Waltham, Mass. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team hit the road on Sunday afternoon for a non-conference affair with the ninth-ranked team in the preseason WBCA Division II coaches poll, Bentley University. Leading throughout much of the contest, the host Falcons took a 76-54 decision from the Spartans on Barbara Stevens Court.

STAC slips to 1-2 on the season, while Bentley remains perfect on the year, improving to 4-0.

Syrita Faraj recorded an 11-point effort for the maroon and gold, while teammates Bailey Chapman, Abby Jacoby and Delaney Finnegan each contributed eight points apiece to the Spartans totals.

STAC shot 30.4 percent from the field (17-56), while Bentley shot 50.9 percent (29-57) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eight Spartans logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Syrita Faraj also led the maroon and gold with three assists on the afternoon.
• Karolina Jaruseviciute made 3 of her 5 field goal attempts. Abby Jacoby went 3-of-6 from the field, with two shots going in from long distance.
• Bentley out-rebounded STAC by a 45-29 margin, with Syrita Faraj grabbing a game-high nine boards for the Spartans.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up five steals, with the Falcons turning the ball over on 13 separate occasions.
• The game featured two ties and one lead change.
• STAC's largest lead of the game came in the first minute of Sunday's matchup, when Spartans led by four points, 4-0, on a Syrita Faraj layup.
• STAC trailed Bentley at the half, 43-30.
• Karolina Jaruseviciute paced the Spartans offense in the first half with six points on 100.0 percent shooting (3-for-3).

BENTLEY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven Falcons logged double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Maggie Whitmore led all scorers with 14 points for Bentley, while teammates Niya Morgen (13 points), Kylie DuCharme (12 points) and Amanda Kabantu (11 points) also scored in double digits.
• Cassidy Yeomans led Bentley with seven assists on the day.
• Whitmore went 6-for-11 from the floor and 2-of-4 from three, with Morgen hitting 5 of her 8 field goal attempts and three sailing through the nets from beyond the arc.
• Kylie DuCharme and Amanda Kabantu each grabbed a team-high seven boards apiece for the Falcons.
• Bentley picked up eight steals, with the Spartans turning the ball over on 13 separate occasions.
• The Falcons earned advantages in four team statistical categories over St. Thomas Aquinas: Second Chance Points (13-2), Points in the Paint (40-16), Fastbreak Points (8-2) and Bench Points (25-22).
• Bentley had its largest lead of the game (25 points) with just under 90 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, 76-51, on a Ciara Norman free throw.
• Maggie Whitmore led all scorers at the half with 10 points on 4-of-8 (50.0 percent) shooting from the field and 2-of-3 (67.0 percent) shooting from three-point.
• Bentley's best shooting quarter came in the second stanza, with the Falcons shooting 76.9 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT:

STAC returns home, hosting Holy Family University on Wednesday, November 20. Tip-off between the Spartans and Tigers is set for 7:00 p.m at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium in Sparkill.