PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Bentley University women's basketball team forged two fourth-quarter ties and were within one, 71-70, after junior Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) made two free throws with 23 seconds left.

However, Holy Family University sank six free throws the rest of the way and went on to post a 77-70 win over the Falcons in non-conference action Saturday at the Campus Center. The outcome left both teams two games over .500, Bentley at 6-4 and Holy Family at 7-5, heading into the holiday break.

Whitmore led Bentley with 16 points while the top scorer for Holy Family was freshman guard Skyler Searfoss (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) with 26 on 9-of-13 shooting.

Bentley had the lead for much of the first 13 minutes and was up 29-23 after a Whitmore basket with 6:52 left in the second quarter.

The next eight points belonged to Skyler, as part of an 11-0 Tiger surge, and Bentley never got the lead back. Her personal 8-0 run included two lay-ups, two free throws and a jumper.

Bentley went into the half down seven, 42-35, and trailed by ten after a Searfoss-assisted three by junior guard Lindsay Tretter (Philadelphia, Pa.) opened the second half scoring. The Falcons outscored the home team 20-11 over the remainder of the third quarter and went into the fourth down one, 56-55. They scored the final five of the quarter on a runner by sophomore guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) and a left corner three from graduate guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS).

In the fourth, Bentley tied the game at 59 on a fastbreak driving lay-up by senior guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and at 65 on a driving lay-up by junior guard Janessa Gonzalez (Meriden, Conn./St. Paul Catholic HS) with 2:41 to play.

Each time, Holy Family regained the led with a mini-run, 6-0 to go up 65-59 and 4-0 to go up 69-65. The Falcons were scoreless for nearly four minutes after Thompson evened the score and for more than a minute after the Gonzalez basket.

Nine Falcons scored in the game with Thompson (12 points) the second Bentley player to finish in doubles. Gonzalez provided nine off the bench, Kabantu scored eight and freshman post Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) did the same.

All five Holy Family starters scored in doubles with junior center Carolyn Prevost (Belle Mead, N.J.) joining Searfoss in doubles with 15. Both Prevost and Searloss scored seven points from the charity stripe with Holy Family making 24 of 28 free throws.

Bentley shot .475 over the first three quarters, but finishing at .414 after making only five of 18 in the fourth,  Meanwhile, Holy Family finished at .472 and also Had a 37-30 rebound edge and ten more free throws made.

Bentley's next game will also be on the road, Dec. 28 at Molloy in the final game of 2022.