WALTHAM, Mass. - Saint Michael's College trailed by just two points at Bentley University, the top-ranked team in Division II, with a little more than seven minutes remaining before falling short, 75-66, during a Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball contest on Wednesday evening at the Dana Physical Education Center.

The Purple Knights fell to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the league, having played their second consecutive close contest with a nationally-ranked team after suffering a 63-62 setback to 17th-ranked Franklin Pierce University on Sunday. The Falcons, whose top ranking is according to this week's USA TODAY ESPN national poll, is 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the NE-10.

Sophomore Alexa Long (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) tallied a career-high 20 points for the Purple Knights, shooting 7-of-11, including hitting both three-point attempts, and going 4-of-4 on free throws. She added six rebounds and posted three blocks after entering the evening with a league-leading rejection total.

Senior Coreen Hennessy (Chatham, N.H./Fryeburg Academy) notched 13 points and three assists, and sophomore Cara Deroy (Hamden, Conn./Hamden) had nine points off the bench. Junior Megan Olsen (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) totaled eight points, and classmate Nicole Adach (Schenectady, N.Y./Mohonasen) contributed seven points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore Lauren Battista (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) shot 6-of-9 for 14 points for Bentley, and classmate Jacqui Brugliera (Fitchburg, Mass./Wachusett Regional) had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Saint Michael's held the Falcons to 36.7 percent second-half shooting, turning in a 44.8 percent showing, holding a 20-17 rebounding advantage during the stanza while shooting 7-of-8 on free throws to the hosts' 5-of-10 performance.

The Purple Knights trailed by as many as 24 points during the opening period before putting together a gradual rally, including going on a 13-3 run that bridged halftime to creep within 47-37 with 17:15 left in the game. Five Saint Michael's players scored in that time, with Long notching four points.

After Bentley pushed its advantage back to 13, a 19-8 run brought the visitors within two, as Hennessy converted Adach's pass into a lay-up at 7:26 to create a 60-58 deficit. Olsen scored six of her points during the run, while Hennessy and Long had four apiece. However, the Falcons countered with 15 of the game's next 18 points. Long netted the last five points of the contest to create the final margin.

In the early stages of the game, senior Caitlin Quinn (Oakdale, Conn./Montville) buried a three-pointer after 3:44 of action to bring her team within 8-5, but Bentley put together a 23-4 run by 8:49 of the opening half and built a 38-14 cushion at 5:57.

Saint Michael's completes the semester with a pair of home games over the next week, first hosting Stonehill College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.