Battista Named Northeast-10 Women's Player of the Year

(Press Release from Bentley University)

One day after earning Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-America® honors, Bentley University sophomore forward Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) has been selected by the conference coaches as the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year.

Battista was also a unanimous choice for first-team All-Conference honors. Two of her teammates also received All-NE-10 recognition with junior guard Courtney Finn (Winthrop/Winthrop HS) voted to the second team and sophomore forward Jacqui Brugliera (Fitchburg/Wachusett Reg. HS) chosen for the third team.

The trio of All-Conference selections has helped Bentley, the sixth-ranked team in Division II, repeat as Northeast-10 regular season champs with records of 24-3 overall and 20-2 NE-10 entering the start of the NE-10 playoffs this weekend. All three were rookies on last year's club which reached the Elite Eight, and are a major reason while coach Barbara Stevens' club is 52-8 over the last two seasons.

Battista, the first Falcon to be deemed the conference's Player of the Year since Keri Flynn shared the 2003 award,  fills the stat sheet with averages of 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals. She leads the team in most offensive categories, including scoring and rebounding, and is the only NE-10 player who is shooting at least 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line.

The six-footer, who was a third-team All-NE-10 honoree a year ago, has been even better in the team's ten games against teams currently ranked in the top ten in the region. She's given the Falcons nearly 20 points and eight rebounds per game in those, along with 27 assists and 13 steals, and was Bentley's top scorer in eight of the ten.

Battista is beginning to make a mark on Bentley's career lists with her scoring average of 14.9 third-best all-time and her field goal and free throw percentages (.541 and .791 respectively) both seventh best in the Falcons' storied history.

"This is a tremendous honor for  Lauren, a sophomore, to be named the Player of the Year in a conference with so many outstanding players," said Stevens, a Women's Basketball Hall of Famer who is in her 26th year as the Falcons' head coach. "I know Lauren will be tremendously humbled by this award.  She has played a key role in our success this season and truly exemplifies the term student-athlete.  All associated with the Bentley Women's Basketball program are very proud of her."

Battista was joined on the first team by Kelly Meredith of Assumption,  Ashley Rath of Saint Rose, Brittany Shields of Pace and Jewel White of Franklin Pierce,   She's the ninth player in Bentley history to collect the prestigious honor.

Finn opened the year by burying a school record-tying seven three-pointers in an 82-57 win over then-nationally ranked Holy Family and has since developed into one of the team's top rebounders.  In fact, since the first of January, she's led the Falcons on the boards, with 7.5 a game over the last 15 contests.  For the season, Finn leads Bentley in both three-pointers (39) and offensive rebounds (75).

The five-foot-nine Finn is averaging 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 79 percent from the free throw line. Her 21 points in the season-opener was a season-best, and she had a 15-rebound game last month against Adelphi. That came during one of her five double-doubles.

Brugliera, last year's NE-10 Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-Conference pick as a freshman, has averaged 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds this season while playing under 20 minutes a game. The six-footer, who saw her season interrupted for six games by an injury, owns career averages of 13.2 points and 7.5 rebounds.

Brugliera has scored in doubles 11 times, with a high of 26 at Stonehill Dec. 10, and has eight games with at least eight rebounds.

Bentley will host the winner of Friday's Stonehill-American International game Sunday afternoon at 1 pm in the quarterfinals of the NE-10 playoffs.