MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS) poured in 26 points, including 17 in the second half, and four teammates joined him in doubles as Bentley University won for the fifth time in six games, 82-74 over Southern New Hampshire in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball Thursday night at the Stan Spirou Field House.
 
Bentley snapped the six-game winning streak of the Penmen while also handing SNHU its first home loss of the season. The Falcons improved to 6-5 overall, SNHU dropped to 7-4 and both teams left the court 3-2 in conference play.
 
There were numerous runs by both teams, eight ties and ten lead changes, the last coming with 6:49 remaining on a traditional three-point play by McClure.
 
That put the visitors up 60-58 and launched an 11-2 surge that resulted in a 68-60 Falcon advantage.  Graduate point guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) followed with two free throws, junior forward Cooper Farrall (Valparaiso, Ind./Culver Academies) converted a three-point play and junior forward Joe Carroll (Cedar Grove, N.J./Don Bosco HS) drained the fourth of his five three-pointers.
 
The two teams essentially traded baskets the rest of the way with the Falcon lead ranging from five to nine points. SNHU attempted three from distance in the final 30 seconds, but all were off the mark.
 
Until the final seven minutes, it was a streaky game. The first half, which ended with Bentley down 38-33, saw SNHU use runs of 10-4 at the start and 17-5.
 
In between, the Falcons had a 15-3 spurt that resulted in a 22-15 advantage just past the midpoint of the half. That surge included four points from junior forward Chase Clarke (Bloomington, N.J./Newark Academy) and three-pointers from McClure and Farrall.
 
After SNHU ran off six straight early in the second to go up 45-39, Bentley responded with a 16-4 run to reverse the six-point differential, 55-49. There were six points from McClure, four from Clarke and triples from Latham and Carroll.
 
The Penmen countered with a 9-2 burst to take their final lead of the night at 58-57.
 
McClure (9/17 FG, 3/8 3's, 5/8 FT) complemented his 26 points with eight rebounds and three assists. Carroll was next on the scoring list with 17 as his six-of-nine shooting effort included five-of-seven from deep.
 
Latham finished with 14 points and five assists, and both Farrall and Clarke had ten. Both came close to double-doubles with Clarke collecting nine rebounds and Farrall eight.
 
Southern New Hampshire featured junior guard Ray Daniels (Las Vegas, Nev.) and senior forward Paul Greene (Freeport, Bahamas). Daniels scored 26 before fouling out and Greene finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
 
Bentley shot 47 percent overall, limited the home team to 37 percent and finished with a 41-34 rebound advantage. Both teams connected 12 times from downtown and, and the Falcons withstood 14 turnovers, eight more than the Penmen.
 
The Falcons will play their next two at home, beginning cSunday against New Haven.