WALTHAM, Mass. – After beginning 2023 with with two wins by a total of 73 points, the Bentley University women's basketball team will be back on the road Saturday afternoon (1:30 pm) at American International College.

Fans who aren't at Butova Gymnasium can watch live over the NE10NOW digital network (NE10NOW.tv).

Bentley, the defending Northeast-10 champions, shares the top spot in the conference standings with Assumption and Southern Hampshire. Coach C White's team has a three-game winning streak and owns records of 9-4 overall and 6-1 NE10.

AIC, which has a losing streak of the same length as Bentley's win streak, stands in sixth place in the conference. The Yellow Jackets, coming off a 58-52 home loss to Southern New Hampshire, are 6-7 overall and 4-3 NE10.

Graduate guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS), senior guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) and junior forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) have been the team's starters throughout the season and that was also the case in Wednesday's 78-41 win at Saint Rose.

Thompson scored 13 points, Whitmore finished with 12 and Brekke followed with ten points. The plus-minus for the trio were plus 33 for Whitmore, 29 for Thompson and 26 for Brekke.

 Brekke, who surpassed the 1,000 career point mark earlier this season, and Whitmore both have 11.2 scoring averages and Thompson follows at 10.4.

Fourth on the scoring list for the Falcons this season is sophomore guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS). She's averaging 6.7 points and her 19 offensive rebounds is fourth on the team.

In the wire-to-wire win at Saint Rose, the Falcon defense gave up a season-low point total and held an opponent to 55 points or less for the ninth time. That's been a magic number for Bentley to far this season as they are unbeaten when keeping the opposition to that mark or less. When giving up more than that, they are 0-4. Saint Rose was limited to 27 percent shooting and only 4 of 20 from three.

AIC features the conference's fourth leading scorer in graduate student and power forward Taylor Tomlinson. Owner of a 16.4 average, she's scored at least 20 four times, including 23 Wednesday against Southern New Hampshire.

Also averaging in doubles for the Yellow Jackets are senior guard Kayla Robinson and junior forward Nora Young, at 14.9 and 10.7, respectively. Young returned to action Wednesday after missing the previous eight games and scored nine.

AIC is tenth in the NE10 in scoring (60.5) and 11^th in points allowed (62.5). The Yellow Jackets lead the conference in steals, averaging 10.9, and third in blocks (3.2).

Bentley, 68-11 all-time against AIC, has won the last eight meetings, including 91-43 last year. That game featured a career-best 22 points and nine rebounds from Kabantu.

On Wednesday, Bentley will play just its fourth game of the season on Barbara Stevens Court with nationally-ranked Assumption providing the opposition.