WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University men's basketball team has won five of its last seven games. Southern Connecticut State owns a 6-2 record over its last eight. They'll meet up for the only time during the regular season on Saturday at Southern's Moore Field House (3:30 pm, link to video at www.bentleyfalcons.com) as crossover play in the Northeast-10 Conference comes to an end.

Bentley will travel to New Haven with records of 9-9 overall and 6-7 Northeast-10 after a 90-83 loss at Saint Rose on Wednesday. After falling behind by 26, the Falcons put up a valiant comeback, climbing to within four, before coming up short and falling to just 1-7 on the road this winter.

Southern Connecticut, 14-6 overall, is tied with Saint Rose for first place in the NE10's Southwest Division. The Owls have been 6-4 in their last ten after starting the season 8-2, and have suffered three home losses this season.

The two programs staged a classic in their last meeting with the Owls pulling out a double-overtime victory last January, 113-111, at Bentley's Dana Center. Keegan Hyland powered the Falcons with 30 points and 11 rebounds while guard Michael Mallory erupted for 47 for Southern, including ten three-pointers in 24 attempts.

Mallory and Bentley sophomore Ryan Richmond (Toronto, Ont./Thomson Collegiate) are two of the top scoring guards in the Northeast-10 with Mallory leading the NE10 at 22.9 and Richmond sixth overall at 19.7.

Richmond posted his eighth 20-point game of the season at Saint Rose despite being hampered by foul trouble, knocking down a career-best four three-pointers (in eight attempts) in the process. In games against the Southwest Division, he's averaged 21.8 points and shot 48 percent.

Bentley's other double-figure scorers are sophomore Zach Gilpin (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) and junior Brandon Wheeler (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic HS). Gilpin, a 41 percent shooter from deep, has averaged nearly 17 points over the last nine games, raising his season production to 12.9. Wheeler contributes 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds a game, including 9.8 during the last ten.

Senior guard Matt Barr (Stratham, N.H./Cushing Academy), whose average dipped to 9.9 on Wednesday, begins the weekend with the third-best three-point percentage in the conference at .479. He has made 45 this season, including 18 in the last six games.

Mallory, Southern's all-time leading scorer with over 2,000 points, opened the season by scoring 25 or more in six straight games and began January with 40 at St. Michael's.  This month, he's averaged 23.3 points, up from 17.7 in December.

Six-foot-seven junior Jerry Luckett, Jr., a transfer from Laramie Community College in Wyoming, follows Mallory on the scoring list, averaging nearly 16 points and eight rebounds.

Southern leads the NE10 in field goal attempts and offensive rebounds, and is third in both field goal percentage defense and three-point percentage defense. Bentley is second in the conference in free throws, third in three-pointers and fewest turnovers, and fourth in scoring, averaging 80.1 points.

Bentley's next seven, after Saturday, will be against Northeast Division teams, beginning Wednesday at home against Stonehill. The Falcons enter the weekend fifth in the NE standings, one game out of third.