The Bentley University Falcons, after a 30-2 season that featured a three-peat as Northeast-10 Conference regular season and playoff champions, are ranked number seven in the final USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Division II national coaches poll, conducted by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Former Bentley University women’s basketball coach and assistant athletics director Paula Mullen, who helped lay the cornerstone of what is one of the elite women’s basketball programs in the country, lost a long battle with cancer on Saturday, March 23.

Bentley University’s Barbara Stevens was named one of eight 2013 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division II Regional Coaches of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Monday night after directing the Falcons to a 30-2 season.

Bentley University junior forward Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) was named to the 2013 WBCA Division II Coaches’ All-America team by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Monday evening. It’s the second straight year that the Falcon standout has been so honored. Her teammate, senior guard Courtney Finn (Winthrop/Winthrop HS), was also recognized, as a WBCA Division II honorable mention All-America.

Bentley University junior forward Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) has been named to the 2013 Daktronics NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball All-America third team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Bentley University junior forward Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) has been named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball All-East Region first team for the second straight season and teammate Courtney Finn (Winthrop/Winthrop HS), a senior guard, has been selected for the All-Region second team.

Six-foot-three center Danielle Wilson (Bay Shore, N.Y), a former All-Big 12 honoree at Baylor University, was the biggest player on the court Monday night and she made the game’s biggest shot, a put-back with 5.4 seconds left to give third-seeded Dowling College a 53-51 win over top-seeded and two-time defending champion Bentley University in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball East Regional at the Dana Center.

After averaging 76.5 points and shooting 53 percent from the field in the first two rounds, the Bentley University Falcons will face a team known for defense when it hosts Dowling College Monday night at 7 pm in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship, with a trip to the Elite Eight in San Antonio awaiting the winner. Tip-off at the Dana Center is set for 7 pm.

The junior frontcourt tandem of Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) and Jacqui Brugliera (Fitchburg/Wachusett Reg. HS) combined to score the Falcons’ first 16 points, all before the game was five minutes old, as Bentley University posted a wire-to-wire 85-56 victory over Holy Family University in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball East Regional semifinals Saturday night at the Dana Center.

The “crème-de-la-crème” of NCAA Division II East Region women’s basketball will be at Bentley University’s Dana Center tonight when four teams ranked in the top 12 of Division II square off for a berth in Monday night’s regional championship game with a berth in the Elite Eight at stake.

Junior All-America and two-time Capital One Academic All-America Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) scored 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting as top-seeded Bentley University withstood a challenge from LIU Post, defeating the eighth-seeded Pioneers 68-57 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball East Regional quarterfinals Friday night at the Dana Center.

Scott Souza, sports editor for the Waltham News Tribune and wickedlocal.com/Waltham, takes a look at the Bentley women's basketball team heading into this weekend's NCAA Division II East Regional at the Dana Center.

It’s been a remarkable run for the Bentley University women’s basketball team over the last three years with the list of achievements included three consecutive Northeast-10 Conference regular season championships, a three-peat as NE-10 playoff champions, back-to-back NCAA Division II East Regional titles, a pair of Elite Eight appearances, and a remarkable record of 87-10 that includes 16-2 in postseason play.

The Bentley University Falcons, who’ll bring a 28-1 record into this weekend’s NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball East Regional at the Dana Center, remained third in the latest USA Today Sports Division II coaches’ poll, announced this afternoon by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

The New Britain Herald featued Bentley junior forward Tyler Parker Kimball in its Mar. 8 edition and online at www.newbritainherald.com, tracing her steps from a high school injury to two years at Roxbury Community College to a role on the nation's third-ranked Division II women's basketball team."

Scott Souza, sports editor for the Waltham News Tribune and WickedLocal.com/Waltham, covered Sunday's Northeast-10 championship game, won by the Falcons 68-59, which appeared online at www.wickedlocal.com/waltham.

Two-time Capital One Academic All-America Lauren Battista (North Easton/ Oliver Ames HS) claimed an unprecedented third consecutive tournament Most Outstanding Player award and classmates Jacqui Brugliera (Fitchburg/Wachusett Reg. HS) and Christiana Bakolas (Manchester, N.H./Central HS) joined her on the All-Tournament Team as the three juniors led the Bentley University Falcons to a third consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Basketball Championship with a 68-59 win over Assumption College Sunday afternoon at the Dana Center.