WALTHAM, Mass. – Perfect shooting in the third quarter, an unblemished 11-for-11, helped the fourth-ranked Bentley University women's basketball team pull away from Southern Connecticut State and extend its winning streak to 14 with a 75-54 victory in Northeast-10 Conference action Saturday afternoon on Barbara Stevens Court.
 
Five different Falcons scored in doubles with graduate forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) leading the way with 16 points.
 
Bentley improved to 18-1 overall, including 10-1 in the NE10, good for a two-and-a-half game lead. Southern Connecticut, which had won eight of its previous nine, dropped into a three-way tie for second in the conference at 8-4 (15-4 overall).
 
The Falcons went into the half with a 34-33 lead with the Owls staying close by virtue of six three-pointers in nine attempts. Both senior forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) and sophomore guard Niya Morgen (Swampscott/St. Mary's HS) had eight points in the half for Bentley.
 
Bentley outscored the visitors 27-9 in the third quarter to extend a one-point advantage to 19, 61-42. The Falcons scored 12 of the first 13 points in the stanza with senior guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) hitting a three, Whitmore scoring on a drive, graduate guard Brooke Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely HS) nailing a corner three and Whitmore adding four more.              
 
In the third, Whitmore had four buckets and both Obar and DuCharme had two. Kabantu, Morgen and junior guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy) each added one to complete the 11-for-11 quarter.
 
Junior forward Cici Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) scored six points in the fourth as the Falcons maintained a comfortable lead. The difference peaked at 24 , 74-50, on two free throws by junior post Julia Elie (Rockland/Rockland HS).
 
Following Whitmore in the scoring column was DuCharme with 13, Yeomans with 11 and Morgen and Norman with 10 apiece.
 
DuCharme (8) and Norman (7) were the top rebounders, and Whitmore also had four assists and three steals.
 
The Bentley defense kept the Owls to 33 percent shooting, including just 8 of 32 in the second half. Graduate forward Katie Williamson (Dublin, Ireland), the NE10's number two scorer, was limited to five points on 2-of-14 shooting.
 
Meanwhile, coach C White's team posted a .565 field goal percentage and made eight of 20 from downtown. Bentley was also hot from the line, making 15 of 16 free throws, and had a 34-26 rebound advantage.
 
Bentley's next game is at Adelphi University on Tuesday. The Panthers were responsible for the Falcons' only loss thus far, 59-55 on Nov. 20.