WALTHAM, Mass. -- Senior forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) scored a career-high 25 points and also filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block as top-seeded Bentley University advanced in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Regional with a 65-39 win over eighth-seeded University of New Haven, 65-39, Friday night on the Dana Center's Barbara Stevens Court. 
 
The Falcons, who are the third-ranked team in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II coaches poll, extended their winning streak to 27 games and advanced to Saturday's regional semifinal against fourth-seeded Saint Anselm College, a 59-41 winner against Southern Connecticut State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
 
After the Chargers (17-11) scored the game's opening bucket, Bentley ran off the next  seven to take a lead it would maintain for the rest of the night. DuCharme, after a steal, tied the game on a fast break lay-up. Senior guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) buried a triple from the right wing and graduate forward Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) scored on a fast break.
 
That 7-0 run grew to 16-2 and the Falcons went into the quarter break up a dozen, 16-4. DuCharme had 16 points and a couple steals in the stanza, and junior guard Cassidy Yeomans (Marion/Tabor Academy) added five.
 
The offense of both teams stuttered in the second with both Bentley and New Haven scoring ten, keeping the difference at 12.
 
The visitors closed to within nine a couple times in the third and it was an 11-point spread with four minutes left in the quarter. At that point, DuCharme led a 10-0 burst that produced a 21-point advantage, 45-24, late in the third. Six of the ten came at the foul line, twice as many as New Haven made the entire game, and six were scored by DuCharme.
 
Bentley won going away with a 16-4 run over the final five minutes. Whitmore scored the first eight with a mid-range jumper, a three-pointer and a traditional three-point play. 
 
DuCharme was joined in doubles by Whitmore and Yeomans, with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Whitmore scored eight in the fourth on 3-of-3 shooting and sank four of her last six shots. She also provided five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
 
Yeomans, who played more than 34 minutes of turnover-free basketball at the point, also pitched in with six assists and three steals. Kabantu was also a force with eight points and nine rebounds.
 
New Haven featured graduate center Paige Cote (Sanford, Maine), with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting. The rest of her teammates were just nine of 40 from the field.
 
Bentley had the shooting advantage (40-27 percent), an 8-6 edge in three-pointers made eight more free throws, 11-3. Rebounds (44-31), points off turnovers (15-10), paint points (24-12), second chance points (12-7) and fast break points (17-5) also favored the Falcons as they won their record 67^th NCAA tournament game all-time.
 
The Falcons and the Hawks played two nailbiters during the regular season with Bentley winning both, 60-58 and 50-45.
 
In Saturday's other semifinal game, which will tip at 5 pm, second-seeded Daemen and third-seeded Holy Family will square off. Daemen, the reigning regional champion, pulled away for a 70-48 win over Jefferson, and Holy Family opened the day with a 67-53 win over Assumption.
 
The regional championship game will be Monday at 7 pm.