WALTHAM, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College women's basketball team lost to No. 3 Bentley University, 85-56, during Northeast-10 Conference action on Wednesday at the Dana Center. The Falcons' national ranking is according to this week's D2 CSC poll.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (5-9, 2-6 NE10), Bentley (14-1, 6-1 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Ashlee Talbot (Dracut, Mass./Dracut), 20 points (career high), 7-for-15 field goals, 5-for-5 free throws
• Senior Brianna Furch (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood School/Cal State Fullerton), 12 points, 5-for-10 field goals
• First-year Margaret Montplaisir (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth), 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3-for-7 three-pointers

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Sophomore Niya Morgen, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-for-7 field goals
• Senior Amanda Kabantu, 15 points, 5 assists, 6-for-7 field goals
• Graduate student Maggie Whitmore, 13 points, 7 rebounds

THE ACTION

• Kabantu scored the game's first six points and Whitmore the next five en route to Bentley leading 11-0 by the time 4:47 remained in the opening quarter.
• The Purple Knights quickly rebounded with a 12-2 run that made it a one-point game, as Furch scored the first four points and Talbot's jumper produced a 13-12 margin at 2:24.
• Montplaisir's three-pointer had her team within 16-15 before Furch's triple made it 23-18, but Morgen's four freebies sparked a 6-0 run that again pushed the lead to 11.
• Sophomore Jayla Tyler (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central/Saint Rose) converted a three-point play at 4:56 of the second stanza and classmate Ruby Santos' (New Paltz, N.Y./Kent School) bucket 33 seconds later had the Purple Knights trailing only 29-23. Bentley scored the next five points and took a 36-26 lead into halftime.
• After Talbot's pair of freebies kept Saint Michael's within 43-34 at 7:30 of the third period, Bentley pulled away with a 21-4 run by the time junior Ciara Norman knocked down a jumper with 1:06 left. The visitors came no closer than 24 points from there.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday vs. Franklin Pierce University, 1:30 p.m.