WALTHAM, Mass. – Before finally getting a chance to play at home next Saturday, the 4-0 Bentley University women's basketball team has two more tests on the road this weekend. The Falcons will be on the west coast of Florida to face nationally-ranked Eckerd College Saturday and unbeaten Saint Leo University Sunday.

Both games, in St. Petersburg Saturday and in St. Leo Sunday, are scheduled to tip off at 2 pm. Links to view both will be posted at https://bentleyfalcons.com/sports/wbkb/2022-23/schedule.

Bentley headed south with a 4-0 record, a number nine ranking in the WBCA Division II national coaches poll and a number eight ranking in the D2SIDA media poll. Coach C White's team is allowing less than 51 points a game and is coming off a 63-51 win over Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Eckerd, which was ranked fifth in the country before a Monday loss at Angelo State (Texas), is off to a 4-1 start, including three wins by at least 25 points. Saint Leo has won its first four, including the last two by an average of 74 points against a pair of NCCAA teams, Trinity Baptist and Johnson.

Graduate guard and captain Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS) has taken over the Bentley team lead in scoring after scoring 19 in the come-from-behind win at Southern New Hampshire Tuesday. She's knocked down eight three-pointers and has made 69 percent of her two-point attempts so far this year.

Also in doubles are senior guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and junior guard Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS), at 10.7 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. They've also been the team's top rebounders with Whitmore collecting nine a game and Thompson seven.

Senior Bri Gillen (Lakeville/Bishop Feehan HS) and freshmen Julia Elie (Rockland/Rockland HS) and Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) have shared the duties in the post for Bentley with the trio combining for 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds a game as well as a field goal percentage just over .500. Gillen had a career-high 11 at SNHU and Elie (6.0 RPG) is the most recent NE10 Rookie of the Week.

Bentley's opponents have been limited to a .320 field goal percentage and .220 accuracy from downtown so far. Nationally, White's Falcons are tenth in Division II in scoring defense and 14^th in field goal percentage defense.

Eckerd has also been stingy defensively with their opponents putting up 54.2 points a game and shooting only .306. Sophomore guard Hannah Wentworth has been outstanding from three, making 21 of 47, and her 14.8 scoring average is highest among the team's three double-figure scorers.

For St. Leo, which has Division II wins over Alabama-Huntsville and Lee, is led by senior guard Amanda Ulrich and fifth-year guard Alex Button. Ulrich scores 16.3 points a game and Button, 10 of 16 from deep, follows at 15.3.

Bentley is playing Eckerd on Thanksgiving Weekend for the second straight year. Last year in Valdosta, Ga., the Tritons prevailed 56-47. The Falcons are 1-1 all-time against Eckerd and will be facing the Monarchs for the first time.

Next Saturday, Dec. 3, Bentley will host Southern Connecticut in its long-awaited home opener.