Box Score

Senior G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.) scored 27 points but it wasn't enough as No. 2 Bentley defeated UMass Lowell, 76-68, Wednesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball game at the Costello Athletic Center.

With the loss, UMass Lowell slipped to 1-1 entering next Tuesday's home clash against Saint Michael's (5:30).
The Falcons improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Conference and host Merrimack Tuesday (5:30).

Simmons converted 10 of 19 field goal attempts, 3 of 7 treys and 4 of 5 free throws while grabbing nine rebounds. Junior G Danielle DePierro (Tewksbury, Mass.) added 14 points (4-9 from 3-point range) and three assists while senior G Brianna Calver (Shelby, Ohio) came off the bench to score 14 points on 4-5 shooting from long range.

Senior G Courtney Finn led Bentley with 17 points and nine rebounds while senior F Lauren Battista added 13 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Junior F Jacqui Brugliera chipped in 12 points while hitting 8 of 10 free throws.

The Falcons built a sizeable advantage from the free throw line (23-8) and also grabbed 22 offensive rebounds to UMass Lowell's nine, enabling for a 16-5 edge on second chances. The advantages offset UMass Lowell's 36-15 edge from the 3-point line.

With the score tied 48-48, Bentley embarked on a 12-0 run to grab a 60-48 cushion with 9:07 to play. Battista scored four points in the run while junior F Tyler Parker Kimball also added four points.

UMass Lowell clawed back, however, and used an 11-3 spurt to cut the deficit to 63-59 behind a pair of treys from Simmons and one from Calver. Leading 70-66 with 58 seconds left, however, Bentley converted 6 of 8 free throws the rest of the way to seal the win.