WALTHAM, Mass. – The final Dana Center appearance for the Bentley University Falcons before the new year will see the Falcons host Adelphi University Saturday at 1:30 pm on Barbara Stevens Day. Fans who can't make it to the Dana can watch live on NE10NOW.tv/bentleyfalcons.

Before the Falcons and Panthers square off, at approximately 1:15, a banner commemorating Barbara Stevens' 2021 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will be unveiled. Stevens, who had an amazing run as Bentley's head coach from 1986-2020 and ranks fourth in NCAA Division II women's basketball history in career wins (1058), was part of a legendary class that included Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

Bentley, the reigning Northeast-10 champions, has won its first four conference games this season, including 55-42 at Pace University on Tuesday, and is off to a 6-2 start despite having played on Barbara Stevens Court only once to date.

The Falcons will be taking on an Adelphi team that is 3-4 overall (2-3 NE10) and will be looking to halt a two-game slide. Most recently, the Panthers lost at home to Southern Connecticut State, 80-66, in a game they trailed by as many as 27 in the third quarter.

Bentley, ranked 23^rd in this week's D2SIDA media poll but just outside the top 25 in the WBCA Division II coaches poll, is at the top of the Northeast-10 standings despite not having a single player listed among the conference's top 20 scorers.

Graduate guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS), three points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone for her collegiate career, is the only Falcon currently owning a double-digit scoring average. She's third in the conference in three-point accuracy (.432) and fourth in three-pointers made (16).

Junior Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) and senior Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) are both just a point shy of averaging ten a game. They are 1-2 on the team in both rebounds and assists with Whitmore also the leader in steals (12).

In conference play, both sophomore Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) and six-two freshman Julia Elie (Rockland/Rockland HS) are each averaging 7.5 points.

Bentley, which has limited its opponents to a total of 97 points in the last two games, leads the Northeast-10 in assist-turnover ratio, fewest turnovers and defending the three.

They'll be tested in the latter category by Adelphi, which makes a conference-best 7.1 three-pointers a game and features the NE10's most accurate three-point shooter in graduate guard Lauren Hammersley. The Assumption transfer has connected on 18 of 37 from deep this season and is averaging about 11 points.

Adelphi also has the conference's scoring leader, graduate guard Ty'zhea Hawkins. She had back-to-back 32 point games last month and is averaging 21 points.

Bentley is 13-8 all-time against the Panthers, including a 58-47 win last February on Long Island. Thompson led the Falcons with four three-pointers and 17 pointers in that one.

The only game for the Falcons next week is Saturday at Holy Family. The next home game is New Year's Day against Franklin Pierce.