• The two best teams in the NE10 will face each other for the conference title on Sunday, as both Le Moyne and Bentley took care of business in Thursday’s semifinal round. The report starts with a (very) low-scoring tilt in Syracuse…
• Le Moyne, the overall top seed in the NE10, held New Haven to 28 points, the fewest they have ever allowed as a Division II program, and roused themselves in the second half at the other end to snare a 42-28 victory and advance to the league championship game. A terrible first half, during which the Dolphins shot just 4-28 from the floor (and 1-10 from three-point land), meant the visiting Chargers were able to take a 17-11 advantage into the locker room. UNH didn’t shoot all that well in the first half, either, going 8-21, but it was enough to generate a lead. LC faced a 21-15 deficit with 7:47 to play in the third period after a pair of Alexandria Kerr (UNH’s top scorer with 8 points) buckets but at that juncture they finally found a rhythm. An 11-0 burst to end the quarter, keyed by three-pointers from Liz Millea and McKayla Roberts (11 points, the sole double-figure scorer in the game), and five points from Jenna Zimmerman, sent LC into the last frame with a 26-21 lead. Katia Oge netted the first three points of the fourth quarter for New Haven to make it a 26-24 game at the 8:36 mark but UNH scored only four more points. The Dolphins pulled away by notching the last nine points of the night over a nearly six-minute span after a Brie Pergola hoop cut LC’ s edge to 33-28 (6:07). Roberts made a vital trey in the spurt to extend the gap to double digits for the first time (38-28, 2:50) and that proved to be sufficient. Le Moyne, which picked up its program-best 23rd win, had the upper hand from three-point range (6-19; UNH 0-7 3FG) and won the glass by a 38-28 tally, both important areas in a clash where points were at a premium. Corinne Poitevien pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for the Dolphins, who will appear in the NE10 title game for just the second time, the other occasion being a 2002 loss at AIC. This time they will play host to Bentley in Syracuse by virtue of their victory in the only regular season matchup between the divisional champions. Micah Womack grabbed eleven boards for New Haven but their season comes to an end with the defeat.
• Monica Viapiano scored a career-best 22 points (9-11 FG, 4-4 FT) off the bench to lead four players in double digits as defending NE10 champion Bentley knocked out St. Anselm in Waltham, 74-59. The Falcons also received strong performances from Maddy Springfield (13 points), Amy McConnell (12 points) and Victoria Lux (11 points, 9 caroms) as they extended their winning streak to fifteen games. The Hawks led by as many as six points in the first quarter, which ended with them on top, 15-14. Ashley Briggs’ hoop to make it 17-14 early in the second stanza sparked the Falcons to life and they answered with a 14-3 binge, during which Viapiano tossed in eight points, and Bentley had the lead for good (28-20, 1:35). Peyton Steinman’s (18 points) three foul shots created the halftime score line (28-23) but St. Anselm was not able to build on it in the second half. Bentley’s lead stood at 52-41 after three periods and they never allowed it to slip under double digits in the fourth quarter, meaning they will take part in the NE10 title game for the eighth time in the last nine seasons and 29th overall (they have won twenty championships). Shannon Ryan (13 points, 7 rebounds) and Sara Messler (11 points, 10 boards) joined Steinman in double digits for the Hawks but they were second-best from the field (Bentley, 46%-36% FG), off the window (Bentley, 43-29) and in the paint (Bentley, 38-22). Nonetheless, St. Anselm still has a strong chance to snag an NCAA tournament at-large bid, and will be watching the selection show with baited breath on Sunday night. The Falcons, still in the mix to host the East Regional, will be looking to avenge one of their two losses this season in Sunday’s clash in Syracuse.