WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Junior guard Courtney Finn (Winthrop, Mass./Winthrop HS) and sophomore forward Lauren Battista (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames HS) each scored 20 points as Bentley University, the sixth-ranked team in Division II, used 41 points off turnovers to best the University of New Haven, 88-68, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball Saturday afternoon at Charger Gymnasium.

Bentley, with its fifth wire-to-wire win of the season, ran its records to 16-2 overall and 12-1 in the NE-10, maintaining a one-game lead in the conference standings over both Pace University and Southern Connecticut State. New Haven saw its record slide to 2-15 overall and 2-11 in the conference.

With New Haven committing five of its 29 turnovers in the first two-and-a-half minutes, the Falcons scored the game's first seven points. Battista was a major factor in the fast start, scoring five of the seven and assisting on a fast-break lay-up by senior guard Katherine Goodwin (Goffstown, N.H/ Governors Academy).

After the Chargers scored their inaugural basket of the game, Bentley built on its lead by scoring the next six points on baskets by sophomore guard Christiana Bakolas (Manchester, N.H./Central HS), Battista and senior forward Shatasia Kearse (Framingham, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Reg. HS).

Finn drained a three-pointer five minutes into the game, making it 16-4, and the differential between the two clubs remained in double figures the rest of the way.

By the time the score was 20-6 with 13:40 still to play in the opening half, Bentley was shooting a sizzling 67 percent (8-12) and New Haven had given the ball away eight times.

The two teams traded mini-runs for the rest of the first half with the Falcon lead ranging from 10 points to 19, the latter coming after a three from junior forward Caleigh Crowell (Harwich, Mass./ Worcester Academy) made it 38-19 with 7:07 left.

Bentley finished its highest scoring first-half of the season with a 13-point lead, 52-39. Battista led the offense with 14 points, Goodwin followed with 11, and the Falcons had a 23-5 edge in points off turnovers.

The second half was much the same as the first with the two teams alternating runs and New Haven remaining very careless with the ball. A 16-2 Falcon explosion that included ten points from Finn made it 68-43 with 15 minutes remaining, and a 10-0 spurt stretched it to 79-52 with eight minutes left. Baskets by Kearse started and ended that flurry.

Finn buried four of eight three-pointers en route to her 20 points, and Battista's 20 included 8-of-9 from the line. Finn also had five rebounds and three assists, and Battista finished with four offensive rebounds, two steals and a couple assists.

Goodwin followed with 11, junior guard Kelsey Roberson (Arlington/Arlington Catholic HS) came off the bench for nine points and five assists, and Bentley also received eight points apiece from Crowell and Kearse. Bakolas also provided a solid performance with five steals, five assists and six points.

New Haven was led by freshman forward Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass.) and junior guard Nikita Ready (Germantown, Md.), each with 14 points.

Bentley outshot the Chargers 48-39 percent and made nine three-pointers, one more than New Haven. The multitude of UNH giveaways resulted in Bentley scoring nearly half their points off turnovers, with the Falcons finishing with a 41-11 advantage in that department.

Bentley will look for its fifth straight win Wednesday at Le Moyne College (5:30 pm).