Women's Basketball 3/8/2026 3:22:00 PM

CHAMPIONS! SCSU Women’s Basketball Defeats Bentley For First NE10 Title Since 2006-07

Women's Basketball 3/8/2026 3:22:00 PM

CHAMPIONS! SCSU Women’s Basketball Defeats Bentley For First NE10 Title Since 2006-07

Box Score WALTHAM, Mass. – Southern Connecticut women's basketball defeated Bentley, 59-50 on Sunday afternoon, to win their first Northeast 10 Conference title since the 2006-07 season. It was the first time since 2012 that the Owls defeated Bentley in the Dana Center. Hope Fox was named the NE10 Championship Most Outstanding Player and was joined on the NE10 All-Championship Team by Ally Sentance and Jillian Martin. Fox also earned the Elite24 Award, for the second time in her career, for the highest GPA at the NE10 Championship.

Jillian Martin recorded a team-best of 15 points, as she was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line and led the Owls with four assists. Ally Sentance and Hope Fox had 12 points each while Tish Blackwood and Taeya Steinauer had six points each. Blackwood led the Owls with seven boards.

In the first quarter, Bentley got on the board first, but Tish Blackwood responded with a made layup. From that point, both teams went back and forth, trading points against one another. The Falcons took a 16-12 lead, but Rheyna Steinauer and Jillian Martin helped get within a point of Bentley. Ally Sentance scored a driving layup before the Falcons made a good layup with seconds left in the quarter with Bentley up 22-19 over Southern.

In the second quarter, the Owls started off strong with a made and-one by Sentance, to tie the game at 22-22. Then, she responded with a made three-pointer, to take a 25-23 lead then Taeya Steinauer hit a made three-pointer, to extend the Owls' lead to 28-23, with five minutes left in the half. Arianna Gerkin and Hope Fox hit key baskets, as the Owls took a 32-28 lead over the Falcons.

In the third quarter, Rheyna Steinauer made a layup within the first seconds of play. However, the Falcons responded with a made three-pointer. Fox hit a shot beyond the arc to put the Owls up by four, but the Falcons went on a 7-0, to go up 40-37 with four minutes left. Defense was huge for both teams for the rest of the quarter as Bentley held a one-point lead going into the fourth, 40-39.

In the fourth quarter, Hope Fox retook the lead for the Owls before the Falcons went up again by two. Then, Southern went on an electric, 10-0 run, with points from Fox, Blackwood, Martin and Sentance, to extend their lead to 51-43. The Falcons hit one free-throw before Fox hit a free-throw of her own as Southern did their best to hold on defensively. Jillian Martin knocked down seven big free-throws as Southern Connecticut held on to win 59-50 and won their first NE10 title since 2006-07.

The Owls received the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Tournament and learn the rest of the field during the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 8 at 10:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM:
Ally Sentance
Jillian Martin
Elite24: Hope Fox
MOP: Hope Fox

Congratulations @SCSU_Owls Women's basketball team on their first conference title since 2007 🏀🏆 https://t.co/LcJ4henxt9
— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) March 8, 2026

Congratulations to our @SCSU Women's Basketball team on capturing the 2026 Northeast-10 Championship.

Proud of our athletes and the leadership of Head Coach Kate Lynch and assistants Stephanie Hiriak-Lund and Charlie Cairo. The entire Southern community is proud of you. pic.twitter.com/aRTmJXyxLI
— Dr. Sandra Bulmer (@PresSandyBulmer) March 8, 2026