THE BASICS:

- Score: Bentley 76, Assumption 65

- Record: Bentley (5-0, 3-0 NE-10), Assumption (1-3, 0-3 NE-10)

- Location: Waltham, Mass. (Dana Center)

The Lead: Assumption led at the end of the first quarter and midway through the second quarter, before top-ranked Bentley went on a run to take back the lead for good, on the way to a hard-fought 76-65 victory over the Hounds on Tuesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Bentley jumped out to a quick 7-4 lead in the opening four minutes. Morgan O'Brien (Reading, Mass. / Reading) connected on two free throws to jumpstart an 8-0 spurt and give Assumption a 12-7 lead. The teams went back and forth over the final minutes of the period, with a three from Kelly Carey (Long Beach, N.Y. / Holy Trinity) providing a 17-15 advantage after one.

- Consecutive Carey layups early in the second gave the Hounds a 21-19 advantage, and then with 6:02 left in the period, Kiera O'Donnell (Cheshire, Conn. / Holy Cross) made it 24-23 with a pair of free throws. Bentley took back the lead with four straight, though Teneya McLaughlin (Milford, Conn. / Joseph A. Foran) cut the deficit to one, 27-26, with 1:30 left. The Falcons responded with the final six points of the period for a 33-26 lead at the half.

- Bentley opened the second half on an 8-3 run to extend its lead to 44-29. Morgan O'Donnell (Easton, Mass. / Ursuline Academy) ended the run with a jumper and the Hounds eventually pulled within nine, 46-37, on three free throws from Jo Impellizeri (Seaford, N.Y. / St. Anthony's). They kept working and Carey connected on an elbow jumper in the final seconds to trail just 48-41 at the end of the third.

- Assumption kept its run going in the early minutes of the fourth, and two free throws from Jaclyn Storey (Cumberland, Maine / Greely) closed the gap to 50-47 with 8:35 remaining. Bentley responded with a 13-3 run for the 13-point lead with four minutes left. The Hounds managed to close within six on a triple by O'Donnell with 57 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer as the Falcons made their free throws to earn the 11-point win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Top ranked Bentley was dominant inside, outscoring Assumption 44-24 in the paint, while getting 23 points from its bench. The Falcons also shot 52.9 percent from the floor while limiting the Hounds to just 39.0 percent shooting. The visitors did own a 33-27 edge on the boards.

- Three Hounds scored in double figures, led by Carey's 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Kiera O'Donnell added 12 points and five rebounds while Impellizeri contributed 12 points, six rebounds and five steals.

- McLaughlin was solid off the bench with a team-high eight rebounds, six points and two assists. Storey added six points off the pine.

- Jen Gemma led Bentley with 20 points while Macchi Smith had 19 points, four rebounds and four assists.

UP NEXT:

Assumption returns to action on Sunday when the team hosts Queens (N.Y.) at 3 pm in Laska Gym.

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