Grassa reaches milestone

Bentley University senior guard Jasper Grassa of Lynn needed 18 points to hit the 1,000 career-point milestone heading into Wednesday night?s game against St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH.The former Classical High basketball standout got his 18 and then some, finishing with a career-high 35 points (the most by a Falcon since 2005) to help lead Bentley to a 102-96 win over the 16th-ranked Hawks.?I didn?t even think about it until after the game when the coach told me,” Grassa said in a telephone interview after the game. “The game was back and forth. It was pretty intense.”Grassa scored his 19th point with eight minutes left and then went on a tear, adding 16 before the final buzzer.?There was a spurt when I got a couple of good looks and they happened to fall,” he said.Grassa said he expects the Falcons (3-0) to do well this season.?We have pretty much everyone back,” he said. “We?re off to a great start and it?s only going to get better. I?m feeling good about this year.”Grassa, whose previous best was 29 points, became Bentley?s 49th 1,000-point scorer when he connected on a top-of-the-key three with 10:53 to play. With his six-of-seven effort from downtown, he?s an incredible 14 of 18 from beyond the arc this season. The 35 points, which included 9-of-9 from the foul line, was the most by a Falcon since Tim Forbes put up 35 in 2005.Grassa hit 10-of-11 shots with six three-pointers Wednesday. It was the conference opener for the Falcons and the season debut for the home team.Bentley, owner of seven straight wins dating back to last season, also received 23 points from sophomore forward Tyler McFarland and a double-double (13 points, ten rebounds) from junior forward Andrew Shaw.The Falcons, who trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, erupted for 62 points after intermission on 61 percent shooting. It was the third consecutive game they?ve scored at least 90.Bentley, plagued by turnovers and poor outside shooting early, came alive in the final minutes of the first half, scoring as many points during the final 5:30 as it did in the first 14:30. The 20-9 spurt to end the opening half cut the Falcon deficit to five, 45-40.That strong finish to the first included nine by Grassa, a pair of three-pointers and a three-point play the traditional way. The remaining 11 points were split between four different players.In the second half, Grassa hit a foul-line jumper to tie the game at 77 and after a J.P. Koury steal, sophomore guard Alex Furness made the second of two free throws with 6:08 left for a 78-77 lead. Two free throws by Grassa with 5:30 on the clock capped the run.Following a Saint Anselm basket, Grassa buried his fifth and sixth threes for an 86-77 advantage. The first came from the top of the key and the second from about 25 feet on the left wing.The Falcons will be back at home on Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. non-conference encounter with 3-0 Holy Family University.