BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – Senior guard Ella Thompson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS) scored 16 points, including six in the fourth quarter, and junior guard Maggie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) had a double-double as the Bentley University women's basketball led throughout for a 64-53 win over Caldwell University Saturday afternoon at the Bloomfield College Gym.

Bentley, ranked 13^th in the WBCA Division II coaches poll, completed the Caldwell Conference Challenge with a 2-0 record and never trailed in the tournament. Due to court conditions at Caldwell, this game was moved to Bloomfield.

It looked like the Falcons were going to cruise to the victory after scoring the game's first 15 points and keeping the Cougars off the scoreboard until two free throws with 2:50 left in the opening stanza. Five different Falcons scored during the fast start, including senior post Bri Gillen (Lakeville, Mass./Bishop Feehan HS) who had five.

Caldwell (0-1, got back in the game with ten straight points making it a 21-19 game midway through the second quarter. That burst included three-pointers by senior guard Casey O'Shaughnessy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman Lucy Coogan (Kilkenny, Ireland).

A 9-2 Falcon start to the third quarter extended the six-point halftime advantage to 13, 42-29. Graduate guard Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wisc./Appleton North HS) was involved with a lay-up and a three-pointer.

Caldwell wasn't done, drawing within three late in the third before entering the quarter break down six, 51-45. It stayed that way for nearly three minutes, until a Thompson jumper with 7:04 remaining. After a Caldwell free throw, freshman forward Ciara Norman (Roebling, N.J./Life Center Academy) followed with a Whitmore-assisted lay-up and Bentley was up nine, 55-46, with just under six to play.

Caldwell had one more burst left and was within four, 57-53, when O'Shaughnessy (27 points) hit her third three with 2:52 to play.

Baskets by Brekke and Thompson restored the advantage to eight, and three points by Whitmore (a free throw and a lay-up) locked up the outcome.

Thompson, 7 of 13 from the field, collected five rebounds in addition to leading Bentley in scoring. Brekke, who drained three treys, followed with 13 and Whitmore had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Also in doubles was Gillen, who had seven rebounds in addition to 10 points.  

Neither team shot well (Bentley .377, Caldwell .339) and each turned it over 15 times. Rebounds (45-36) and second-chance points (9-4) both favored the Falcons.

Bentley will open its Northeast-10 schedule Wednesday at Saint Anselm.