Press Conference

LAKELAND, Fla. – Thirty-five combined points from senior guards Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) and Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS), along with outstanding defense that limited the Orediggers to 30 percent shooting over the final 33 minutes, lifted the Bentley University men's basketball team to an impressive season-opening 69-51 win over the Colorado School of Mines in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Florida Southern College's Jenkins Field House Saturday.

It was a match-up of two teams that were both ranked in the top 20 of the NABC Division II preseason coaches poll. Bentley was number 16 in the voting and Colorado Mines followed in 18.

"I was very pleased with the way we played today," said longtime Bentley head coach Jay Lawson. "I think we can shoot better, but the stuff we can control with our defensive effort, the rebounding effort and the trust in each other on offense. I couldn't be more proud at how we started the season."

The Orediggers started fast, hitting seven of their first 11 shots to double up the Falcons after seven minutes, 16-8. Laput began a run of eight straight with a straight-away jumper, sophomore forward Joe Carroll (Cedar Grove, N.J./Don Bosco HS) scored the next four and Laput hit another 17-footer to tie the game at 16.

An 11-0 surge later in the first half produced the game's only lead change and put the Falcons up 33-24. Laput scored five, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 4:38 on the clock. It was Bentley's first successful trey of the day, following 11 misses.

The score was 34-29 at the intermission following an elbow jumper by sophomore Cash McClure (Readville, Mass./Maranacook HS) three seconds before the break.

After Mines scored the first basket of the second half, Bentley pushed the lead to 14 with a 12-2 spurt. Five were scored by Latham, a three-pointer off an inbound play and a baseline jumper.

The difference remained in double figures the rest of the way and peaked at 20, 69-49, on a late 9-2 run.

"Hats off to Bentley," said Mines coach Pryor Orser. "They are well-coached and a really great program. Numbers 20 (Laput) and 11 (Latham) are as good as you get.

Laput finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Latham, 8-of-14 overall, followed with 17 points, five rebounds and one assist. Senior forward Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.), playing his first game since March 2022, contributed eight points, six boards and three blocks, and both Carroll and graduate guard Kellan Bochenek (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont HS) added seven.

Graduate forward Isaac Martin (Atlanta, Ga./Norcross HS) provided a spark off the bench and finished with six rebounds, two assists, two points, a steal and a team-best plus-18.

The only double-figure scorer for Colorado Mines was senior guard Majek Deng (Tucson, Ariz.), with 11 points, including seven in the first four minutes.

The Orediggers, who averaged 81 points last year during a 26-6 season, were limited to 36 percent shooting, 6-of-23 from deep, and only four free throw attempts. Bentley shot 43 percent, committed only five turnovers and had a 40-38 rebound advantage.

On Sunday, the tournament continues with Bentley facing Missouri-St. Louis at 1:15 pm. An Elite Eight team a year ago, the Tritons fell to Cedarville, 75-70.