WALTHAM, Mass. – The No. 24 Bentley women's basketball team sits atop the Northeast 10 standings when it travels to Pace for a conference game Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 5:30 p.m.
 
NE10 landscape
With a 7-0 NE10 record (11-2 overall), the Falcons are in first place in the conference. Southern Connecticut is just one game behind Bentley with a 6-1 NE10 record. Saint Michael's (4-3 NE10) is the only other team over .500 in conference action. Assumption and American International are both 4-4 in the NE10.
 
Uniquely efficient
Bentley is tied with Southern Connecticut as the highest scoring team in the NE10, as both are averaging 70.5 points per game. However, the Falcons are shooting 46.4-percent as a team from the floor. No other conference team is shooting so much as 42.0-percent.
 
Good looks
Four Falcons rank among the conference's top 10 for field-goal percentage. Julia Elie (50.6-percent) is third, Cherish Bryant (50.0-percent) is sixth, Niya Morgen (49.3-percent) is seventh, and Kayana Armbrister (48.6-percent) is eighth.  
 
Bryant's ascension
Freshman Cherish Bryant has scored at least eight points in five consecutive games. That run includes a season-high 14 points against Southern Connecticut (Jan. 4), and 13 points against Assumption (Jan. 17). Bryant has a 52.3 field-goal percentage through her past five games.
 
Armbrister flips with calendar
Junior transfer Kayana Armbrister has been a whole new player since the calendar flipped to 2026. Through six games this new year, she is averaging 15.8 points and 7.7 rebounds. In her seven games in 2025, Armbrister averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds.
 
First-career double-double
Senior Mikela Cooper notched her first-career double-double during last week's win over American International (Jan. 14). She had 10 points and a career-high 10 boards.
 
Scouting Pace (6-10, 2-5 NE10)
The Setters enter Wednesday's game with three losses in their last four games. Paces' most recent win was at Adelphi, 62-51 (Jan. 13). The Setter's scoring offense (56.0) is second-to-last in the NE10, and they rank last in rebounds per game (32.1). Ciara Collins is the conference's third-leading scorer (16.4). She and Anisa Akinola are tied for the team lead in rebounding (6.6).