Buzzer-Beater
 
WALTHAM, Mass. – For the second time in 15 days, it was a walk-off win for the Bentley University men's basketball team.
 
Finishing a perfectly-executed play, junior guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS) beat the buzzer with a three from the left wing to turn a two-point deficit into a 69-68 victory over Assumption University in Northeast-10 Conference action Saturday afternoon on the Dana Center's Barbara Stevens Court.
 
Just two weeks earlier, it was graduate guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS), whose turnaround 13-footer, on the same side of the same court, produced a walk-off victory over Southern Connecticut State by a nearly identical score, 70-68.
 
It was the third straight win for coach Jay Lawson's squad, as well as their seventh in the last nine games. Bentley, which won its fourth one-possession game of the season, improved to 13-8 overall and 10-5 in the conference, good for sole possession of fourth in the NE10. The Falcons are tied for third in the loss column with Assumption (16-7, 11-5) after sweeping the season series with the Greyhounds
 
The visitors broke a 66-all deadlock with 2.1 seconds remaining on a turn-around jumper from about 12 feet by freshman guard Noah Payne (Voorhees, N.J.). After timeouts by both teams, Bentley sophomore forward Cooper Farrall (Valparaiso, Ind./Culver Academies) fired an inbound pass to graduate forward Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.) near the Falcon bench, about 12 feet beyond midcourt. Time was immediately called, giving Lawson 1.8 to work with.
 
Graduate point guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) sent the ball crosscourt, just outside of the block to Farrall, who quickly redirected it to McClure, who was a couple feet back of the line on the left wing. He let it go and the clock hit triple zeroes just before the ball dropped through the net.
 
The trio of Farrall, McClure and Latham combined for 43 points with Farrall finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. McClure's game-winner gave him 15 and Latham provided 10 points, two assists and two rebounds
 
With a 24-5 run, Bentley went up 31-16 with 4:32 left in the first half. Farrall had ten of his 16 first-half points during that span and McClure added five.
 
The 15-point advantage was gone by the 13-minute mark of the second half and Assumption sent up seven with 11:31 remaining following a dozen straight points.
 
A McClure three from nearly the same location as his game-winner brought Bentley to within one, 62-61, with just over four to play. Junior forward Chase Clarke (Bloomfield, N.J./Newark Academy) rebounded a Hound miss from deep and Falcon freshman Mantas Zilys (Naperville, Ill./Vermont Academy) made one of two at the line to even the game at 62 with 2:53 on the block.
 
Assumption went back up two three times in the final two-plus minutes: 64-62 with 2:08 left, 66-64 with 1:31 and the aforementioned 68-66. Each time Bentley responded with a Clarke lay-up by 1:43, two Latham free throws at 1:21 and the McClure game-winner.
 
Clarke added a double-double off the bench with 12 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.
 
Assumption's top scorer was graduate guard Njavan Stewart (Newton) with 17 points.
 
Both teams shot .379 overall and made eight three-pointers. Bentley had the rebound edge, 43-27, and the advantage at the charity stripe, 43-38. Assumption took better care of the ball (7 turnovers to the Falcons' 13) and scored 18 off turns.
 
Bentley will wrap up its three-game homestand Tuesday night at 7 pm. That night, they'll pay tribute to the Secret Game, played in North Carolina in 1944, with their "This Game is no Secret Night".