BOX SCORE
WALTHAM, Mass. - Lew Finnegan totaled 25 points to lead
No. 19 Bentley University to a 72-65 win over Southern New
Hampshire University in Northeast-10 men's basketball Tuesday night
at the Dana Center. The Falcons, who avenged an 85-77 loss to
the Penmen earlier this season, won their 12th in a row
to improve to 21-4 and 15-3 in the NE-10, while SNHU now stands at
12-11 overall and 8-10 in the league.
Finnegan finished 9-14 from the
floor. Jason Westrol added 20 points and eight rebounds for
Bentley, which also got eight points apiece from Mike Quinn and
Brian Tracey.
Troy Bowen (Nashua, NH)
led Southern New Hampshire with 17 points, connecting on all five
of his three-point attempts on the evening. Stephen Wood (South
Jamaica Queens, NY) totaled 11 points, seven rebounds and four
assists, while Tory Stapleton
(Rahway, NJ) reached double figures for the 14th
straight game with 10 points.
The Penmen, who held a 38-35 lead
at halftime, extended their lead to eight at the 10:15 mark of the
second half when a layup by Cory Vejraska
(Alachua, FL) made it 52-44. The Falcons used a 7-0 spurt to
cut the lead to one with just under seven minutes to play on a
layup by Tracey, then another 7-0 burst gave Bentley a 58-54 lead
with 5:02 left on Westrol's layup.
A layup by Stapleton at the 2:32
mark cut Bentley's lead to one, 61-60. The Falcons turned the
ball over on their next trip, but a three by Vejraska to reclaim
the lead was off the mark. Finnegan responded by draining a
three with 1:14 left to make it a 64-60 game, and after the Penmen
came up empty on their next possession, the Falcons sealed the win
by going 10-10 at the free throw line over the final 51 seconds.
The two teams traded the lead five
times in the first 10 minutes, and Bentley took its largest lead of
the first half, 26-20, with just over eight minutes before halftime
on a Westrol basket. The Penmen used six unanswered points
capped by a three by Lucas Croteau
(Rochester, NH) with 4:01 left to take a 30-29 lead, but Westrol
scored on Bentley's next trip to retake the lead for his
team. A layup by Wood at the 2:10 mark gave the Penmen the
lead for good in the first half as it led 38-35 at the break.
Southern New Hampshire was 11-23
(47.8%) from three-point land while limiting the Falcons to an 8-29
effort behind the arc, but Bentley committed just eight turnovers
as opposed to SNHU's 14, leading to a 18-4 Bentley advantage in
points off turnovers. The Falcons were 16-22 at the free
throw line while the Penmen were 12-14, and SNHU outrebounded
Bentley 33-32.
SNHU returns to action Saturday
when it hosts American International College in a 3:30 contest at
the SNHU Fieldhouse.
NOTES: Bowen heads
into Saturday's game against AIC needing 21 points to reach the
1,000 mark for his career.
