WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University women's basketball team, which sits atop the Northeast Conference's Northeast Division, will be aiming for its third straight win and 11th in its 12 games when it pays a visit to American International College on Saturday.

Tip-off at the Butova Gym in Springfield is set for 1:30 pm and the contest can be viewed on the NE10 NOW Digital Network.

Bentley, number 20 in the most recent D2SIDA media poll, is 14-4 overall and 9-1 in the NE10 with a one-game lead over Saint Anselm. The Falcons have won their last two, 74-61 at Pace last Saturday and 76-56 at home against Saint Rose Wednesday, after having an eight-game winning streak halted earlier in the month at New Haven.

American International, which has split its last four games, is 6-13 overall and 3-7 conference. Most recently, the Yellow Jackets fell on the road to Southern New Hampshire, 63-54.

Coach Barbara Stevens' Falcons have dominated the first three quarters of its last two games. They had a double-figure lead after one in each, 25-9 against Pace and 26-13 against New Haven, and both games saw the Falcons carry a 23-point lead into the fourth. Amazingly, the score of each was identical after three, 60-37.

Sophomore guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wisc./Appleton North HS) knocked down four of Bentley's ten three-pointers in the Saint Rose game, including three in first 5:20 to spark the Falcons' fast start. She finished with 18 points and has averaged 13.2 in the last ten games, a stretch in which she's made 43 percent of her threes.

Graduate forward Megan Lewis (Sevenoaks, England) has been even better from three over that stretch, knocking down 16 of 33 (.485). She averages 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds for the season.

Senior center Monica Viapiano (Holden/Holy Name HS) had her fourth double-double of the season against Saint Rose, finishing with 14 points and ten rebounds in about 19 minutes. Over the last five, she's shot 62 percent overall while averaging 17.8 points and 7.2 rebounds.

The bench produced 32 points against the Golden Knights, its third highest output of the season, with sophomore guard Hartlee Meier (Southington, Conn./Marianapolis Prep) scoring a career-high eight points, senior forward Maddy Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant HS) tallying nine and junior center Erin Nolan (Binghamton/Susquehanna Valley HS) scoring at least six for the fifth time in six games.

While Bentley is third in the NE10 in scoring defense, AIC has had trouble scoring much of the season with the Yellow Jackets' 53.4 points a game and .322 field goal percentage conference lows. They've put up at least 55 only six times, but five of those have been wins.

The Yellow Jackets have three double-figure scorers but have only one other player who produces as many as four points a game. Senior guard Rashana Siders leads the squad at 12.1 points per game and has 40 three-pointers. She was a standout in Wednesday's loss at Southern New Hampshire with four triples and 22 points.

Siders is followed by junior guard Destine Perry and freshman guard Kayla Robinson, at 10.7 and 10.5 per game, respectively. Perry leads in field goal percentage (.415) and Robinson's rookie year has included 30 steals.

The two teams met twice last season with Bentley sweeping, 63-58 during the regular season and 68-55 in the NE10 quarterfinals.

Bentley will also be on the road Tuesday when they'll be in Syracuse to take on Le Moyne College in a rematch of the 2019 NE10 championship game.