Bentley, With Sights on NE10 Championship, Hosts Pace on Senior Day
WALTHAM, Mass. – With wins in the final two games of the regular season, both of which are at home, the Bentley University women's basketball team will clinch at least a tie for their 26th Northeast-10 Conference championship and first since 2019.
Coach C White's Falcons will take on sixth-place Pace University on Barbara Stevens Court in their Senior Day game Saturday at 1:30 pm before closing out the regular season Tuesday evening against fifth-place Southern Connecticut State. Both games will be streamed live over the NE10 NOW digital network.
Bentley, despite dropping three of their last five, shares the top spot in the Northeast-10 standings with Assumption, each with 16-4 conference records. The final two games for the Greyhounds are at third-place Southern New Hampshire Saturday and home against 10th-place Adelphi on Tuesday.
The Falcons, who have reached the 20-win mark for the 36th time, are 21-5 overall after Tuesday's 60-57 loss at Franklin Pierce. After scoring 20 points in each of the first two quarters, they managed only 17 in the second half on 6-of-30 shooting.
Pace, following wins over Southern New Hampshire and American International in their last two, is 17-9 overall, 11-9 NE10 and an impressive 9-4 on the road this season. The Setters had a rough stretch from Jan. 27-Feb. 14, losing five of seven, all to teams currently with winning percentages of .600 or more.
Bentley, No. 14 in the latest WBCA Division II coaches poll, set a school record for three-point accuracy (.733, 11 of 15) in the first meeting of the season against Pace, Feb. 1. That afternoon saw the Falcons rally from a 25-12 deficit after the first quarter to win 67-57. Graduate guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) sank five of seven three-pointers and finished with 19 points, and senior forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) followed with 15.
Whitmore and guard Brooke Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely HS) will be honored prior to the game during Senior Day festivities.
Whitmore, who has moved to within 35 points of 1,000 for her career, is one of only two NE10 players averaging at least 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and two assists this season. Her 12.8 scoring average leads the team and she also paces the Falcons in free throws (69) and free throw percentage (.885).
Obar is fifth in the conference in both three-pointers made and three-point accuracy. She's one of five connecting on at least a 40 percent clip from deep, a group that also includes Whitmore and freshman teammate Niya Morgen (Swampscott/St. Mary's HS), and averages 6.5 points a game off the bench.
Junior forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS), who has seven double-doubles, led Bentley at Franklin Pierce with 15 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. It was the 16th time this season the six-footer has had multiple stocks in a game with her 57 total stocks (40 steals, 17 blocks) sixth most in the conference.
Like Bentley, Pace has three double-figure scorers with six-foot post Tower Lorde leading the way at 12.0. Junior forward Arianna Stockinger follows at 10.5 and sophomore forward Ciara Collins has a 10.3 average.
In the team statistics, Bentley is second in scoring and third in defense while Pace is tenth and fourth, respectively.
Bentley is 35-8 all-time against the Setters and 13-1 since the 2012-13 season. Pace made two trips to Waltham last season, earning a 49-48 win last February before falling in the NE10 semifinals, 57-52.