WALTHAM, Mass. – Winners of ten in a row, the nationally-ranked Bentley University men's basketball team will put its 20-game home streak on the line Wednesday night when the Falcons host Assumption University at the Dana Center.

For those who can't make it to the game, it can be viewed over the NE10 NOW Digital Network. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm.

Coach Jay Lawson's Falcons, who remained 14^th in this week's NABC Division II coaches poll, own a 12-1 overall record and are 7-1 in Northeast-10 Conference action. Prior to Tuesday's New Haven-Southern New Hampshire matchup, the defending conference champions share the top spot in the standings with New Haven.

Assumption has dropped seven of its last eight and is currently 5-10 overall, 1-7 in the conference and 2-7 on the road. Five of the team's losses have come by four points or less, including a one-point game at New Haven last month.

The five Bentley starters – a quintet that has not varied all season – all average in double-figures. Junior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) remains the only 20 point per game scorer in the conference with his 21.0 norm best in the NE10 by more than four points. He's second on the team in rebounds and has shooting marks of .560 overall, .420 from three and .851 at the line.

Graduate forward Matt Leritz (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS), named the NE10 Player of the Week Monday, has strung together three straight double-doubles. During that span, the former Division III All-America has averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds with a .629 field goal percentage.

The starting unit also includes junior guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) and grad students Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS) and Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School). Latham has 11 steals in the last four games, Webb has a .939 free throw percentage and Wright-Kinsey is the only player in the conference with at least 20 blocks and 10 steals.

Bentley, whose winning streak is the program's longest in a single season in a dozen years (12 games), leads Division II in free throw percentage and is also in the top five in rebound margin and fewest fouls. Lawson's team averages 84.8 points, a region best and more than eight points more than any other team in the conference.

The four Assumption players who have started every game all own double-digit scoring averages with senior guard Isiah Gaiter leading the team with 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. Senior guard Kani Glover follows at 12.6, an improvement of about five a game from last year, and six-eight junior Cooper Creek averages 11.7 points and 6.2 boards.

Assumption leads the conference in three-pointers made (9.5) and attempted (26.7), but is last in opponents' three-point accuracy from deep (.407).

Bentley, 56-38 all-time against Assumption, swept the Hounds last year (93-87, 76-71) and has won 12 of the last 13 games between the two longtime opponents. Webb led the Falcons in both games last year, with 25 and 19 points on a combined 16 of 25 shooting.

On Saturday, the Falcons will be on the road for a 3:30 pm game at St. Michael's College.