PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The two longest active winning streaks in Division II women's basketball will be on the line Monday afternoon when the Bentley University Falcons and the Union University (Tenn.) Lady Bulldogs square off in the first round of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight at the UPMC Fieldhouse on the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
Tip-off is set for 2:30 pm and all games from the Elite Eight can be viewed on ESPN+.
 
Bentley, the number two seed in the Elite Eight, has won 29 straight games, a winning streak that is tied for the fourth longest in the Falcons' storied history. Meanwhile, Union, the seventh seed, enters the Elite Eight with 18 consecutive wins.
 
Coach C White's Falcons, who rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit against Holy Family with a game-closing 42-18 explosion to claim their 15^th regional championship, will be making their first Elite Eight appearance since 2016. Bentley, number three in the latest WBCA Division II coaches poll, is 33-1 overall with the victory total tied for the second most in program history.
 
White, at Sunday's press conference, praised the Bentley support system "from the President on down" and stressed what has helped the Falcons reach this point in the season. "Stay in the moment. Be where your feet are. Don't worry about what comes next."
 
Union, 32-3 overall, captured the South Region title with a 65-60 win over Nova Southeastern, a week after earning the Gulf South Conference title with a 58-52 victory over Alabama-Huntsville. It's the second Elite Eight for the Bulldogs since joining the NCAA in 2014. They previously won five NAIA national championships, the most recent in 2009 and 2010.
 
Both teams have outscored their opponents by over 18 points per game this season and each has shown the ability to win close contests. The Falcons, who average 69.4 points and yield 51.3, are 5-1 in games decided by five or less. Union puts up nearly 84 a game, allows 65, and is 4-1 when the final spread is within five.
 
White's team is fourth in Division II in scoring defense and Union is the third highest scoring team in the nation. The Falcons have kept 13 teams to less than 50 and the Bulldogs have scored less than 60 only three times, twice in losses.
 
Rebounds could be a key Monday with Bentley owning a plus 7.4 rebound margin and Union a minus-3.5 on the boards.
 
Bentley has been powered by the All-East frontcourt tandem of senior Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/ Wilmington HS) and grad student Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) while winning the Northeast-10 and East Regional titles earlier this month.
 
DuCharme was recognized as the regional MVP after averaging 21.7 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 stocks in wins over New Haven, Saint Anselm and Holy Family. Included were a career-high 25 points in each of the first two. Whitmore, the Most Outstanding Player in the NE10 Championships for the second time in three years, stuffed the stat sheet with averages of 20 points, 6.3 rebounds and three assists that week.
 
During the regular season, Whitmore averaged 12.8 points, eight-tenths of a point better than her teammate. Those numbers have climbed during the postseason with DuCharme at 17.3 and Whitmore 15.2, along with 5.7 assists.
 
In 32 of the 34 games, those two have been joined in White's starting five all season by senior guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS), graduate guard Brooke Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely HS) and junior point guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion, Mass./Tabor Academy). Kabantu averages 10.6 points and leads the team in offensive rebounds (77), and Obar and Yeomans are two of the four Falcons with at least 40 three-pointers. Yeomans is also third nationally in assist-turnover ratio.
 
The first three off the bench are usually sophomore guard Niya Morgen (Swampscott, Mass./St. Mary's HS) and junior posts Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) and Julia Elie (Rockland, Mass./Rockland HS). Morgen, the Division II leader in three-point accuracy, scores 10.9 a game. Norman averages 5.9 points and five rebounds while playing 13 minutes a game, and Elie adds to the frontcourt depth, with her 12 blocks fourth on the team.
 
Union spreads the playing time around with no player averaging more than 22.2 minutes, either in the regular season or so far in the postseason. Nine different Bulldogs play at least 17 a game, seven produce between seven and 12.8 points a game, six have drained at least 37 threes and incredibly, eight have come up with at least 50 steals.
 
At the top of the list is sophomore guard Olivia Lee, who averages 12.8 points and has been Union's top scorer in 11 games. Senior guard Bethany Dillard is outstanding from three with 94 made and a .441 accuracy rate. Six-foot senior Macey Lee, Olivia's older sister, is the leader in steals with 67. Graduate guard and North Alabama transfer Alexis Callins had a strong showing in the South Regional, scoring 45 points in 68 minutes while shooting .515 overall.
 
The winner of Monday's game will take on the advancing team from the 3-6 game, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Coker University (S.C.) in the national semifinals Wednesday night.
 
The national championship game will be Friday evening.
 
"Thanks to the NCAA," said White, who has Elite Eight experience as a player and as an assistant coach, and was a finalist for the WBCA Division II Coach of the Year, "They've made us feel special since we have arrived here, from the signage at the airport, to the hotel and to the arena. It's something we'll remember for a long time, after the scores are forgotten."