WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University graduate forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) outscored Pace University in the first quarter, 10-8, and finished with 16 points, including the 1,300^th of her career, as the Falcons shut down the Setters, 64-41, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball Wednesday night on Barbara Stevens Court.
 
Bentley, which has been number four in the WBCA Division II coaches poll since late December, extended its winning streak to 17 and maintained its three-game lead in the NE10 standings. The Falcons improved  to 21-1 overall and 13-1 conference while keeping the opponent under 50 for the tenth time.
 
It was the seventh wire-to-wire win for the Falcons since the beginning of January. Whitmore had four during the team's 6-0 start and the defense kept the Setters (12-11, 8-7 NE10) off the scoreboard until the 4:48 mark of the opening stanza.
 
 Bentley led 17-8 after the first with Whitmore (10) and junior post Julia Elie (Rockland/Rockland HS) (5) combining for all but two of the 17.
 
The lead continued to grow throughout the second and third quarters. It was 30-16 at the half and a late 11-0 run late in the third made it 48-23.
 
The Falcons opened the fourth with 11 unanswered, extending the difference to 33 points (59-26) with seven minutes still on the clock. That stretch included seven from sophomore guard Niya Morgen (Swampscott/St. Mary's HS), Bentley's number two scorer with 14 off the bench.
 
Elie matched her season-high with nine points off the bench, and junior guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy) finished with eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and no turnovers. Senior forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) was the game's top rebounder with seven, one more than Whitmore collected.
 
Junior forward Ciara Collins (Bristol, Conn.) led Pace with 14 points on six-of-nine shooting.
 
Among the many statistics that coach C White's team had the advantage were field goal percentage (.453-.358), free throws made (12-3), rebounds (34-27), assists (15-10), turnovers (11-18), points in the paint (38-16), bench points (34-16) and second chance points (11-5).
 
Bentley's three-game homestand will continue Saturday with Assumption University providing the opposition (1:30 pm).