Worcester, Mass. – The No. 4 seed Le Moyne College women's basketball team fell to the No. 5 seed Bentley University Falcons in the NCAA Championships East Regional on Friday night by a score of 53-39. The Dolphins finish their season with a 21-7 record.
The Falcons, who have now won eight straight games, advance to the Semifinals of the East Regional where they will meet the no. 1 seed Assumption University Greyhounds on Saturday night.
"I want to give Bentley a lot of credit. They came in here and pretty much flipped the script. It's the reverse of what happened at our place (on January 21), so kudos to them. My team – we fought, we played hard. I think some calls did not go our way, but I'm really proud of their effort, and we're really excited about the future," said Le Moyne head coach
Mary Grimes after the game.
"There's a lot of teams that did not make it this far. As young as we are, it's really kudos to the leadership on this team. Our captains we unbelievable all year. Toya [Baker] is a captain, Lexi [Gruss] is a captain, Haedyn [Roberts] is a captain, and it just speaks volumes that they were able to bring this group all the way here. As far as our culture, I think it definitely started with Coach [Gina] Castelli. I'm one of her players, I have my own way of doing things, but we're about doing things the right way [at Le Moyne]. I just want to win, and I want to empower my players and encourage them. That's our philosophy that we're always going to have as our foundation," Grimes added.
Lytoya Baker led Le Moyne with 12 points and 11 rebounds on Friday, tallying her NE10-best 16
th double-double of the season, which is the most double-doubles accumulated by a Le Moyne player in over 30 years.
With her fourth defensive rebound against the Falcons, her 201
st defensive board of the season, Baker set a new single-season program record. Baker finishes the 2022-23 campaign with 299 total rebounds, which is the fourth most in a single season in program history.
"We worked hard every day in practice to get here. We deserved to be here, and it just didn't go our way. I'm proud of our team, I wouldn't want to be here with anybody else. We just fought really hard and left it all on the court, so I'm proud of us," said Baker after the game.
On Competing in the NCAA Championships: "It's the best feeling. It's the biggest stage. I'm going to miss Lexi especially. She was a big part of our team, and like I said, I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else," Baker added.
NE10 Rookie of the Year
Sydney Lusher (Oneida, N.Y./Oneida) provided nine points and a game-high three steals, while freshman guard
Kaia Goode (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) added seven points and redshirt-sophomore forward
Haedyn Roberts (Holland Patent, N.Y./Holland Patent) pulled down eight rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Sophomore guard
Emily Florvil (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth) tallied five rebounds, two assists and four points in 14 minutes of action, while senior guard
Lexi Gruss (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) played 21 minutes off the bench for the 'Phins.
"We're a young group, so for us to be here in itself is an accomplishment. We play hard, we play together, and how could I ask to be with a better team? So, I know they're going to do great things next year and I can't wait to watch that," said
Lexi Gruss following her final game in a Le Moyne uniform. "Defensively, I think we played well. They just hit a couple more shots than us offensively. Had we made some of those, it would have been a different game…Me and Toya are roommates off the court, so it definitely means something to end it (in the NCAA Championships) with her… I couldn't be more thankful to just be here and be a part of the team," Gruss shared.
Bentley junior guard/forward Maggie Whitmore and freshman forward Julia Elie contributed 16 and 12 points, respectively. Whitmore also pulled down 11 rebounds to record a double-double, while Bentley rookie Ciara Norman added five points and 13 rebounds. Whitmore and freshman guard Cassidy Yeomans recorded a combined nine assists for the Falcons on Friday.
Both teams made just 16 field goals during the postseason battle, however Bentley shot 17-20 from the free-throw line compared to 4-7 from the stripe for Le Moyne. Both sides shot below 18% from three-point land, but the Falcons tallied 13 assists compared to six for Le Moyne.
Le Moyne committed just 10 turnovers compared to 15 for Bentley, but the Bentley bench outscored the Le Moyne bench 16-4.
The two sides were tied 26-26 at halftime, but the Falcons held Le Moyne to just four points during the third frame to establish a 36-30 lead going into the final quarter.
After shooting 2-16 from the field and 0-0 from the line during the third quarter, Le Moyne shot 3-16 from the field during the final 10 minutes and was outscored by Bentley 17-9 in frame.
Le Moyne's 21 regular season wins in 2022-23 is tied for the second most in program history. The team's 11-game conference winning streak from January 14 to February 18 tied a program record, while the team's 10 road victories and their active eight-game road winning streak are both new program records.
The Dolphins won 16 of their final 17 regular season games in 2022-23 to earn the NE10 Conference regular season championship.
"When I talk to alumni [of our program] and communicate with them over email, I'm like 'I hope we're making you proud,' and I told the team today, that when Lexi looks back, I hope we're making her proud. That she can say, 'Yup, I went to Le Moyne, that's my team,' and she was a part of the foundation for us moving forward… As always, 'phins up," Grimes told Le Moyne play-by-play commentator Tim McCaffrey after the game.
