WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) capped a game-ending 12-0 run by hitting two free throws with 2.4 seconds left as Franklin Pierce University, ranked 15th nationally in Division II, overcame an 11-point deficit with 3:20 left to edge Bentley University, 61-60, in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball Tuesday night at the Dana Center.

Franklin Pierce, which scored nearly half of its points during two major runs, improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the NE-10. The difficult loss dropped Bentley to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

Bentley sophomore guard JP Koury (Red Bank, N.J./CBA) led all scorers with 21 points while All-Conference honorees Ellis Cooper (Northampton) and Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) powered Franklin Pierce with 17 and 14 points, respectively.

After trailing by seven midway through the second (47-40), Bentley took charge of the game with a 20-2 explosion that produced a 60-49 lead with 3:50 remaining. Sophomore forward Andrew Shaw (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) got things started with a three-pointer, the first of five the Falcons hit over that stretch.

Back-to-back triples by junior guard Jasper Grassa (Lynn/Lynn Classical HS) and Shaw made it 52-47. Following two Guillaume free throws, Koury and Grassa connected from long distance to give the Falcons the biggest lead of the night.

As it turned out, Grassa's three-ball ended the scoring for the Falcons, who missed their final three field goal attempts and committed a pair of turnovers the rest of the way.

Franklin Pierce's comeback began with a Christian three with 3:11 left. Cooper  scored the next five points, a three-point play and a lay-up following a steal, and a tip-in by junior Adrianos Vourliotakis (Athens, Greece) with 1:35 left made it a one-point game, 60-59.

Bentley twice had an opportunity to stretch the lead in the final minute, but twice came up empty on the front end of a one-and-one. Christian grabbed an offensive rebound as the clock wound down, but was fouled when he went back up with it. The 83 percent foul shooter drained both to put his team back in front, and the Falcons settled for a desperation heave at the buzzer that fell well short.

The Falcons held the lead for much of the first half, but managed only one point in the first half, allowing Franklin Pierce to close with an 8-1 spurt to tie the game at 32. The Ravens continued the momentum in the second half, using a 9-2 start to go up seven, 41-34.

Bentley shot better (39-33 percent overall, 9-4 in threes), but had its problems at the line, misfiring on six of 13. In contrast, Franklin Pierce connected on 11 of its 13 attempts.  Bentley's 47-41 rebound advantage was offset by 19 turnovers, four more than the Ravens.

Koury buried four of six three-pointers and all five of his free throws en route to his 21 points, and he also had five rebounds. Freshman forward Tyler McFarland (Rockport, Maine/Camden Hills HS) followed with 12 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals, and Grassa finished with nine, all coming from outside the arc.

Bentley will play its final game before the exam and holiday break on Saturday, a 3:30 home contest with Stonehill College.