WALTHAM, Mass. – Winners of six of seven this month and one away from a third-straight 20-win season, the Bentley University Falcons will close out the regular season Tuesday at 7:30 pm with a home game against Southern Connecticut. Fans who can't make it in person can watch live over the NE10 NOW Digital Network.

It's a significant game for both squads in terms of Northeast-10 playoff seeding, as well as on NCAA Division II tournament selections next month.

Bentley, after falling to Pace on Saturday in its first loss in seven games this month, is tied with Adelphi for second in the NE10 with a 14-7 conference record. Overall, coach Jay Lawson's team is 19-9 overall.

Southern Connecticut, 6-2 in its last eight, is in a three-way tie for fifth-place and has a shot at moving into the top four and earning a first-round bye. The Owls are 12-9 in conference play, 18-9 overall and an impressive 9-4 on the road.

The two teams met in New Haven six weeks ago with Bentley earning a 72-66 road win. Falcon senior guard and 2023 NABC All-America Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) had 30 points in his return to his home state, including 11 during a game-ending 15-0 spurt for the Falcons. The Owls were up 66-57 with five minutes left, but Bentley pitched a shutout the rest of the way with Southern coming up empty on their final 11 possessions.

Bentley and Southern Connecticut are the two highest scoring teams in the Northeast-10, with the Falcons' norm of 81.2 two better than the Owls.

While the scoring is similar, there is a difference in how they get there. Lawson's team scores 41 percent of its points from three-point land, 46 percent from inside the arc and 13 percent at the line. Meanwhile, Southern's percentages are 31 percent from three, 52 from two and 16 percent at the line.

They are even on the boards with both outrebounding their opponents by 5.9 a game.

Laput, the 11^th player in Bentley history to top 1,600 career points, is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.6 a game. He's also a factor in other ways, with averages of 7.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals.

Sophomore guard Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS) has averaged 19.2 in his last five games and has six or more rebounds in seven straight. His scoring is up to 14.3, his rebound average stands at a team-best 7.4, and he nearly has a 50/40/90 shooting line.

Lawson's lineup hasn't varied all season with the above two joined by graduate student Kellan Bochenek (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont HS) and seniors Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn/Glastonbury HS) and Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.). Bochenek's 87 threes are tied with Jamie Baker for the fourth most on Bentley's single season list and he is only two away from moving into second.

 Southern Connecticut, coached by former NBA champion Scott Burrell, features six-seven grad student Josh McGettigan, a sixth-year player who averages 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 threes, and has nearly 1400 career points.

Four different Owls have led the team in scoring in the last four games with Bridgeport transfer Mason Williams tallying 19 against New Haven, McGettigan 28 at St. Michael's, junior guard Marty Silvera 15 against Southern New Hampshire and sophomore forward Kazell Stewart 21 at Franklin Pierce Saturday.

Stewart and six-six sophomore Cherif Diarra are 1-2 in the NE10 in blocks, and Diarra is the conference's premier rebounder with a 9.5 average.

Bentley leads the all-time series 30-12 and has won the last five since dropping seven in a row from 2013-19.

The Northeast-10 Championships will get underway Friday. Bentley has a first-round bye and will host an opponent to be determined Sunday afternoon.