WALTHAM, Mass. – It's a four-peat in Waltham as the Bentley University Falcons are Northeast-10 Champions for the fourth consecutive year and the 24^th time all-time!
 
Led by tournament MVP and graduate forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS), the Falcon women's basketball team claimed their fourth straight Northeast-10 championship with a 64-54 victory over sixth-seeded Assumption University Sunday afternoon on Barbara Stevens Court.
 
Bentley, which secured the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division II East Regional, improved to 30-1 this season and extended Division II's longest winning streak to 26 games. Coach C White improved to 14-0 in NE10 tournament action and her program earned their 100^th NE10 postseason victory all-time. The Falcons reached the 30-win mark for the 13^th time overall and the first time since the national championship season since 2013-14.
 
"It's all about the players. They are the ones that did it," said White. "They bring it every single day. They prepare like every game is a championship game, whether it's film, practice or game. They took it one day at a time, and that is how they did it."
 
Whitmore averaged 20 points in the tournament and provided 16 points, along with four rebounds, in the championship game.
 
"Maggie is unbelievable," said White. "How she leads is such an example of how great she is. Her unselfishness is why we are so successful."
 
Also scoring in doubles were seniors Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) and Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS), along with sophomore guard Niya Morgen (Swampscott/St. Mary's HS). Kabantu was outstanding with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists, Morgen came off the bench for 12 points and a career-best six boards, and DuChame finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
 
Kabantu and DuCharme joined Whitmore on the All-Championship team.
 
Assumption controlled the opening quarter, hitting 9 of 14 (64 percent) to outscore the Falcons 20-13. Senior forwards Kaijhe Hall (Maplewood, N.J.) and Marina Callahan (Burlington), both All-Championship Team selections, each scored six in the first, and Kabantu matched them for the Falcons.
 
Bentley opened the second quarter with nine unanswered to take their first lead of the afternoon. Morgan, the Division II leader in three-point accuracy, dropped in a long ball and Kabantu scored on a drive. Back-to-back baskets from Whitmore, one inside the paint and the other a long jumper, put the Falcons up 22-20.
 
"We got back to our principles," said Whitmore, who was also the MVP in 2023. "We had to defend better."
 
After the Greyhounds briefly regained the lead, Whitmore hit a three from the right wing and DuCharme followed with an inside basket to complete the first-half scoring, 30-26. Bentley kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the final four minutes and limited the Greyhounds to 23 percent shooting in the quarter, 3 of 13.
 
Early in the third, Bentley used an 8-3 spurt to go up 38-31. The last four were scored by Whitmore, on a drive and two from the charity stripe.
 
Assumption closed the third with six straight to draw within one, 45-44. Callahan had a pair of lay-ups and graduate guard Molly Stokes (Worcester) stuck a 16-footer.
 
White's team came out strong to start the fourth, regaining control with an 11-2 run to go up ten, 56-46. Morgan and junior guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy) connected from three, DuCharme scored inside and Kabantu converted a three-point play after a drive.
 
The Falcons had one more run in them, this one a late 6-0 spurt to go up 13, 63-50 with just under two minutes left. Whitmore scored and both Kabantu and Yeomans sank two from the line.
 
Most of the team stats were relatively close with the exception of free throws and turnovers. Bentley got to the line 24 times, making 16, while Assumption was just five of 11. And the Falcons scored 14 off 14 Greyhound times, as compared the Hounds six off nine turns.
 
The four-peat was the third in both Bentley and Northeast-10 history, following the Falcon teams of 1998-2001 and 2011-14.
 
The field and location for the NCAA Division II East Regional will be announced on NCAA.com at 10:30 pm tonight with Bentley a virtual lock to host for the second straight year.