Southern Conn. St. SCSU 17-11,12-8 NE10

Bentley Ben 18-9,14-6 NE10

Southern Conn. St. SCSU

17-11,12-8 NE10

Final

Mar. 02, 2025

Bentley Ben

18-9,14-6 NE10

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	OT 1	F
Southern Conn. St. SCSU	38	37	9	84
Bentley Ben	32	43	12	87

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/2/2025 6:32:00 PM

SCSU Men's Basketball Comes Up Short Against Bentley, 87-84 in Overtime

WALTHAM, Mass. - Southern Connecticut Men's Basketball dropped a close matchup against Bentley, 87-84 in overtime. The Owls finish the season 17-11, 12-9 in NE10 play.

Albert Vargas led the Owls with another dominant postseason performance, scoring 27 points and throwing four assists. Antonio Chandler double-doubled with 19 points and 17 rebounds, also adding a block and a steal. Sean James scored 11 off the bench, recording four boards and four assists. Cherif Diarra filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Isaace Hester added six points, as did Chris Joe off the bench. Every Owl who entered scored.

Just like the Owls' previous two matchups against the Falcons, it was a tight battle through and through. Bentley held a small lead for most of the first ten minutes, but never led by more than four. Southern jumped back ahead at the 10:50 mark behind a three from Sean James, and the two teams would exchange the lead from there. Neither team led by more than four until the 2:35 mark, where Antonio Chandler put Southern ahead 32-26, then 34-26. Ultimately, the Owls would head into halftime with a 38-32 lead.

The two offenses found their footing after a very defensive first half, with Bentley going on a 7-1 run to tie the game. Again, the lead would be traded for the next several minutes. Albert Vargas and Antonio Chandler would fuel Southern's attack, with key buckets also coming from Sean James and Cherif Diarra. The six point lead that the Owls held at the start of the half would be the largest of the second half, and the lead would be exchanged 14 times. It would come down to crunch time. With just under two minutes left, a free throw from Chandler put the Owls ahead 72-69. Two quick layups from the Falcons put them ahead by one, and a free throw extended the lead to two with only 25 seconds remaining. The Owls drove down the court and drew a foul on a Vargas three-point attempt. He knocked down all three free throws, giving Southern a one-point advantage, but a foul on the other end put Bentley at the line. They knocked down one of two, and Vargas last second attempt bounced off the rim, sending the game to overtime.

In OT, both Vargas and Isaac Hester would foul out, and Bentley would use their free throws to gain a four point lead. The Owls cut it to two multiple times behind free throws from Vargas (before his fifth foul) and Chandler, but Bentley strung together key stops and scores to maintain their lead. Chris Joe and Chandler combined to cut it down to one, and the Owls got the ball back giving them a chance to take the lead, but Joe's shot rimmed out. Bentley hit the clinching free throws, and Sean James's heave was off target, giving the Falcons the semifinal berth.

The Owls end the season 17-11, going 12-4 over their final 16 games.

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