WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University women's basketball team will recognize its five seniors and will be looking to make it a four-game winning streak when they host Franklin Pierce University Saturday afternoon on Senior Day. The 1:30 pm contest from Barbara Stevens Court will be webcast over the NE10 NOW Digital Network.

Following Wednesday's 80-73 overtime win over Assumption, Bentley will enter the penultimate game of the regular season and the final regular season home game at 18-7 overall and 13-4 Northeast-10. The Falcons are tied with Saint Anselm (Tuesday's opponent) for second in the conference's Northeast Division, a game back of Stonehill.

They'll be facing a Franklin Pierce team that won't be qualifying for the conference championships but has played a number of teams tough down the stretch.  The Ravens are 10-14 overall, an improvement of six wins over last season, and 4-13 NE10.

Bentley's Class of 2020 has amassed exactly 100 wins over the last four seasons with the group including seniors Monica Viapiano (Holden/Holy Name HS), Julia Ford (Charlton/Noble and Greenough), Maddy Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant HS) and Gabrielle Brooks (Mount Kisco, N.Y./ Choate Rosemary Hall), as well as graduate forward Megan Lewis (Sevenoaks, England).

Viapiano has had an impressive senior year as the six-foot center is leading the Falcons in numerous statistical categories, including scoring (15.5), rebounds (6.9), field goal percentage (.557) and free throw percentage (.857). She scored 20 in Wednesday's win, her sixth 20-point performance of the season.

Ford and Springfield come off the bench for the Falcons, each playing nearly 19 minutes a game. Ford, who was the team manager for the USA Basketball Women's U16 national team that won gold at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship last summer in Chile, has been in 24 of 25 games this season. The Falcon co-captain averages 2.8 points and is fourth on the team in assists (43).

Springfield, who began her collegiate career at Holy Cross before playing in 85 games during three Bentley seasons, provides the team with five points and 4.1 rebounds a game.

Lewis, a two-year team captain, is averaging 8.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and three assists this winter. She had both nine assists and nine rebounds in the Assumption win and has moved to within 19 points of 1,000 for her career.

Brooks has appeared in just one game this season after being hampered by injuries.

Two first-year Bentley guards, freshman Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and sophomore Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wisc./Appleton North HS), came up big, along with Viapiano, in the Assumption win, the 900th for Barbara Stevens at Bentley. The trio combined for 61 points with Thompson finishing with a career-high 23 points and Brekke adding 18.

Brekke is second to Viapiano on the season scoring list with a 12.0 average and Thompson provides 9.6 points and 3.4 assists a game. The two are 1-2 on the squad in three-pointers with Brekke having made 43 and Thompson 39.

Franklin Pierce, which doesn't have a senior on its roster in the first year of Mark Swasey's second tour of duty as head coach, is led by six-two sophomore Izzy Lipinski. She averages 16.1 points and 7.9 rebounds while sporting the second best field goal percentage in the conference, .561. Lipinski also has 46 steals and 22 blocks.

Junior guard Sophia Holmes has also played well for Franklin Pierce with a 15.5 scoring average and 53 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Lisa Sulejmani leads the Ravens in assists with 103.

In its most recent game, Franklin Pierce had the lead most of the night before falling to Saint Anselm, 66-53. The Ravens also gave Stonehill a battle recently before coming up short, 64-57.

In the earlier match-up of the two teams, back in early December, Bentley prevailed up in Rindge, N.H., 79-60, with both Viapiano and Brekke scoring 20.

Bentley will finish the regular season Tuesday at Saint Anselm.