WALTHAM, MASS (November 12, 2010) - The men's basketball team kicked off their 2010-2011 season in dramatic fashion Friday evening, as they held on in the waning minutes to stun Bentley University 86-84 in the opening round of the Bentley University Tournament. 

It was clear from the opening whistle that Coach Holmes' squad was ready to battle the highly-touted Falcons, who came in to the contest ranked number seven in the national preseason polls.  The home team was able to build a 19-12 advantage midway through the contest's first half, but the visiting Deacons quickly rebounded to close the gap and knot the score at 23 with an 11-2 run.  Bloomfield would control the pace through the remainder of the frame, the Falcons finally drawing even at 34 with 1:34 to play to send the teams to intermission deadlocked.

The Deacons now knew they could run with one of the premier teams in the nation, and rode the confidence to an outstanding offensive performance in the game's second frame.  Shooting over 56% from the floor over the final 20 minutes, Bloomfield was able to open up a 50-41 advantage early on with a 9-1 run, a lead they would never relinquish.  A late charge by the Falcons brought Bentley to within a buck with just two seconds to play, with Tom Dowling heading to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game. 

After converting his first attempt, though, Dowling's second free throw drew iron, with Bloomfield senior standout Gage Daye corralling the rebound to seal the victory.  Daye converted one of two from the stripe to close out the win, putting the finishing touches on a thrilling opening night victory for a Deacons team ready to take their place among the nation's elite. 

It was a banner performance for Daye, a second team All-American a season ago.  The senior sharpshooter picked up right where he left off in the opener, finishing 11-26 from the field for a game-high 32 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals.  Junior point guard Ahmad Harris turned in an outstanding performance of his own, going for 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in 32 minutes of action.  Matt Wafula helped control the paint for the Deacons in the win, posting 15 points and five rebounds while going an efficient 7-11 from the floor.

"This was a great win for us against a great team," head coach Gerald Holmes said.  "We hung tough when they made their charge late, and that shows a lot about the type of team we have this year.  We played very well tonight, but there's still room for improvement.  We've got another tough test tomorrow night, so we'll see if we can post this type of effort consistently."

The team returns to action Saturday, November 13 with their second game at the Bentley University Tournament against Merrimack College.  Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM.

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