SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Hours after climbing to number eight in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II rankings, the Bentley University Falcons were stunned by American International College, 66-64, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball Tuesday evening at Butova Gym.

It was the first loss of the season for the Falcons, who opened the campaign with four consecutive victories. AIC improved to 3-1 overall and both teams left the court 1-1 in conference play.

Bentley, which led by 12 in the first quarter and ten with eight minutes remaining, took a 64-62 lead when graduate guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) sank two free throws with 38.6 seconds left to play.

AIC senior wing Briana Lee (Jersey City, N.J.) was fouled less than four seconds later and she converted the second of two at the line to make it a one-point game. After Bentley missed its fourth and fifth free throws of the final quarter, Lee made two from the stripe with 6.4 seconds left to return the lead to AIC, the 13^th and final lead change of the game.

After Thompson was off the mark on a potential game-winning three, AIC freshman guard Ruzgar Christina Boyle (Istanbul, Turkey) closed out the scoring by making one of two free throws with 0.6 seconds left.

Bentley started fast, scoring 14 of the game's first 16 points with the early surge featuring five points from apiece senior forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) and sophomore guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy).

The Falcons cooled off after a Yellow Jacket timeout and were down three, 24-21, with just under six minutes to play in the second quarter. That was a 22-7 run over a stretch of six-and-a-half minutes for the home team.

A 14-0 Bentley run, covering the final 72 minutes of the third quarter and the first 2:20 of the fourth, restored the lead to the visitors, 59-49. Yeomans had five and sophomore forward Mikala Cooper (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS) during that surge.

AIC answered with an 11-1 run to regain the lead, 62-50, with two minutes to play. Bentley sophomore forward Julia Elie (Rockland/Rockland HS) evened the game with a foul line jumper with 1:48 left and the game stayed tied until Thompson's free throws.

Thompson led Bentley with 15 points, Elie and Yeomans each totaled 12 points and Whitmore had ten points and seven rebounds.

Lee finished with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double on a night she made 10 of 14 free throws.

The Falcons shot only 27 percent in the fourth quarter, dropping their overall accuracy mark to .373. Points off turnovers were key with AIC enjoying a 20-9 advantage.

Bentley will have over a week to prepare for its next game, Nov. 22 at home against Saint Anselm.