WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley men's basketball team aims to break away from the Northeast 10 pack when it tips off at American International Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
 
A tight race
Bentley (15-7, 8-5 NE10) is one of five teams tied for second place in the NE10. The pack also includes Adelphi (16-7, 8-5 NE10), Pace (13-8, 8-5 NE10), Saint Michael's (14-9, 8-5 NE10), and Assumption (13-9, 8-5 NE10). Saint Anselm (17-6, 10-3 NE10) sits atop the NE10 standings.
 
The nest is jacket-proof
Bentley beat the Yellow Jackets, 79-45, at home earlier this season (Jan. 14). Cash McClure put up 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists to one turnover. Cooper Farrall scored a team-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds. Ivan Misic scored 12 points, and Chase Clarke finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Mantas Zilys scored 14 points off the bench.
 
Flirting with a triple-double
Cash McClure nearly pulled off a triple-double in Bentley's win at Franklin Pierce (Feb. 7). He totaled 16 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. McClure ranks among the top 10 in the NE10 for each of those categories this season. He is the conference's sixth-leading scorer (15.9), ranks ninth in rebounding (7.0), and he is second in assists (4.2).
 
Piling on double-doubles
Cooper Farrall has nine double-doubles this season, the most recent of which was an 18-point, 12-rebound effort in Bentley's win over first-place Saint Anselm (Feb. 4). Farrall enters this week as the conference's fourth-leading scorer (16.6), and he ranks fifth in rebounding (8.6).
 
Home on the range
Nobody in the NE10 has better 3-point range than Mantas Zilys. He leads the NE10 with a 48.5 3-point percentage. No one else in the conference is shooting as well as 47.0-percent from distance.
 
Rarely give it away
Bentley is the best team in the NE10 at taking care of the ball, as the team averages only 10.4 turnovers per game. No other conference team averages fewer than 11 turnovers per game.
 
Scouting American International (5-18, 4-9 NE10)
The Yellow Jackets are 2-2 in their last four games. During that stretch, the wins came against Pace and Southern New Hampshire, while the losses were against Franklin Pierce and Assumption. AIC has the lowest scoring offense in the NE10 by averaging 60.8 points per game. The Yellow Jackers rank last in the NE10 for field-goal percentage (39.7-percent) and 3-point percentage (30.1-percent). Three players average double-digits in scoring: Coleman Hopson (11.4), Aguibou Balde (11.3), Tony Felder (11.0). Balde is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.3 boards per game.