ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose shot a season-high 52.7 percent (29-for-55) from the floor and held 13th ranked Bentley to nearly 15 points below its league-leading scoring average to chalk up a 70-60 Northeast-10 Conference victory tonight at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights (14-4/10-4 NE-10) led wire-to-wire in what amounted to their fourth straight win, and sixth victory throughout their last eight games. They thus moved into a tie with Pace University for fourth place in the conference standings. The Falcons (15-3/12-2 NE-10) on the other hand lost for only the second time in 17 games and had their hold on first place shrink to one game over Assumption and Franklin Pierce.

Junior guard Ola Shajuyigbe scored seven of the Golden Knights final nine points during the last five minutes to secure the victory. She wound up with 21 points, on 9-for-13 shooting, to go along with three assists and a pair of steals. Junior forward Ali Johnson also had a big night. Johnson wound up with 19 points, behind a 9-for-14 shooting effort, in addition to six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Junior guard Ashley Rath tossed in 16 points.

Saint Rose walked into the locker room up 36-28 at the break. The Golden Knights subsequently massaged their lead between seven and 11 points throughout the opening eight minutes of the second half until Bentley senior guard Kim Brennan drained a 3-pointer to make it a six point ballgame, 48-42, with 12-minutes remaining.

Shajuyigbe however answered with a jumper at the other end to boost the Saint Roe margin back to seven. The two clubs traded baskets during the next four minutes until another trey by Brennan got Bentley to within six, 59-53, with 6:07 showing on the clock.

A minute later, Johnson finished in the paint and Shajuyigbe converted her own steal on Bentley's ensuing possession to make it a 10 point, 63-53, affair. Shajuyigbe then made the biggest shot of the night by canning a 3-pointer near the end of the clock to put Saint Rose in the catbird seat via a 13 point cushion, 66-53, with 3:32 left.

The teams traded baskets the rest of the way with Johnson and Shajuyigbe finishing inside down the stretch, which allowed the Golden Knights to dribble the final 30 seconds off the clock.

Senior forward Amy Voelkel had her usual solid all-around game for Saint Rose. She finished with six points, 10 rebounds, a pair of blocks and three steals; while senior guard Lynsey Timbrouck had nine boards and her season average of eight assists to go with six points.

For Bentley, freshman forward Jacqui Brugliera recorded a “double-double” behind 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Brennan tossed in 17 to become only the ninth player in school annals to surpass the 1,500 point barrier.

Looking ahead, both teams have 1:30 pm conference games scheduled for Saturday. The Golden Knights have a meeting at Stonehill, while the Falcons have a home date with Pace University.

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