WALTHAM, Mass. – Led by graduate guard and championship Most Outstanding Player, Jordan Mello-Klein led the Bentley University Falcons to the 2022 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship with 23 points and seven rebounds in a 68-62 win over Franklin Pierce University Sunday afternoon at the Dana Center.

Bentley, which had previously captured the NE10 Northeast Division regular season title, improved to 22-4 overall and avenged two regular season losses to the Ravens. Ranked first in the NCAA Division II East Region and 16^th nationally, coach Jay Lawson's team will almost assuredly be named host of next weekend's regional tournament later tonight. Franklin Pierce, the second-ranked team in the region, dropped to 17-10.

"I have been very proud of this group over the past two years in the way that they have approached their business on and off the court during these unique and difficult times," praised head coach Jay Lawson. "They are as good of a group as we have ever had when it comes to their commitment to the sport, improvement and each other.

"We look forward to seeing them every day and couldn't be more pleased to see them accomplish both the regular season and playoff championships," continued the veteran coach. "Their next challenge will be to let go of these accomplishments and move on to their first round game next weekend."

Down by four when the game clock dipped under 13 minutes, Bentley regained control with a 19-7 run over a span of nearly ten minutes. Mello-Klein got it going with a three-ball from the right corner and graduate guard Colton Lawrence (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO HS) followed with a driving lay-up to put the Falcons back in front, 50-49.

The run included a combined nine points from post players Pete Blust (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale HS) and Adria Amabilino Perez (Barcelona, Spain) as well as another three-ball, this one from the left corner, from Mello-Klein.

After two treys reduced the Bentley lead from eight to 64-62 with 1:05 left, sophomore guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) hit a mid-range jumper and after Laput's 13^th rebound, Mello-Klein sank two free throws to lock up the Falcons' fourth NE10 tournament title.

Mello-Klein scored the game's first four points and also had the first of his five three-pointers as Bentley jumped out to an 11-2 start.

"Jordan played well in all three playoff games and made several big shots down the stretch today," commented Lawson. "He's been our leader and key player all year so it was only fitting to see him be chosen the MOP of the tournament."

Franklin Pierce battled back to even the count at 34 apiece before Bentley finished the half with a Laput lay-up and a four-point play by Lawrence.

In the second half, the Ravens used a 15-5 run to take their only lead of the contest, 49-45, with 13:46 left. That included eight points by freshman Mohamed Traore (Hyde Park) and five from NE10 Player of the Year Isaiah Moore (Temple Hills, Md.).

Mello-Klein, in addition to 23 points and five three-pointers in nine attempts, had seven rebounds, a block and a steal. Following him on the scoring list were Lawrence with 12 and Amabilino Perez with 11.  

Amabilino Perez, named after the game as the Northeast-10 Elite 24 award winner as the player at the championship site with the highest cumulative grade point average, made five of seven shots off the bench and also had six rebounds. Bentley's top rebounder was Laput with 13.

Moore led Franklin Pierce with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but it took him 28 shots to score that many.

Bentley shot 39 percent while limiting the visitors to just 29.6 percent, and also controlled the boards, 56-42. Franklin Pierce had the advantage in free throws, 11-4, and turnovers, losing it only seven times. While the Falcons had 15 turns, the Ravens managed only six points off.

"We have been an efficient offense team most of this year and have worked hard to bring our defense up a level to match our offense," said Lawson. "Fortunately, we have been able to do this over the past couple weeks and today it was huge to defend well when our offense was below average.  We'll need more of the same if we're going to play well next week."

Mello-Klein was joined on the All-Tournament Team by senior guard Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS).

Tonight's NCAA selection show will air on NCAA.com at 10:30 pm.