WATERBURY, Conn. – Just days after 23^rd-ranked Post University Men's Basketball saw themselves climb into the top 25 of the D2CSC National Poll for the first time in program history, they look to prove why they were nationally ranked in the poll against Bentley University at home inside the Drubner Center on Sunday. The matchup came just days after the Falcons saw themselves fall outside the top 25 for the first time this season after being ranked as high as ninth in the second week of the season following back-to-back losses last week to Adelphi and Southern New Hampshire.
 
In a down to the wire thriller, junior forward Kyle Alcy's game-winning layup off the rebounded miss by junior forward Deng Deang would propel the Eagles past the Falcons for a big 74-73 victory at home to tie Post for their best start in program history at 8-1, tying the 2012-13 team for the best record to begin a year.

THE BASICS

#23 Post University 74, Bentley University 73

#23 Post University (8-1)

Bentley University (6-5)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half would be defined by runs for both teams after junior point guard Robert Sanders gave the Eagles a quick 3-0 lead on his three ball. The Falcons would score seven of the next nine points to take their first lead of the contest, 7-5, courtesy of four points from senior forward Ivan Misic. In response, a big and-one shot on a three pointer from junior point guard Bol Akot would put the Eagles back ahead by two before Bentley would put a little distance between them and Post.
 
Continuing his hot start, Misic would score three more points while graduate guard Kellan Bochenek knocked down a three as part of a 6-0 run for Bentley that put them in front by four. The largest lead of the half for the Falcons would come with 7:46 remaining when they would go on an 8-0 run following junior forward Edward Trahan's layup that made it 20-19 in favor of Post. However, immediately after falling behind by seven, the Eagles hit back with a 7-0 run to tie the game back up at 27 before Bochenek drained back-to-back threes to regain the cushion Bentley had.
 
Behind a 55.2% shooting effort from the floor (16-of-29) and 41.7% shooting from three-point land (5-for-12), the Falcons would take a five-point lead into the locker room. Leading the way for them was Misic with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and Bochenek with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting with 3-of-5 shots coming from three.
 
In a memorable second half, Post University would come out of the gate on a 5-0 run to tie the game up at 38 all behind two free throws from Deang and a three from Sanders. Around a three from sophomore guard Aaron Latham, the Eagles would get four straight from Deang to snag the lead back again by one, 42-41. That would be the start of a back-and-forth half in which neither team would let the other out of their sights.
 
For the next 12 minutes after the 17:20 mark, neither team would take more than a one possession lead on their opponent in a game that saw 11 ties and 12 lead changes overall. It would not be until a 5-0 run from a three by sophomore guard Tre Duncan and a jumper by Deang in which either team would go up five points which the Eagles did with 5:16 to go, 66-61. But Misic and Bochenek would answer back with a pair of shots of their own to tie the game back up at 66 all with 3:34 left in regulation.
 
Looking to pull away for good, a pair of Alcy free throws with 1:37 left looked to give the Eagles control ahead by four, 70-66, and Alcy seemingly had the game on ice after his big putback with 55 seconds left which led to an and-one opportunity. But Alcy's missed free throw and a missed one-and-one by Akot gave the Falcons two possessions which they would convert on with a layup from sophomore guard Cash McClure and senior guard Zach Laput's three with 12 seconds left gave Bentley the lead back, 73-72.
 
Around two timeouts from Post, Deang would be the man to take the shot which he missed short with four seconds left. But right there to grab it was Alcy who put it back in for the Eagles to give them a one-point lead, 74-73, with one second left. On the ensuing inbound, Laput would have a chance to win it for Bentley and his shot would rim out at the buzzer as Post held on for their first win ever against the Falcons, 74-73.
 

BY THE NUMBERS

• With his double-digit point performance, Deng Deang now has nine consecutive games with double-digit points, scoring 12 points today on 5-of-9 shooting
• Leading scorer for Bentley University, Zach Laput was held to just eight points on 2-of-9 shooting after coming into the game averaging 20.2 points per game
• At 8-1, Post University is now tied from tying their best start in program history – The 2012-13 team lost their first game before rattling off eight straight wins to start the season with an 8-1 record
• This is the first time in program history in which Post University has defeated Bentley University, dropping their first seven head-to-head matchups dating back to the 2009-10 season

WHO'S NEXT
Post University heads on the road in two days to take on another team that qualified for the 2022 Division II NCAA Tournament on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 PM in St. Anselm. The Eagles currently hold an 0-3 record in the all-time head-to-head with their last loss coming during the 2011-12 season, a 70-41 defeat, on the road against the Hawks.