WALTHAM, Mass. – Sophomore forward Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) scored 22 points, senior guard Katherine Goodwin (Goffstown, N.H./Governors Academy) added a season-best 17 points and the Falcon bench outscored the Assumption College reserves 17-0 as the Bentley University women's basketball team took sole possession of first place in the Northeast-10 Conference with an 88-74 win Tuesday night at the Dana Center.

Bentley, ranked fourth nationally in Division II, improved to 12-1 overall and 8-0 in the NE-10. Assumption, tied for 15th in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA rankings, fell a game back of the Falcons in the conference standings, dropping to 7-1 NE-10 and 10-2 overall.

After ten ties and as many lead changes during the first 35 minutes, Bentley took over the game down the stretch, finishing with a 20-4 explosion. Goodwin ignited that flurry, knocking down a three-ball off the fast break with 4:24 left, a basket that put the Falcons in front to stay at 71-70.

With the score 73-72, Bentley ran off nine in a row to open up the first double-digit lead off the night.  Battista tallied only two of the nine, a pair of free throws with 1:38 left to make it 82-72, but she played a key role with a pair of assists and a steal in a span of a minute-and-a-half. She fed classmate Jacqui Brugliera (Fitchburg/Wachusett Reg. HS) for an inside basket, and provided the ball to junior guard Courtney Finn (Winthrop/Winthrop HS) for a three-point play..

After Assumption ended a nearly two-minute scoring drought, Bentley locked up its 12th victory, the most in the East Region, by scoring the game's final six points, including two free throws apiece from sophomore guard Christiana Bakolas (Manchester, N.H./Central HS) and Battista.

A back-and-forth first half culminated with Bentley on top by two, 45-43, after a buzzer-beating put-back from senior guard Lauren Massie (Fairfax Station, Va./West Springfield HS). Each team shot very well in the half (AC 53 percent, Bentley 50 percent), and both led by as many as seven points.

Bentley, after closing out the opening half with a 10-2 run, opened the second with a 10-5 spurt to regain the seven-point lead, 55-48. It was short-lived as the Hounds answered by scoring 10 of the next 11 points to briefly regain the edge at 58-56. There would be four more lead changes before Goodwin's go-ahead three put her team in front for good.

Battista, the reigning NE-10 Player of the Week, was a perfect 10-for-10 at the foul line, single-handedly making more than Assumption (9-of-12). She also filled the stat line with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 very productive minutes.

Goodwin had a very efficient 17 as she made three of four treys, shot five of seven overall and sank four of six free throws. Brugliera followed with 14 points and Finn provided 10 points and seven rebounds. Bakolas added a season-best eight points and four assists.

Senior forward Kelly Meredith (Franklin), the NE-10's leading scorer, and junior guard Gabrielle Gibson (Amityville, N.Y.) did the bulk of the scoring for Assumption, combining for 49 points. Meredith finished with 27 on 9-of-14 shooting and Gibson followed with 23.

In addition to no points from the bench in 38 minutes, turnovers proved costly to Assumption. Bentley had more steals (12) than turns (11), and turned the 18 Greyhound giveaways into 28 points, outscoring the visitors by 16 in that category.

Both teams shot well (the Falcons with a slight edge, 48-47 percent), and Bentley finished with four more rebounds, 37-33.

Bentley will be on the road for its next two, beginning with a Saturday matinee at Pace University.