WALTHAM, Mass. – Two teams that were 7-1 during the month of February will square off Sunday afternoon when third-seeded Bentley University hosts number six Southern Connecticut State in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Championships.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm and the game will be streamed live via NE10 NOW on FloCollege.
 
Bentley, which finished in a four-way tie for second in the conference, swept the Owls during the regular season but the two games couldn't have been any closer. The Falcons prevailed in overtime on Dec. 7 in New Haven, 90-89, and won at the buzzer at home on Jan. 25, 70-68.
 
In the first meeting, a game-tying putback by sophomore forward Cooper Farrall (Valparaiso, Ind./Culver Academies) with two seconds left forced OT and graduate guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) broke a deadlock with a free throw with :05 remaining in the extra session.
 
The rematch ended on a tie-breaking turn-around 13-footer by Latham as time expired. The Falcons closed with a 25-8 run that erased a 15-point deficit with 9:05 left.
 
Close games were prevalent for coach Jay Lawson's Falcons, who have a 10-3 record since Jan. 8. During the 17-9 season, they played nine games that were decided by one possession or in overtime.
 
Southern Connecticut, which advanced to the quarters with an 85-76 first-round win over 11^th-seeded Franklin Pierce Friday night, will come into the Dana Center at 17-10. The Owls, who started the season at 5-7, are 12-3 since Jan. 8.
 
As mentioned, both teams have lost only three times since Jan. 8, and all six have been close. The Bentley losses were by two, six in overtime and by three, and the Owl losses were by two, four and five losses, all coming on the road.
 
This is the second straight year that Bentley and Southern Connecticut are meeting in the NE10 quarters. Last season, the Owls ended the Falcons season, 88-78, in another 3-6 matchup. The Falcons have three starters back from that team and Southern has only one.
 
Both teams have four players owning double-figure scoring averages this season.
 
Junior guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS) and Farrall are both among the conference leaders in scoring, rebounds and field goal percentage. McClure averages 16.8 points and 7.0 rebounds, and Farrall's averages are similar, 16.5 and 8.0.
 
Latham, number two in Division II in minutes played, averages 11.9 points and leads Bentley in assists (110) and steals (31). Forwards Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.), the Falcons' top scorer against Southern this season, and Chase Clarke (Bloomfield, N.J./Newark Academy) are also scoring threats, with averages of 10.7 and 8.3 points, respectively.
 
All five Falcon starters are threats from three with Misic leading the way with 51 long balls and a .443 accuracy rate from deep.
 
Southern, coached by former NBA champion Scott Burrell, features the highest scoring duo in the NE10, transfer guard Albert Vargas and six-six  Antonio Chandler.
 
Vargas, in his first season as an Owl, averages 17.2 points and 5.7 assists. Chandler (17.1 ppg) leads the conference in field goal percentage (.632) and is second in rebounds (11.1).
 
Bentley and Southern are two of the top three scoring teams in the conference with the Owls at 80.2 and the Falcons 79.4. They are also the only two teams in the NE10 making at least 10 three-pointers a game with SCSU at 10.5 and Bentley an even 10.0.
 
The Falcons have made at least eight treys in 11 straight games, including 13 or more in four straight games from Feb. 11-22. Southern struggled from deep in the Franklin Pierce game, just 8 of 33, but were 39 of 93 in the previous three.
 
Defensively, Bentley is fifth in the NE10 at 73.3 and Southern is seventh (74.0).
 
Bentley leads the all-time series, 32-14, including 7-2 in the last nine. Sunday will be just the second time the two programs will meet in a postseason contest.
 
In the other quarterfinal games, regular season champion Adelphi is hosting Saint Michael's, Pace is at Assumption and in an all-Manchester matchup, Southern New Hampshire is home against Saint Anselm.
 
The Bentley-Southern winner will be paired with the Saint Anselm/SNHU victor in Wednesday's semifinals. The championship game will be Saturday afternoon.
 
NORTHEAST-10 MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
First Round – Friday, February 28
Game 1: #9 Saint Michael's 66, #8 New Haven 58
Game 2: #7 Saint Anselm 84, #10 American International 53
Game 3: #6 Southern Connecticut 85, #11 Franklin Pierce
 
Quarterfinals – Sunday, March 2
Game 4: #9 Saint Michael's at #1 Adelphi – 1:30 PM
Game 5: #7 Saint Anselm  at #2 Southern N.H. – 4:00 PM
Game 6: #6 Southern Connecticut at #3 Bentley – 3:30 PM
Game 7: #5 Pace at #4 Assumption – 3:00 PM
 
Semifinals – Wednesday, March 5 (at highest remaining seeds)
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 7 winner (at highest remaining seed)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (at highest remaining seed)
 
Championship – Saturday, March 8 (at highest remaining seed)