AMHERST, N.Y. – It was a tale of two halves for the Bentley men's basketball in its NCAA East Regional first round game against Saint Michael's Saturday night. The #3 Falcons had a significant lead at halftime, but they ultimately lost to the #5 Purple Knights, 87-80. Top-seeded Daemen hosted the game.

The Falcons (19-10) had a strong finish to the first half to take a 49-33 lead into the break. Bentley's lead was 36-29 with five minutes left before halftime, but it closed out the period with a 13-4 run. Mantas Zilys accounted for seven points during that stretch.

Through the first 20 minutes of the game, Bentley shot 63.6-percent from the floor.

Bentley's lead reached 21 points, 54-33, early in the second half after Chase Clarke made a jumper and Cash McClure hit a 3-pointer. For the next five minutes, however, the Falcons didn't score from the floor – and the Purple Knights couldn't miss. Saint Michael's hit a 3-pointer that cut its deficit to 56-53 with 12:50 on the clock.

Saint Michael's overtook Bentley, 68-67, with just under seven minutes left in regulation. The Falcons were unable to so much as even the score for the rest of the game.

McClure led all players in scoring with 27 points, as the senior played all 40 minutes. Clarke finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Zilys scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench.

Bentley's 2025-26 season comes to a close after making the program's 21^st NCAA Championship appearance.