PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Graduate guard Brooke Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely HS) hit a go-ahead three-pointer, her fourth long ball of the day, with 13.3 seconds left and sophomore guard Niya Morgen (Swampscott, Mass./St. Mary's HS) came up with two steals in the final 13 seconds as Bentley University rallied for a 62-57 win over Holy Family University in non-conference women's basketball at the Campus Center Friday afternoon.
 
With the victory in the match-up between the top two teams in the D2 CSC East Region rankings, the nation's fifth-ranked Division II program extended its winning streak to six and improved to 10-1 overall. That's the best start for the Falcons since the 2018-19 team won its first 12.
 
In a game that saw Bentley lead by as many as nine and the 8-3 Tigers by eight entering the fourth, Holy Family took a 57-56 lead on a 10-foot jumper in the paint by  junior guard Taylor Hinkle (Chalfont, Pa.) with 20 seconds remaining.
 
Following a timeout, senior guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) found Obar on the left wing and the grad student delivered to return the advantage to the visiting Falcons, 59-57. It was a strong all-around game for Kabantu, who stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal.
 
The waning seconds saw Morgen twice pick off inbound passes and make three of four free throws to secure the win. She finished with nine points, four rebounds and two steals off the bench.
 
Despite a six-minute scoring drought, Bentley trailed only 14-11 after the first after closing with five straight. Junior guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion, Mass./Tabor Academy) scored on a drive and graduate forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) hit a three.
 
A pair of 8-0 runs helped Bentley go into halftime up seven, 32-25. Whitmore and Morgen connected from distance on the first and both Morgen and Obar did so on the second.
 
Whitmore opened the third quarter by splitting the lane for a lay-up, but the rest of the third was a nightmare for the Falcons. It was a 21-4 run over the final 7:30 and Holy Family took a 46-38 lead into the final stanza. Bentley, in the third, missed all its threes and was 2-of-13 with four turns.
 
Coach C White's Falcons opened the fourth with a 10-2 surge to square the score at 48-all, and it was a nailbiter the rest of the way. Four different Falcons contributed points during the run, with Kabantu leading the way with four.
 
Kabantu was joined in doubles by Whitmore and Obar, each with 12 points. Obar, four-of-six from downtown, also had three assists, two steals and a block.
 
Hinkle led the offense for Holy Family and complemented her 17 points with 11 rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Kaelah Carter (Watervliet, N.Y.) matched Obar's performance from three and finished with 13 points.
 
Both teams shot just over 40 percent with the Falcons hitting 57 percent of their fourth-quarter attempts, 8 of 14. Rebounds were even, the Falcons had an 8-6 edge in three-pointers, and the Tigers were forced into 14 turnovers, four more than Bentley.
 
Bentley had 15 stocks with eight steals and seven blocks. Six of those were credited to senior forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington HS) as she had three of each.
 
The Falcons will remain in the Mid-Atlantic region for a Saturday encounter at Bloomfield College (2 pm).