WALTHAM, Mass. – After winning four of five games since returning north from the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, the Bentley University men's basketball team will be on Long Island Saturday afternoon for a 2:30 pm encounter at Adelphi University. As always with Northeast-10 contests, it will be streamed for free on NE10 NOW.

Both teams sport 2-1 conference records and are in a four-way tie for third, trailing both Pace University and St. Michael's College.

Coach Jay Lawson's Falcons improved to 5-2 overall after pulling out a 78-75 win over Saint Anselm College Wednesday in a game that included nine ties and twice as many lead changes.

Senior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) scored a career-high 32 against the Hawks while playing all 40 minutes for the second time this season. He scored nine of his team's last ten, including a step-back 15-footer with 1:25 to play and two free throws with 11.4 on the clock. The jumper was his sixth go-ahead basket of the game for the Falcons.

Laput, last year's NE10 Player of the Year, drew even with the late Bert Hammel for 37^th place on Bentley's all-time scoring list, each with 1,209 points. He also passed Jack Sparks '80, Chris Sawyer '93 and Tom Dowling '11 during the game.

Heading into Adelphi's Center for Recreation and Sport, four of Bentley's starters are averaging double figure points and a fifth, graduate guard Kellan Bochenek (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont HS), is at 9.9. He scored 17 points against the Hawks with three of his four three-pointers coming within a 90-second stretch in the second half after Bentley fell behind at 10.

Laput's average is up to a season-high 22 points, second best in the NE10. Classmate Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) follows at 12.1, sophomore guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS) is at 11.0 and senior forward Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.) is exactly at ten.

Adelphi is 3-3 overall after dropping two in a row, including 81-59 at unbeaten Pace on Wednesday. The Panthers will be playing at home for just the second time this season.

Sophomore guard Dayshaun Walton is off to a strong start with his 19.3 scoring average fourth in the conference. He's led the team in scoring in every game, with a high of 25 against American International, and leads the NE10 in free throws, taking close to nine a game. Last season, he netted 14.3 a game and erupted for 38 against Southern New Hampshire.

Elijah Lewis, also a sophomore guard, follows Walton on the scoring list. He is contributing 13.2 a game this season after averaging 14.7 as a freshman.

Free throws are an interesting contrast. Bentley's opponents have attempt less than nine free throws a game with the Falcons first nationally in fewest fouls. On the other hand, Adelphi takes a conference-high 24.2 a game.

Bentley is 9-15 all-time against Adelphi and will be looking to win in Garden City for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Last year, the two split the series with the Falcons winning 75-72 in Waltham and the Panthers prevailing at home, 86-80.

Lawson's team will also be on the road Wednesday, with a 7:30 game at Southern New Hampshire.