game that saw nine lead changes and Assumption pulled away from Franklin Pierce for a 58-43 win.

Saturday's Bentley-Jefferson will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2022 NCAA regional semis when the Rams prevailed 50-47.