WALTHAM, Mass. – After winning its last two, the Bentley University women's basketball team will return to Barbara Stevens Court Saturday for a Senior Day Game against Pace University. Tip-off for the team's Pink Day and the opener of a two-game homestand is set for 1:30 pm and the game can be seen over the NE10 NOW Digital Network.

Back-to-back wins over Southern New Hampshire and Adelphi have moved the Falcons back into the hunt for the Northeast-10 regular season championship. With four regular season games left, coach C White's team (14-8 overall, 11-5 conference) trails Le Moyne College by a game-and-a-half and both Assumption and Southern New Hampshire by one.

Other games Saturday impacting the top of the standings include New Haven at Assumption, Le Moyne at American International and Saint Rose at Southern New Hampshire.

Pace will come into the Dana Center with records of 9-14 overall and 6-10 NE10, good for a tie for ninth place. The Setters upended Southern Connecticut State on Tuesday to half a four-game slide.

Prior to the game, Bentley seniors Bri Gillen (Lakeville/Bishop Feehan HS) and Ella Thompson (Greenville, Ind./Center Grove HS) will be recognized for their contributions. Both have another year of eligibility remaining and both plan to return to the team next season.

Bentley is coming off a 74-70 win at Adelphi on Tuesday, a game in which the Falcons saw a 19-point lead evaporate completely. Junior guard Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) broke a 70-all tie with a turnaround jumper with 43 seconds left and sink two clinching free throws with :07 on the clock to secure the W.

Whitmore, over the last four games, has averaged 20.5 points to raise her season production from 11.2 to 12.9 points. She's made 57 percent of her shots over that span and has averaged 7.3 rebounds. In addition, Whitmore has extended her streak of consecutive free throws made to 32 by sinking 15 of 15.

In addition to scoring, the 94 percent free throw shooter leads Bentley in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

Thompson, who is averaging 10.2 points, has made eight of 16 three-pointers in her last three games while putting up 14 points a game.

The last two games have also seen freshman post Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy), the current NE10 Rookie of the Week, contribute 15.5 points and 11 rebounds a game off the bench.

Three-pointers have played a key role in Bentley's success this season. The Falcons lead the conference in accuracy from deep, are among the national leaders in defending the three, and have outscored the opponents by 8.7 points a game from outside the arc. Freshman guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy) leads the conference with a .477 accuracy rate from three, graduate guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS) is third at .413, and Whitmore has made 19 of 40 (.475).

It's been a streaky season for Pace, the defending NCAA Division II East Region champion. The Setters started 1-7, won six straight from Dec. 10-Jan. 7, and are 2-7 since Jan. 10. The Setters have been solid defensively, giving up the fourth fewest points in the conference (57.2), but are 12^th in scoring at 54.4.

Leading Pace on the court is graduate guard Lauren Hackett, whose 9.2 scoring average, 85 assists and 32 steals are all team-bests.

Bentley leads the all-time series 33-7 and owns winning streaks of 11 straight overall and 12 in a row at home against Pace.

In the first meeting this year between the two programs, back on Dec. 6 in Pleasantville, N.Y., sophomore forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) had a career-best 14 rebounds in only 15 minutes to lead Bentley to a 55-42 win. That was one of seven times this season the Falcon D has kept an opponent under 50 points.

Bentley will also be at home on Wednesday for a 5:30 game against The College of Saint Rose.