NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A game-tying putback by sophomore forward Cooper Farrall (Valparaiso, Ind./Culver Academies) and a tiebreaking free throw from graduate guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) with five seconds to play in overtime helped Bentley University win its third straight, 90-89, over Southern Connecticut State Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball at the Moore Fieldhouse.
               
Junior guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS), the reigning NE10 Player of the Week, led the visiting Falcons with 25 points and Farrall followed with 19.
               
Bentley squared its records at .500, 4-4 overall and 2-2 conference. Southern slipped to 3-4 overall, including 2-3 NE10.
               
The Falcons started OT with a 6-3 spurt on a jumper by McClure, two Latham free throws and a lay-up from graduate forward Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.). After McClure made one of two from the line with 1:45 on the click, Southern junior forward Cherif Diarra (Queens, N.Y.) tied the game at 89 with 1:23 to play.
                 
It stayed that way until Latham stepped to the stripe with five seconds left. He nailed the first and missed the second with the rebound going to the Owls. Senior guard Sean James (West Hartford, Conn.) had a chance for a game-winner, but his long three was off the mark and the Falcons survived, despite a dozen misses from the line.
               
A streaky game throughout, Southern ran off six straight to take a 77-75 lead with 2:02 left. After both teams hit two free throws, leaving Bentley down one, Farrall drained a three-ball from the right wing, putting the Falcons up 80-79 with 1:15 on the clock.
               
Southern junior guard Albert Vargas (New York, N.Y.) hit one of two from the stripe, came up with a steal and took it in for a lay-up, putting the Owls back in front, 82-80 with 17 seconds to play.
               
McClure missed a potential game-tying lay-up, Farrall followed with the successful putback with :02 left, and a potential game-tying three was off the mark by the Owls.
               
Bentley took a 39-37 lead into the halftime break after trailing by as many as ten early. The comeback included runs of 14-4 to forge a 21-all tie and 15-5 to give the visiting Falcons a five-point advantage in the final minute.
               
The initial spurt included six points from and four from McClure. The latter surge featured six points from junior forward Chase Clarke (Bloomfield, N.J./Newark Academy) and four more from McClure.
               
The Falcons led most of the second half but fell behind 67-65 with 7:02 left. Coach Jay Lawson's team answered by scoring the next seven to go up five, but failed to convert four free throws during that stretch that would have extended the advantage.
               
McClure, 9 of 15 overall, also had ten rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Farrall made 8 of 12 from the field and also provided seven boards. Also in doubles were Misic with 14, Clarke with 11 and Latham with 10.
               
Vargas led all scorers with 32 points before fouling out in overtime.
               
Bentley outshot the Owls 52-47 percent but saw Southern make more threes, 11-6. Both teams struggled at the foul line, with the Falcons missing as many as SCSU took. Bentley was 18 of 30 and Southern (27 fouls) finished 6 of 12.
               
The Falcons were outrebounded 35-32 but turned eight offensive boards into 17 points.
               
Bentley's next game is also on the road, Dec. 18 against Felician.