Bentley Men's Basketball with Remarkable Run of 55-Straight Regular Season Wins

Posted: Dec 21, 2020

No sport in the Northeast-10 Conference has more parity than men’s basketball. That’s why the winning streaks achieved by the Bentley Falcons from 2006-08 are so impressive and why this accomplishment is rightfully included on the list of 40 Iconic Moments in NE10 history. It’s also one that will be very tough to repeat.

During the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, Bentley was a perfect 54-0 in conference games and finished a combined 66-2, with both losses coming against three-time national finalist Winona State in the Elite Eight.

The 2006-07 team, which finished 32-1, swept through the Northeast-10 with 22 wins and captured both the NE10 tournament championship and the NCAA Regional to enter the Elite Eight at 32-0. The perfect season ended with a 64-51 loss to 36-0 Winona, who then lost on a buzzer-beater in the national championship game.

A year later, it was another 22-0 regular conference record and then Bentley again successfully defended its NE10 tournament and NCAA regional titles. In the regional, it was three wins over conference foes with the Falcons dispatching Merrimack, Bryant and Assumption by an average of 16 points to earn a return trip to Springfield and the Elite Eight.

The 2007-08 team improved to 34-0 with an Elite Eight quarterfinal win over North Alabama (102-92). Bentley carried a 36-30 lead into halftime of the national semifinals before dropping an 86-75 decision to Winona, the eventual national champion.

Other accomplishments during those two special seasons included:

The two longest winning streaks (32 and 34) in New England men’s basketball history (all divisions), both surpassing the 29 consecutive wins achieved by a Bob Cousy led Holy Cross team 57 years earlier.
Twice had to defeat a conference opponent four straight times to win the NCAA Division II regional title (Bryant in 2007, Assumption in 2008)
Bentley won 55 straight conference games from Nov. 21, 2006-Nov. 19, 2008.
Bentley won 55 consecutive regular season games from Feb. 21, 2006-Nov. 7, 2008, breaking the Division II national record that stood since the forties.
Was ranked in the top five in Division II for almost the entire the 2006-07 season.
Was ranked No. 1 in Division throughout the 2007-08 (ahead of Winona State).

Remarkably, Bentley posted the 32-1 record in 2006-07 without a first-team All-Northeast-10 honoree. Forwards Nate Fritsch and Jeff Holmes were both voted to the second team, and point guard Yusuf Abdul-Ali was chosen for the third team.

In 2007-08, Fritsch was a first-team All-NE10 choice and an NABC All-American. Lew Finnegan and future NABC Division II National Player of the Year Jason Westrol were both second-team All-NE10 and Abdul-Ali was again a third-team selection.

These two amazing seasons were in the middle of a larger seven-year run in which the Falcons earned an NCAA berth annually and played in six regional championship games in a seven-year span (2005-11). There was also a five-peat as NE10 regular season champs (before the conference went to two divisions), three Elite Eight appearances and two national semifinal games.

“It’s a long time ago now, but it was certainly a very special achievement for our program,” said Jay Lawson, who is in his 30th year as Bentley’s head coach and his 36th season on the staff. “It’s honestly still a bit hard to comprehend, but those teams had a great combination of talent, leadership, discipline, mental toughness and teamwork. The recognition is well deserved.”

Bentley Men's Basketball Winning Streak Links of Note:

ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.