WALTHAM, Mass. -- Only two Bentley University points in the first seven minutes created an early 11-2 deficit and the Falcons never able to completely overcome the slow start during an 85-73 loss to Southern New Hampshire University in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball Wednesday evening at the Dana Center.

Bentley, 15-10 overall and 10-9 NE-10 with two games left, remained in fifth place in the conference's Northeast Division with a one-game advantage over Franklin Pierce (a 65-63 overtime loser to Stonehill) in the battle for the fifth and final berth in the NE-10 championship tournament. Meanwhile, Southern New Hampshire (18-6, 15-4) clinched their first regular season title since joining the conference 15 years ago.

Bentley spent the night battling back but could never catch the Penmen, who are 11-1 since Jan. 10. The Falcons closed to within five at the break and made it a one-possession game four times in the first four minutes of the second half. They were also within four with 12 minutes remaining, 50-46, and a 7-0 run cut the SNHU advantage to five, 73-68, with 2:50 on the clock.

Junior forward Tyler McFarland (Rockport, Maine/Camden Hills HS) and senior guard Keegan Hyland (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) paced Bentley with 20 and 18 points, respectively. McFarland, a perfect 5-for-5 from deep, became the 19th Falcon to surpass 1,400 career points, and only the second to do so prior to his senior season. Hyland's night included nine rebounds and four assists.

SNHU placed four in doubles with the list headed by six-foot-six senior Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) with 18 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal.

Bentley connected on just one of its first nine shots while falling behind early, 11-2. Junior wing Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) had five of his 17 during a 9-0 spurt and sophomore forward Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) tallied the other four.

The Falcons, who trailed by as many as 14 during the opening stanza, held the Penmen to just three free throws during the final 4:30 before intermission, a stretch in which the visitors were 0-for-4 with a turnover. That resulted in an 11-3 run that made it 34-29 game at the break. Sophomore guard Matt Barr (Stratham, N.H./ Cushing Academy) and junior guard Alex Furness (Wells, Maine/Wells HS) helped key the comeback with five and four points, respectively.

After a Hyland triple with 16:28 left brought the Falcons within two, three-pointers by junior forward BJ Caldarelli (Manchester, Conn.) and Sanders restored the SNHU lead to eight at 47-39. A Furness triple with 12:15 left brought Bentley back to within four, but the Penmen countered with seven unanswered, a run capped by a Sanders fast-break dunk.

Bentley, down 15 after Bonsignore connected from deep with 3:57 remaining, ran off 10 quick points during a flurry that included SNHU's first three turnovers of the second half. Hyland began the run with a three-ball and McFarland followed with two more, one from each side of the court.

Hyland hit another three with 1:53 left, again making it a five-point spread with 76-71, but a parade to the foul stripe the rest of the way enabled the Penmen to lock down the win.

Senior guard J.P. Koury (Red Bank, N.J./CBA), playing his final career regular season game at the Dana Center, joined McFarland (6-10 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Hyland in doubles. He finished with 15, along with eight rebounds and five steals, including three in 33 seconds during the late 10-0 burst.

Superior shooting across the board helped lead SNHU with the visitors shooting 50 percent overall, making 11 of 25 from distance and 16 of 22 at the line. Bentley, on the other hand, finished at .403, .333 (10-30) and .692 (9-13). Rebounds went in the favor of the Falcons, 42-34, and the Penmen had only ten turns, two less than the home team.

Bentley will be back at it Saturday with a 7 pm contest at Stonehill College.