Bentley up at half, 36-30

The Bentley men's basketball team is just 20 minutes away from playing for the Division 2 national champship on Saturday afternoon.

The top-ranked Falcons shot 52 percent the floor in opening up a six-point halftime cushion, 36-30, against Winona State at the MassMutual Center.

Senior point guard Yusuf Abdul-Ali, who prepped at the New Leadership School right down the street, paced a balanced attack with eight points and five rebounds. All eight Falcons who played scored in the first 20 minutes, including freshman wing Tommy Dowling, who delivered seven big points, and three rebounds, off the bench.

The 6-3 wing drilled spinning jumper on the left side of lane, a double-pump runner on the right side, and, after ripping a defensive rebound out of a crowd, sank a pair of free throws for a 34-25 cushion.

John Smith (11 first-half points), Winona's 6-9 All-American, answered with a 3 at the other end for 34-28.