Press Release

BENTLEY RALLIES, SWEEPS PURPLE KNIGHTS IN NE-10 TWINBILL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION January 17, 2005                                                                                Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                          Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – Bentley College used a pair of late rallies to edge Saint Michael’s College in Northeast-10 Conference basketball action on Monday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the sixth-ranked Bentley women nipped Saint Michael’s, 64-62, and in the nightcap, the fifth-ranked Falcons edged the Purple Knights, 84-79. In the women’s contest, sophomore Shannon Kirwan’s (Melrose, Mass.) driving lay-up as time ran out helped Bentley (15-4, 9-2 NE-10) avoid the upset. For the Falcons, senior Shevon Gibbons (Fayetteville, N.C.), a former standout at Norwich University, tallied 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Sophomore Lauren Moore (Bristol, N.H.) added 14 points, and senior Chante Bonds (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and four assists as Bentley improved to 43-0 all-time versus Saint Michael’s and won its sixth game this season when trailing at halftime. For the Purple Knights, sophomore Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) recorded her first double-double of the season, notching a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Brigid Hegarty (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) added 14 points and four assists, sophomore Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds, and freshman Adrienne Carpenter (Princeton, Mass./Wachusett Regional) recorded 10 points and six rebounds for Saint Michael’s (4-11, 1-10). After Bentley took an 11-9 lead seven minutes into the contest, Saint Michael’s surprised the Falcons by scoring 19 of the next 24 points to take a 28-16 lead. The Purple Knights maintained at least an eight-point cushion for the remainder of the half, and led by nine, 34-25, at intermission. Jevy Rayner scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the period, while Bentley shot just 7-of-28 in the opening half. The visitors responded in the second half, as Bentley opened the period with a 16-7 run to tie the score at 41-all with 15:28 remaining. The Falcons took their first lead of the half, 53-52, on a pair of Gibbons’ free throws with 9:41 to go, and the lead changed hands five times in the next four minutes. Saint Michael’s stretched its lead to 62-58 on a Reeves’ free throw with 3:02 left, and the Purple Knights hung on to their four-point lead until less than two minutes to play. A Bonds’ lay-up and two free throws by senior Morgan DiPietro (Portland, Maine) evened the score at 62-all, and Saint Michael’s missed two shots in the final minute, including a jumper from Jevy Rayner with 10 seconds remaining that would have given the hosts the lead. That set the stage for Kirwan’s game-winner, which came after a Bentley timeout with 3.5 seconds on the clock. In the men’s game, the Falcons scored the final six points to win their 14th straight contest, their longest winning streak in 25 years. All five starters scored in double figures, led by junior Tim Forbes’ (Attleboro, Mass.) game-high 23 points and seven assists. Senior Greg Lacasse (Rochester, N.H.) added 16 points and seven rebounds, classmate Chris Tardif (Atkinson, N.H.) and junior Sean Cooke (East Windsor, N.J.) chipped in 14 points apiece, and junior Danny Whall (Roslindale, Mass.) notched 10 points and seven rebounds for Bentley (17-2, 11-0 NE-10). For the Purple Knights, freshman Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) tied a season-high with 18 points off the bench. Classmate James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) added 17 points and a team-best five assists, sophomore Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) notched 16 points and seven rebounds, and junior Mike Keating (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) netted 11 points for Saint Michael’s (5-11, 2-9). The visitors set the tone early, as Bentley raced out to the game’s biggest lead, 30-15, just 8:15 into the contest. Saint Michael’s clamped down defensively, and narrowed the deficit to 46-42 at intermission, as Cayole notched 12 points in 11 minutes off the bench in the period. The Purple Knights opened the second half strong, and back-to-back dunks by Monahan gave the hosts a 56-54 advantage with 13:17 remaining, their first lead since the opening minute. Bentley regained the lead and stretched its margin back to five, but Saint Michael’s again responded, and a free throw by sophomore Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) with 4:23 to go gave the Purple Knights their biggest lead, 74-68. Saint Michael’s still led by four with less than two minutes to play, but a Forbes’ 3-pointer and a Cooke lay-up gave Bentley the lead for good with 1:16 left, as Saint Michael’s missed two front ends of 1-and-1 chances from the foul line. A 3-pointer by Mullins with two seconds left to tie the score rimmed out, and a pair of free throws from Tardif with 1.1 seconds left sealed the win. Both teams return to action on Thursday. Bentley hosts NE-10 rival Saint Anselm College, while the Purple Knights visit Merrimack College in a league doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saint Michael’s returns home to host the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Saturday, with the women playing at 1:30 p.m., followed by the men at 3:30 p.m. Women's box score Men's box score ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002