SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Sophomore All-Conference forward Lauren Battista (North Easton, Mass./ Oliver Ames HS) was 6-of-6 from the floor for a game-high 15 points and five teammates scored at least eight points as Bentley University, the fifth-ranked team in Division II, rolled to a 78-36 win over Le Moyne College in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball Wednesday night at Ted Grant Court.

Bentley's most lopsided victory since November 2008 lifted the conference leaders to 17-2 overall and 13-1 in the conference, with the Falcons maintaining a one-game lead over both Pace and Southern Connecticut State.

The Falcons went into the halftime break with a commanding 35-16 lead after putting together runs of 7-0, 12-0 and 12-0.  Le Moyne (6-12, 3-11 NE-10) didn't have a field goal over the final 15 minutes and finished the half with more turnovers (17) than points.

The 7-0 run, which featured five points from sophomore point guard Christiana Bakolas (Manchester, N.H./Central HS), broke a 5-5 tie and gave the visiting Falcons a lead it would never relinquish.

After the Dolphins drew within one at 12-11 on their final field goal of the half, Bentley ran off 12 unanswered, five of those scored by Battista.  The Falcons matched that 12-0 run over the final 4:20 of the half, a surge that included five points by junior forward Caleigh Crowell (Harwich, Mass./ Worcester Academy), four by Battista and a three-pointer from junior guard Courtney Finn (Winthrop, Mass./Winthrop HS), the reigning NE-10 Player of the Week.

The second 12-0 burst grew to 24-2 after play resumed, making it 49-18, and Le Moyne's field goal drought reached nearly 19 minutes before freshman forward Jocelyn Ford (Ithaca, N.Y.) hit a 16-footer with 16:12 left in the game.  Between field goals, the Dolphins scored only seven points while missing 15 consecutive shots from the floor and committing 16 turnovers.

Another huge Bentley run, this one 18-0 over a span of seven minutes made it a 67-22 game with seven-and-a-half minutes to play. The Falcon lead eventually peaked at 46, 75-29, five minutes later.

 Battista, in addition to the 15 points in only 21 minutes, finished with seven rebounds and two steals. Senior forward Shatasia Kearse (Framingham, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Reg. HS) was 5-of-6 off the bench for 11 points, and senior guard Katherine Goodwin (Goffstown, N.H./Governors Academy) was the third Falcon in doubles, her night including 10 points, four assists and four steals.

Finn and Crowell each had eight points, as did freshman forward Carlene Kluge (Reading, Mass./Reading HS), her point total a career-best. Bakolas followed with seven points and junior guard Kelsey Roberson (Arlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic HS) filled the stat sheet with six points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals. In addition, freshman guard Chelsea Lombardi (River Vale, N.J./ Pascack Valley HS) scored her first four points as a collegian.

Bentley shot 61 percent in the second half and finished the game at 53 percent.  The Falcons, who outscored the 23 percent-shooting Dolphins 44-12 in the paint, also had a plus-11 rebound margin (39-28) and forced 29 turnovers, resulting in a 25-13 advantage in points off.

Bentley, riding a five-game winning streak, returns home for its next three, beginning with a 1:30 pm Saturday encounter with Southern Connecticut, which topped Southern New Hampshire by four for its 13th consecutive victory.