On March 21, 2007, the incredible run of the 2006-07 Bentley men's basketball team came to an end as the Falcons fell to defending national champion Winona State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight before a crowd of 4,267 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

Bentley concluded the finest season in school history with a mark of 32-1 after completing the first perfect regular season in school and conference history and setting the New England record for most consecutive wins with 32 straight victories.

Bentley's loss came at the hands of the only remaining unbeaten team in the country as the top-ranked Warriors improved to 34-0 and extended their Division II record winning streak to 56 games.

Winona State featured a balanced attack that saw four players score double figures, led by senior guard Zach Malvik, who tallied 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

After four lead changes in the early going, the Warriors took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Mavlik with 11:39 left in the first half. The Falcons didn't let Winona State pull away, keeping the score close and coming within two when junior Yusuf Abdul-Ali nailed a three-pointer to make the score 25-23 with just under five minutes to go in the opening half.

The Warriors went on a quick 10-0 run over the next two minutes and left the floor at halftime with a 37-29 lead. Bentley was hurt by turnovers in the first half, committing eight turnovers that led to 10 points for Winona State.

"There is not a lot of room for error against Winona," said Jay Lawson, the Basketball Times co-Division II National Coach of the Year along with his counterpart in the game, Mike Leaf.

The Warriors weren't able to add to their cushion in the first five minutes of the second before embarking on a 12-0 run capped by a three from senior Quincy Henderson to put Winona State up by 19 points with 13:09 left on the clock.

Senior Jeff Holmes led three Falcons in double digits with 12 points and seven rebounds, Abdul-Ali scored 11 in his return to his hometown and junior Nate Fritsch contributed 10 points. Sophomore Lew Finnegan matched Holmes with seven rebounds as Bentley outrebounded the Warriors, 41-35.

For Winona State, junior John Smith recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Jonte Flowers scored 13 and Henderson added 10 points.

"Flowers really disrupts things, and Smith is a presence around the rim," praised the Bentley coach.  Flowers' defense also played a major role in the contest as he came up with six steals, helping to produce 16 points off turnovers by the Warriors.

Winona limited the Falcons to 36 percent shooting, including just 29 percent in the second half and 4-of-16 from three.  Meanwhile, they connected at close to a 50 percent clip in the first half and took very good care of the basketball (only seven turnovers).

"It's been a magical ride, a special season," said coach Lawson after the game. "What these guys accomplished was truly unbelievable. We just ran up against an outstanding team."