WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University women's basketball team will begin its defense of the Northeast-10 championship on Friday when the 2023 tournament gets underway with the Falcons hosting St. Michael's College in a first round game on Barbara Stevens Court. Tip-off is set for 6 pm and the game will be streamed on the NE10 NOW digital network.

Bentley, which has been playing some of its best basketball of the season of late, is seeded fourth after completing the regular season with records of 17-9 overall and 14-6 NE10. St. Michael's (1-23, 0-20 NE10) comes in as the number 13 seed.

The top three seeds – Le Moyne College, Assumption University and Southern New Hampshire – received first-round byes into Sunday's quarterfinals – while Bentley is hosting one of five first-round games on Friday. Also playing at home will be the University of New Haven, American International, Southern Connecticut and Pace University.

The Bentley-St. Michael's victor will take on the winner of the New Haven-Franklin Pierce game Sunday with the highest remaining seed the host team.

Coach C White's Falcons, who own a record 21 Northeast-10 tournament titles, have put together a 5-1 month of February and are number five in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional rankings. During the six games, the Bentley defense has outscored their opponents by more than 16 a game while allowing a .367 field goal percentage and only 2.7 three-pointers a game. In addition, the rebound margin is 10.2 a game.

For the season, Bentley is third in Division II in three-point percentage defense and fifth in scoring defense.

On Tuesday, in its final game of the regular season, the Falcons outscored American International 44-23 in the middle two quarters to earn a 72-51 win. Freshman post Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) had a career-high 21 points and ten rebounds in her second career start and senior guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) remained hot from three, making three of five. In her last three games, she's made 13 of 22 from beyond the arc.

Junior forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) remains Bentley's team lead in scoring (12.7), rebounds (6.8), assists (65), steals (32) and blocks (10). She's the only player in the conference to pace her team in each of those five categories.

Thompson has raised her scoring average to 10.8 after scoring 13 or more in six of her last seven games. She's followed by graduate guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS) at 8.6, Norman at 7.8 and sophomore guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) at 6.2. Norman, in her two starts, has produced 18 points and 7.5 rebounds a game while posting a .632 field goal percentage and getting to the line 22 times.

Freshman guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy) has averaged 33.7 minutes a game this month and remains the NE10's most accurate three-point shooter at .448.

Bentley, 15-3 when scoring at least 60 points, has allowed more than 55 only seven times overall and just three times in the last 16 games.

St. Michael's, which has varied from its usual starting lineup only once all season, is led by graduate guard Emma McDonough and junior guard Paige Slaven, a duo who have combined for 75 of the Purple Knights' 113 three-pointers this season. McDonough averages 11.3 points and Slaven follows at 10.8. Slaven has 54 assists and is seventh in the NE10 in steals (47).

The Purple Knights average 46.5 points while giving up 60.8 a game.  No team in the conference blocks more shots than St. Michael's.

Bentley and St. Michael's met once during the regular season with the Falcons prevailing 52-27 up in Colchester, Vt. It was a 23-19 game at the half, but Bentley dominated after intermission, 29-8. Whitmore put up a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Bentley has left the court victorious in 71 of 75 meetings with St. Michael's and has won the last 13. The two have met only twice in the conference championships with the Falcons taking both quarterfinal games, 83-71 in 1995 and 84-42 in 1999.

Last year, as the number two seed, Bentley earned the championship by defeating New Haven 75-48, Le Moyne 57-47 and former conference member Stonehill 56-49.

2023 NE10 Women's Basketball Championship

First Round ­ Friday, February 24
Game 1: #13 Saint Michael's at #4 Bentley - 6 P.M.
Game 2: #12 Franklin Pierce at #5 New Haven - 5 P.M.
Game 3: #11 Saint Rose at #6 American International - 5 P.M.
Game 4: #10 Adelphi at #7 So. Connecticut - 5 P.M.
Game 5: #9 Saint Anselm at #8 Pace - 5:30 P.M.

Quarterfinals ­ Sunday, February 26
Game 6: Game 5 winner at #1 Le Moyne – TBA
Game 7: Game 4 winner at #2 Assumption – 1 P.M.
Game 8: Game 3 winner at #3 So. New Hampshire - 1:30 P.M.
Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (at highest remaining seed) - TBA

Semifinals ­ Thursday, March 2 (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner (at highest remaining seed)
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (at highest remaining seed)

Championship ­ Sunday, March 5 (at highest remaining seed):
Game 12: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner (at highest remaining seed)