Syracuse, N.Y. – Top-ranked Bentley University used a 26-6 run over the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half en route to recording a 79-56 win over the Le Moyne College women's basketball team on Wednesday night in Northeast-10 Conference action at Ted Grant Court.

Junior guard Alex Marple (Covington, Pa./Wellsboro) led the Dolphins in the setback with 13 points, all of which came in the first half, while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds and a career best-tying three steals.

Jacqui Brugliera led four Falcons in double-digits scoring with 17 points, 11 of which came after halftime. Courtney Finn and Kelsey Mattice (Cicero-North Syracuse) each tallied 15 points, while Finn pulled down a game and career-high 16 rebounds. Lauren Battista, the Women's Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year, scored 14 points (10 in the second half) and grabbed eight rebounds.

The teams went back and forth over the opening 14 minutes of the game, with the score being tied five times and the lead changing sides on eight times. Bentley had the largest lead of the span, four points, on three occasions, but the Dolphins answered each time to tie the score. Marple scored 11 of Le Moyne's first 22 points, while Brugliera and Mattice each had six of Bentley's first 20 in the opening 14 minutes.

After Marple scored four straight points in 11 seconds to give the Dolphins a 22-20 lead with 6:02 left in the half, the Falcons scored 11 straight points and 14 of the last 16 points in the first half to take a 34-24 lead into halftime. Finn ignited the run with a three-pointer to give Bentley the lead for good and added a lay-up and a free throw in the stretch, while Mattice made a three-pointer from the left wing, Christiana Bakolas had three points and Battista ended the half with a put-back jumper in the paint.

Bentley opened the second half with 12 of the first 16 points to extend its lead to 46-28 with 14:41 left to play. Mattice started the run with a three-pointer from the right wing, while Battista capped the stretch with a conventional three-point play.

The Dolphins answered with a 6-1 spurt to cut their deficit to 13 with 13:08 remaining. Freshman guard Ailayia Demand (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet), graduate student guard Kayla Stroman (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/Niagara) and junior guard Maddie Hahesy (Erie, Pa./McDowell) each had two of the points.

The Falcons countered with eight of the next 10 points to push their lead to 19 with 10:49 left. Mattice had a conventional three-point play to start the run, while three other Falcons tallied the other five points.

Le Moyne ran off 10 of the next 14 points over the next 2:21 to get within 13 again, but could not get any closer. Junior forward Tessa Pucello (Syracuse, N.Y./Solvay) nailed a three-pointer from each wing, while junior forward Bath-Sheba McMahon (Queens, N.Y./Grambling Laboratory (La.)/Weatherford College) and Stroman each had two points.

Bentley put the game away with a 16-2 run, including 12 straight on the front end, over the ensuing 6:15. Brugliera had seven of the points, while Finn had three and Bakolas, Chrystal Guarin and Battista each had two.

The Dolphins scored eight of the last 12 points over the final 1:53 to set the final margin. Senior guard Maddy McKnight (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) started the run by nailing a three-pointer off a feed from junior forward Emily Greer">Emily Greer (Corry, Pa./Corry), who closed out Le Moyne's scoring with two baskets and a free throw.

Le Moyne (8-5, 4-3 NE-10), which has dropped four of its last five games, including three losses to nationally-ranked opponents, returns to action on Saturday at Saint Michael's College at 1:30 p.m.