WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) scored a game-high 19 points as Bentley University recorded a 75-54 victory at St. Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball Saturday afternoon at the Ross Sports Center.

Bentley, which maintained the lead for all but the first 78 seconds, improved to 12-5 overall and 10-3 NE10. The Falcons, ranked 20^th in this week's D2SIDA media poll, remained a half-game in front of Southern New Hampshire in the NE10 Northeast Division standings.

After St. Michael's sophomore guard Paige Slavin (Fair Haven, N.J.) buried a three to open the scoring, Thompson countered with the game's next five, giving Bentley a lead it would maintain for the game's final 38:42. She buried the first of her three triples from the right wing and followed with a mid-range jumper.

That fueled a 10-0 run that included three points from freshman guard Amanda Kabantu (Portland, Maine/Portland HS) and two free throws from graduate forward Autumn Ceppi (Bedford, Mass./Dana Hall School).

The second period, which began with the Falcons up 16-11, followed a similar pattern at the start. After St. Michael's hit a three to draw within two, Bentley responded with a 14-4 burst to make it 30-18 with three-minutes left in the half. That run included three-pointers from both Thompson and Kabantu.

Bentley, in front 36-24 at the half, dominated the third stanza, outscoring the Purple Knights (3-14, 1-10 NE10) 27-13 to take a 63-37 lead into the fourth. Eight different Falcons scored in the quarter with Thompson heading the list with five.

Thompson, the 2020 Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year, also had six rebounds, two steals and two assists in 29 turnover-free minutes. She made 7 of 15 shots overall and 3 of 7 from deep. Ceppi's afternoon included 14 points, five rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists.

Bentley also received eight points apiece from sophomore guards Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) and Janessa Gonzalez (Meriden, Conn./St. Paul Catholic HS). Whitmore also had four steals and Gonzalez delivered four assists. Freshman forward Kylie DuCharme (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington HS) was the game's top rebounder with nine, one more than Whitmore.

The only double figure scorer for St. Michael's was sophomore forward Makayla Blake (Colonie, N.Y.) with 11 on five-of-seven shooting.

Both teams shot about 41 percent and each sank six treys. The difference was 18 more field goal attempts for the visitors, due in large part to the Falcons' 15 steals and 15 offensive rebounds. St. Michael's turned the ball over 20 times, resulting in 23 points, while Bentley has only eight.

The two teams meet again Thursday night, with that one being played at the Dana Center.