Strong Fourth Quarter Lifts UB Women's Basketball Over Number One Bentley, 64-60

Bridgeport, Conn.-The University of Bridgeport women's basketball team scored the final five points of the game and outscored the visiting Bentley University Falcons, 20-13, in the fourth quarter, as the host Purple Knights picked up a hard-fought, 64-60, victory.  Bentley entered play as the nation's top-ranked NCAA Division II women's basketball team in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll.  UB, winners of fourth straight contests, are now 4-1 overall.  With the loss, Bentley is now 5-2 in 2016-17.

Trailing 60-59 with 1:31 to play after Bentley's Macchi Smith made two free throws, Bridgeport's Camera Miley (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.), who finished with nine points and four assists on the day, would score the next two baskets of the game hitting lay-ups at the 1:16 mark to give the hosts a 61-60 lead which they never relinquished and another with only 21 seconds to play.

UB's Aurelie Leblanc-Florent (Longueuil, Quebec, Canada), who finished with a game-high 16 points, would then split two free throws with eight seconds to play to ice the win for the hosts.

Seniors Aaliyah Mercer (Bronx, N.Y.) and Evelyn Ovner (Vallentuna, Sweden), each netted 12 points for the winners, and Ovner finished a double-double grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds, plus Mercer dished out a game-best five assists.

Sophomore Samnell Vonleh (Swampscott, Mass.) set an early tone on defense in the paint for Bridgeport, as she finished with a total of six blocked shots, plus she added 10 points and six rebounds.

As a team, UB forced 20 Falcons' turnovers and limited Bentley to a field goal percentage of 31.9 % (21-of-66) for the game.

Up next, the UB women's basketball team will look to run its winning streak to five games when the Purple Knights open 2016-17 East Coast Conference play at NYIT on Wednesday night.  Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.