WALTHAM, Mass. – NCAA Division II East Region Champions!

For the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2010, the Bentley University men's basketball team is heading for the Elite Eight after a hard-fought 82-75 win over St. Thomas Aquinas College Tuesday night at the Dana Center.

Coach Jay Lawson's team has had four players average in mid-double figures this season and the quartet of seniors and grad students combined for 60 points in this one. Senior guard Jordan Mello-Klein (Sharon/Thayer Academy), the regional's Most Outstanding Player, and sophomore guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) each scored 17 points, senior guard Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS) added 16 (including his 1000^th), and graduate guard Colton Lawrence (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO HS) helped out with 10.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Lawson, who is in his 31^st season as the Falcons head coach. "I'm genuinely proud of this group. I've never had a group better. They've been committed throughout the Pandemic – this seems like it's justice".

The Falcons, who won for the ninth time this season after trailing at the half, came out of the break with a 28-7 blasting of the Spartans. That surge turned a 37-33 deficit into a 61-44 advantage with 9:10 to play.

The first seven points included a lay-up from graduate forward Pete Blust (Hinsdale, Ill./ Hinsdale Central HS), a basket off an inbound play by Lawrence and a corner three from Mello-Klein, also off an inbound.

After a Spartan basket, Bentley scored the next nine with Laput, Blust, Mello-Klein and senior guard Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School) all involved in the scoring. There was also a 12-2 run that included four points apiece from Wright-Kinsey and graduate forward Adria Amabilino Perez (Barcelona, Spain).

Over that 11-minute span, Bentley shot .706 and limited the Spartans to 3 of 14. There were 16 points in the paint, scoring from all seven players Lawson used in the game, a 12-5 rebound advantage and six turnovers forced.

St. Thomas Aquinas, 29-5, had overcome double-digit deficits in each of their first two regional wins, against Franklin Piece and New Haven, and they weren't about to go away. The Spartans went on a 16-4 spurt, a rally that included three triples and 11 points from senior guard Grant Singleton (Sumter, S.C.), and all of a sudden, the 17-point lead had dwindled to five, 65-60 with nearly five minutes remaining.

The differential remained between five and seven until Mello-Klein buried two free throws with 40.2 seconds left, a possession kept alive by a Lawrence punch-out on the offensive boards.

Bentley closed out the victory by making seven more free throws, in eight attempts, during the final 29.5 seconds. That included six of six by Laput, an .865 shooter from the stripe for the season.

Mello-Klein, who was previously the Most Outstanding Player of the Northeast-10 Championships, contributed eight rebounds, four steals and three assists.

"I wasn't going to lose this game, my last game on this court," said Mello-Klein. "When we came in, it was a priority to get Bentley back to where it was (three Elite Eights and six Sweet Sixteens  from 2005-11)."

"It's hard to win the NE10 playoffs. It's even harder to win the regional championship," said Lawson. "These guys will forever feel great about their accomplishment."

Laput complemented his 17 points with four rebounds, four assists and a key block down the stretch. Webb made four of seven from downtown with his third triple of the game, with 13:18 left in the opening half, making him the 56^th 1,000-point scorer in program history. Lawrence was five of eight from the field and also corralled nine rebounds.

Off the bench, Amabilino Perez and Wright-Kinsey combined for 16 points, nine rebounds, four helpers and two blocks.

St. Thomas was powered by Singleton, with 26 points, and senior guard Demetre Roberts (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), with 23.

Bentley shot well all night, finishing .537 overall, 8 of 19 from deep and 16 of 21 from the line. The Falcons, as is their norm, also controlled the boards with their 36-27 advantage including 22-10 in the second half.

STAC, which led by six early, bothered Bentley early with its press. The Spartans forced seven turns in the first 14 minutes, good for 10 points off. For the game, they scored 23 points off 15 turns.

Bentley's opponent in the Elite Eight, which will be held in Evansville, Ind. March 22-26, will be announced Wednesday after the eight teams are reseeded.