WALTHAM, Mass – In a battle of two of the top teams in the region, the No. 24 nationally ranked Assumption University women's basketball team fell to No. 22 Bentley University 78-68 on Wednesday evening at the Dana Center in Northeast-10 Conference action. 

THE BASICS

Score: No. 22 Bentley University 78, No. 24 Assumption University 68

Records: Greyhounds (8-3, 3-3 NE10), Falcons (9-2, 5-1 NE10)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Bentley jumped out to a hot start, shooting well from the field and jumping out to a 12-7 lead after Ella Thompson got her fifth point through a jumper. Assumption kept it close despite the Falcons controlling most of the quarter, as they led 19-14 after one. 

Bentley opened the quarter with five quick points to establish a double-digit lead. Marina Callahan used some quick two-pointers, and Teagan Curran knocked down a deep ball to try and get the Hounds going, but the Falcons continued to make shots and keep Assumption at bay. Maggie Whitmore took control of the end of the half, scoring and assisting most of the Bentley points to give the home side a 40-29 lead at the break.

The third quarter continued Bentley's way, going on a 10-3 run to open the half and lead by 19 through a Julia Elie layup. Assumption responded strongly, ripping off a nine-point run to get right back in it, led by Kaijhe Hall and Teagan Kamm with some baskets. With one quarter left, Assumption trailed by only ten despite being down by almost double digits.

The opening minutes of the quarter were tight, with Molly Stokes cutting the deficit to eight with a three-pointer. Bentley tried to pull away into double digits again, but the Hounds were resilient, cutting it back down to single digits multiple times. Despite the efforts, Assumption needed more stops down the stretch. The Hounds got it down to six through Curran with less than a minute remaining, but the visitors fought to the end. The Falcons prevailed with a 78-68 victory at home. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

•  Kaijhe Hall led the Greyhounds with a career-high 17 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. 
• Teagan Curran (12) and Molly Stokes (11) also logged double-digit points.
• Bentley outrebounded Assumption 40-28 while shooting 90.5 percent (19-21) from the charity stripe compared to 74.1 percent (20-27) for the guests. 
• Bentley now leads the all-time series 79-12

UP NEXT

• AU at Franklin Pierce, Saturday, January 6th, 1:30 pm
• Bentley vs Saint Rose, Saturday, January 6th, 1:30 pm

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