COLCHESTER, Vt. – Despite 23 points from sophomore guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS) and 22 from senior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS), the Bentley University Falcons fell to conference-leading St. Michael's College, 80-75, in Northeast-10 men's basketball Wednesday night at the Ross Sports Center.

It was a streaky game as Bentley led by as many as 18 in the first half, St. Michael's was in front by 16 with under eight to play and the Falcons closed with a 19-8 surge over the final seven-and-a-half minutes.

Bentley, which had won three in a row, dropped to 9-6 overall and 4-4 in the conference. St. Michael's remained atop the NE10 standings with records of 8-0 conference and 12-2 overall.

Led by McClure, the Falcons had a great start as they scored the game's first eight points and opened a 15-2 advantage. McClure had eight of the 15 while the Purple Knights misfired on their first nine shots of the contest.

After a St. Michael's three-pointer (their first field goal of the game came with 13:45 left in the first), Bentley put together a 12-4 spurt to go up 27-9 midway through the opening half. That latter run included scoring from five different players, including four from sophomore forward Chase Clarke (Bloomfield, N.J./Newark Academy).

Just 3 of 17 at that juncture, the Purple Knights made 10 of their next 22 shots. They were down just two at the break, 37-35, after junior forward Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va.) hit a buzzer-beating three.

Following four lead changes in the opening minutes of the second half, St. Michael's took a lead it would not relinquish, 46-45, on a lay-up by junior guard Jhamyl Fricas (Lawrence, Mass,). That basket launched a 28-11 explosion that included a half-dozen three-balls, two more than Bentley had all day. Junior guard CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla.) hit three in just over a minute and Fricas scored the final five to make it 72-56 with 7:30 remaining.

Bentley drew within seven with 1:05 left and six with 15.9 seconds on the clock, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Senior guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) scored 10 of his 12 during the comeback bid.

McClure, 10 of 13 from the field, complemented his 23 with 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Laput, in addition to 22, provided five assists and three assists. Clarke scored eight off the bench and senior forward Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.) also had eight.

Fricas led St. Michael's with 22 off the bench, more than double his season-norm, and Crews, also a non-starter, followed with 19.

Bentley shot better overall, 48-42 percent, but was outscored from three-point land, 33-12. The Falcons, who average 11.3 triples a game, were limited to a season-low four in 15 attempts from deep.

Bentley will look to rebound Saturday afternoon when Franklin Pierce University visits the Dana Center.