WALTHAM, Mass. – After trailing by as many as 19 in the third quarter, Bentley University closed with a 13-2 run over the final 3:24, including eight free throws by junior guard Macchi Smith (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward School), to register a 63-56 win over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball at the Dana Center Wednesday evening.

Bentley, ranked 19th in Division II by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, improved to 18-4 overall and 14-1 in the NE10 with its season-best sixth straight win. Coupled with Assumption's loss to Southern New Hampshire, it extended the Falcons' lead in the Northeast Division to five with six to play.

Senior All-America forward Jen Gemma (Milton/Fontbonne Academy) powered the Falcons with 28 points and a dozen boards, elevating her career totals to 1,968 points and 981 rebounds.

The Falcons, after entering the fourth down nine at 47-38, started the final stanza with an 8-3 burst that featured three-pointers from Gemma and junior guard Lauren Green (Damascus, Md./Damacus HS). That made it a one-possession game at 49-46 with more than seven minutes still to play.

After a long two-pointer by Skyhawk junior guard Kate Ross (Fall River) put the visitors up four (54-50, 4:05 left), Gemma more than answered for the Falcons, her three-point play making it a one-point game with 3:24 left.

It stayed that way for two minutes until Smith was fouled and sent to the line with 1:22 showing. She knocked down both, giving Bentley its first lead of the contest. Following a Stonehill basket, Smith did the same again, this time giving Bentley a 57-56 advantage with 57.6 seconds to play.

Stonehill's next three possessions ended in turnovers with sophomore guard Amy McConnell (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor HS), Gemma and junior guard Trevena Bennett (Union, N.J./Gill St. Bernard School) coming up with steals. All resulted in trips to the line with Smith hitting two with 25.1 seconds, Green two with 21.4 and Smith again with six ticks left.

The opening quarter was a nightmare for the Falcons with the home team missing their first 11 shots and held scoreless until a lay-up by Bennett following a steal ended the dry spell with only 2:33 left.

The woes from the opening stanza, which ended with Stonehill up 14-3, were compounded when the Skyhawks opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run to go up 18, 23-5. At that juncture, Stonehill was 10 of 20 from the floor and Bentley was just 1 of 17.

In the third, Stonehill made it a 19-point difference, 42-23, following five unanswered by junior guard Courtney Walsh (Windham, N.H.) with about six minutes to play. Bentley came alive at that juncture, using a 10-1 run to get within ten. That spurt included six from Gemma, a three-point play on a drive and a top-of-the-key triple.

Gemma's night saw her make 10 of 18 overall, two of six from deep and six of seven free throws. Green (12) and Smith (10) joined her in doubles.

For Stonehill, Walsh led the way with 16 points and six assists.

Stonehill shot better, 43-36 percent, although the Falcons connected at a 50 percent clip in the second half. Rebounds favored the Falcons (37-32) as did free throws (19-23 as compared to 6-11) and turnovers (12-14). Bentley, which gave coach Barbara Stevens her 975th career victory, also had more points in the paint (28-22), off turnovers (14-5) and second chance (12-6).

Bentley will be on the road Saturday, playing a 1 pm game at Assumption in Stevens' 1,000th career game as Falcons' head coach