WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior forward Tyler McFarland (Rockport, Maine/Camden Hills HS), sophomore guard Ferguson Duke (Dartmouth, N.S./Hun School (N.J.)) and  senior guards JP Koury (Red Bank, N.J./CBA HS) and Keegan Hyland (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) each scored four points during a closing 16-2 run as Bentley University rallied for an 86-79 win over Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball Wednesday night at the Dana Center.

Bentley placed five players in double figures with junior forward Shaq Phelps (Linden, N.J./ Linden HS) joining the above four. McFarland put up a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double and Duke matched him in the scoring column, establishing a new career scoring high in the process.

Bentley, a perfect 8-of-8 from the field  over the final 7:05, found itself on the short end of a 77-70 score with 6:16 left after Merrimack junior guard Gelvis Solano (New York, N.Y.) knocked down his team's ninth and final three-pointer of the night.

The comeback began with six points in less than a minute. Koury scored on a driving lay-up, Duke knocked down a pair from the line and followed with a fast-break lay-up, a basket that made it a one-point game with 4:36 to play.

Merrimack junior guard Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.), whose father Brian was a two-time All-America for Bentley in the 70s and a former Falcon head coach, hit a foul-line jumper with 4:14 left to extend his team's lead to three. Hammel came up with a steal on the ensuing possession, but Solano missed back-to-back free throws and the rest of the night's scoring belonged to Bentley.

It stayed a 79-76 game for nearly two minutes, until Koury scored on a drive with 2:24 left. Just over a minute later, McFarland buried a long jumper, putting Bentley in front 80-79. The next two baskets belonged to Hyland, with a McFarland defensive rebound in between, and McFarland closed out the scoring with two free throws with 2.9 seconds left.

Bentley shot 54 percent overall, including 62 percent in the second half and 69 percent inside the three-point line, but 20 turnovers helped keep the game close. McFarland's basket with 1:22 left produced the game's tenth lead change and it was also tied nine times.

The biggest lead of the night came with about 5:40 left in the first half when 11 straight points put the Falcons up 33-24. Duke had the hot hand during that stretch, scoring the final seven (two free throws, a three and a driving lay-up).

Merrimack countered with a 10-1 spurt, tying the game at 34-all, and the Falcons eventually went into the half up one, 40-39. Bentley had a five-point lead, 60-55, after Hyland buried a three with just under 12 to play, but the Warriors turned things around with a 17-5 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to take the seven-point lead.

 McFarland, who added two blocks to his conference-leading total, made six of ten shots overall, including a pair of three-pointers. Duke (5-10 fg, 2-4 3's, 5-6 ft) also had three assists and three rebounds, and Hyland finished with 16 points in 23 foul-plagued minutes. Phelps provided 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks off the bench, and Koury's night included 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and four assists.

Hammel knocked down five three-pointers to pace Merrimack (2-4, 0-4 NE-10) with 26 points, and junior post James Kennedy (Dorchester) finished with 18, 11 better than his season-norm, on 9-of-13 shooting. Solano, the conference's top scorer, needed 24 shots for his 16 points.

Bentley limited Merrimack to 42 percent shooting and had a big edge at the line, making 20 of 24. That contrasted with just six of nine for the visitors.

Bentley (3-4, 1-3 NE-10) will take a two-game winning streak into Saturday's 3:30 pm game at St. Michael's.