WALTHAM, Mass. – Before beginning four weeks of cross-division games, the Bentley University men's basketball team will launch the 2016 portion of the schedule by hosting Stonehill College Saturday at 3:30 pm. in a key Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division match-up. A free webcast will be available at www.bentleyfalcons.tv for those unable to make it to the Dana Center.

Bentley, coming off a 5-0 month of December that ended with a 91-58 non-conference win over Molloy on Wednesday, is the only NE-10 with an unblemished conference record. Coach Jay Lawson's club, 9-2 overall, has won its first six NE-10 games, good for a one-game lead over Saint Anselm College in the Northeast Division.

Stonehill, which owns a three-game win streak in the series with the Falcons, will come into Waltham in third place in the Northeast with records of 9-3 overall and 4-2 NE-10. The Skyhawks have dropped two of their last three, both by two points, including 84-82 at Bridgeport Wednesday.

In Wednesday's return to action, Bentley's first game in 18 days, the Falcons topped the 90-point mark for the fifth time this season while remaining unbeaten in the Dana Center (6-0). They shot 51.5 percent overall, made at least nine threes for the tenth straight game, won the rebounding battle for the fourth consecutive contest, delivered 24 assists on 34 baskets and limited the Lions to 34 percent shooting.

Senior All-Conference forward Tyler McFarland (Rockport, Maine/Camden Hills HS) topped the list of 13 Falcons who scored against Molloy, finishing with 22 points. The NE-10 scoring leader (24.5 ppg) topped the 1,700-point level for his career and moved within 21 of the program's fourth all-time leading scorer, Tim Forbes (1,731 from 2002-06).

Senior guard Alex Furness (Wells, Maine/Wells HS) and All-Conference graduate student Keegan Hyland (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) both enter the new year with scoring averages just below 16 a game. Furness is in the midst of an outstanding shooting season (.578 overall, .515 from 3, .867 free throw) and Hyland is the team's top rebounder at 7.5 a game.

Also starting for Lawson are junior guard Ferguson Duke (Dartmouth, N.S./Hun School (N.J.)) and sophomore forward Brandon Wheeler (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic HS). Duke has made 46 percent of his threes and Wheeler owns a .629 field goal percentage and nearly six rebounds a game.

Stonehill, an NCAA tournament team a year ago, isn't far from having a 12-0 record. In addition to a pair of two-point losses (Southern New Hampshire was the other), they fell in overtime to Saint Anselm. The Skyhawks have exceeded 80 points eight points but have given up 85 and 84 in their last two, raising their points allowed to 70.5.

Stonehill has five players sporting double-figure scoring averages, a list headed by six-seven junior Ryan Logan. He's in the top five in the conference in both scoring and rebounds, averaging 19.1 points and 9.9 boards, and is also a playmaking threat (4.1 assists a game).

Senior guard Carter Smith (15.3 ppg) has shot 51 percent from beyond the arc, six-eight senior Pierre Cumpstone (12.5 ppg) is tied with McFarland for third in the NE-10 in blocks (21) and senior guard Adam Bramanti brought a 10.6 scoring average into 2016. Junior Jimmy Walsh, 15 of 27 from downtown, is also in doubles (10.7) but has missed the team's last two games.

Following the Stonehill game, Bentley will play its next seven against Southwest Division teams, beginning next Saturday at New Haven (1:30 pm).