WALTHAM, Mass. -- For the 21st time in the tournament's 28-year history, the Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball championship game will include the Bentley University Falcons.
Sophomore guard Kim Brennan (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley HS) scored 17 of her 20 points in the second half, and senior captain Kristy McLean (Staten Island, N.Y./Poly Prep HS), in her final home appearance, filled the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals, as the third-seeded and Falcons held on for a 65-63 win over number seven Saint Rose in a semifinal matchup at the Dana Center Friday night.
The victory, Bentley's fifth straight and eighth in the last nine games, lifted the team into Sunday's conference championship game at Franklin Pierce (1 pm). The top-seeded and regular season champion Ravens advanced with a 55-50 win over AIC.
Bentley, 21-10, led for virtually all of the final 37 minutes, with the advantage peaking at 13 a couple times in the second half. However, Saint Rose refused to go away and tied the game at 63-all with 8.2 seconds left on the tournament record-tying eighth three-pointer of the game by Elizabeth Buckley (East Lyme, Conn.). It was the fourth three in the final 4:35 for the junior guard, who was 8 of 11 overall from downtown and finished with 26 points.
After the tying triple, Brennan was fouled bringing the ball up court and went to the line for her 11th and 12th free throws of the night with 5.2 seconds left. She dropped both through the basket, giving the Falcons a two-point lead.
The Bentley defense took over after a time out, and Saint Rose had to settle for an off-balance 10-footer from senior Dana Brown (Elmont, N.Y.) at the buzzer. It was off the mark, and the Falcons had survived. Brown, kept in check by McLean most of the night, finished with 10 points but was just 3 of 15 with four turnovers.
The Falcons were red-hot at the start, hitting nine of their first 13 shots to open a 22-13 lead less than eight minutes into the game. Bentley managed only seven more points the rest of the half, but still managed to go into the break up five, 29-24, as both defenses dominated.
In the second half, a 12-2 Bentley run pushed the lead to 13 for the first time, 44-31, with 13:33 left. Five different players contributed points during that spurt, with Brennan leading the way with four.
After a Brennan triple, Bentley's lead stood at nine, 56-47 with 6:34 remaining. Buckley scored the next five points, two free throws with 5:18 and a three with 4:35, and all of a sudden the differential was down to four.
Brennan made two more free throws, only to have Buckley answer with another three, making it 58-55 Falcons with 3:22 remaining. Bentley came up empty on its next two possessions, and Brown, hit a lay-up to draw the Golden Knights within one with 2:10 to play.
The Falcons used almost all of the shot clock on their next possession, with Brennan scoring on a drive with one tick left on the 30. She was fouled, but missed the try, keeping it a three-point game, 60-57, with 1:31. One of two free throws by freshman Lauren Massie (Fairfax Station, Va./West Springfield HS) with 58.2 seconds left put Bentley up four, 61-57.
Buckley wasn't down, hitting another from downtown with 48.1 seconds left to make it 61-60. Brennan (6 points in the final 1:31) responded with another lay-up with 22.9 on the clock, setting the stage for Buckley's tying three-ball.
Brennan, in addition to her 20 points, had four rebounds and three assists. In addition, she played 38 minutes as the Falcons' primary ball handler and did not commit a single turnover.
Joining McLean and Brennan in doubles was junior forward Colette Josey (Boston/Framingham HS), with 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks off the Falcon bench.
Bentley outshot the Golden Knights, 44-33 percent, and dominated in the paint, 30-10. However, Saint Rose finished 10 of 23 from downtown against the conference's number one team in defending the three and outscored the Falcons 30-15 from outside the arc. Bentley's advantage in free throw attempts (21-11) was offset by the Knights' perfection from the stripe while the Falcons were missing seven.
Bentley will be looking for its record 15th conference championship, and first since 2005, when they make the trip to Rindge, N.H. Sunday. The two teams split during the regular season with each winning on the other's home court (FPU 66-55 on Nov. 25, Bentley 70-53 Feb. 7).
Bentley, ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II East Region, likely locked up an NCAA tournament berth with the win while 20-10 Saint Rose, number six in the region coming in, will have to wait to see if their name is called Sunday night.
