Hall of Fame
It didn't take Nina Houghton long to have an impact on the Bentley women's basketball program.
As a freshman out of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, she stepped right in and had one of the finest rookie seasons in the program’s history. Nina had 21 points and 15 re-bounds against Keene in her second collegiate game and followed that with 29 points and six blocks against Southern Connecticut.
The 6-3 center averaged 16 points and 9.9 rebounds while leading the Falcons to a 20-7 season and the regular season Northeast-8 championship. To the surprise of no one, she was selected as the conference's Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Conference.
By the time her career ended in Cleveland, Miss. in March 1989 at the NCAA Division II Fab Four, the Bentley program had been transformed from a regional power to one that was recognized as one of the best in the nation. "Nina was one of the keys to the emergence of our program on the national level," commented Barbara Stevens, her coach for her final three seasons, prior to her 1996 induction. She was one of the most talented post players we've had. She was so versatile, with her soft, accurate perimeter shot, she probably could have played the shooting guard position."
A co-captain with 1994 Hall of Fame inductee Lori (Bender) King as a senior, Nina finished her career with 1,423 points and 927 rebounds, then both second best in the college's history. Her point total currently ranks 15th on the all-time Bentley list and she’s still number five in rebounds.
Nina, twice an AWSF Division II All-America (third team in 1988 and fourth team in 1989), led the Falcons in rebounds all four seasons and was the top scorer twice.
She was also a force in the middle defensively, blocking more shots than any other player in Bentley history. Her career total of 345 includes a record 125 as a senior. Putting that number into perspective is the fact that only four other Bentley players has as many as 125 career rejections.
