WALTHAM, Mass. – The top two teams in the Northeast 10 go head-to-head when the No. 18 Bentley women's basketball team travels to New Haven to take Southern Connecticut Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1:30 p.m.
 
First place on the line
Bentley stands alone atop the NE10 with a 10-0 conference record (14-2 overall). Southern Connecticut is 9-1 in the NE10 (14-4 overall), with its lone conference loss coming against Bentley (Jan. 4). In the previous meeting between these two teams, Bentley won by a score of 75-62 in Waltham. Niya Morgen scored 17 points, while Cassidy Yeomans and Kayana Armbrister both added 13. Cherish Bryant scored 14 points off the bench.
 
Movin' on up
Bentley is ranked No. 18 in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) national poll. It's the Falcons' highest ranking since they were No. 18 the week of Dec. 15.
 
Captain Morgen
Junior captain Niya Morgen is Bentley's leading scorer, as her scoring average of 15.0 points per game ranks sixth in the NE10. Morgen has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games. She his shooting 42.3-percent (22-for-52) from 3-point range during that stretch. Overall for the season, Morgen ranks fourth in the NE10 for 3-point shooting (39.4-percent), and she ranks ninth in field-goal percentage (46.0-percent).
 
On the mark
Bentley's 45.2 field-goal percentage leads the NE10, as no other team is shooting so much as 42.0-percent. In addition to Morgen's prowess, Julia Elie's 49.6 field-goal percentage ranks fifth in the NE10, and Kayana Armbrister ranks sixth that 49.1-percent. Freshman Cherish Bryant is shooting 48.1-percent from the floor, which ranks eighth in the conference.
 
They say defense wins championships
Bentley's scoring defense (54.6) is tied with Adelphi for the NE10. That defensive mark also ranks 16^th in NCAA DII.
 
Ten and oh so good
Bentley's 10-0 start to the NE10 schedule is the program's best conference start since the 2013-14 season – Bentley's undefeated, NCAA DII Championship winning season.
 
Scouting Southern Connecticut (14-4, 9-1 NE10)
The Owls have the conference's highest scoring offense (69.4), while Rheyna Steinauer's 15.2 points per game ranks fourth in the NE10. Tisharona Blackwood is the conference's second-leading rebounder (8.6), and Jillian Martin ranks second in assists per game (4.7). SCSU has won eight consecutive games since its loss to Bentley (Jan. 4). Five of those eight wins were decided by double digits, and three were decided by 20+ points.