WORCESTER, Mass. – Freshman Deonte Harris (Baltimore, Md.) returned two punts for touchdowns to propel Assumption College to a 24-0 halftime lead and the Greyhounds went on to record a 40-7 win over Bentley University in Northeast-10 Conference football Friday night at the Multi-Sport Stadium.

The win, Assumption's seventh in a row, assured the Greyhounds of hosting the Nov. 14 NE-10 championship game.  Bentley, with its second straight loss, dipped to 4-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference.

A bizarre first half saw the Greyhounds take a commanding lead despite only 90 yards of total offense and four first downs.

Bentley was forced to punt on its first six possessions and five of those either resulted in points for Assumption or put the Hounds in excellent position to score.

The first, a blocked punt by Assumption's Harrison Murphy (Whitinsville) on the game's first possession, produced a 38-yard field goal by sophomore Cole Tracy (Camarillo, Calif.) four snaps later, with 12:12 left on the first quarter clock.

Bentley was forced on a three-and-out on its next possession and that punt was returned 89 yards by Harris, making it a 10-0 game after 6:19 had elapsed. Later in the quarter, a short punt gave Assumption the ball at its own 48 with that possession producing another Tracy field goal, this one a 28-yarder.

The Hounds added 11 points to their lead in the first seven minutes of the second quarter and all came from special teams as the score grew to 24-0. The first four came on a pair of poor snaps that resulted in safeties, and the final seven were as a result of Harris' second punt return for a score of the night, this one a 48-yarder.  He finished the game with two for 137 yards.

Bentley's only touchdown of the night was scored on the Falcons' opening possession of the third. Senior QB Matt Montalto (West Yarmouth/Dennis-Yarmouth Reg. HS) took it in from the five, going up the middle to finish a 12-play, 57-yard drive.

Assumption answered right back, moving 63 yards on 11 plays with the march capped by a four-yard run by junior Alex Shain (Sanford, Maine). That drive was extended when an apparent Bentley fumble recovery was negated by an inadvertent whistle, and also saw the Falcons whistled for offsides on a fourth-and-one from the Bentley seven.

The home team added ten points to its total in the fourth quarter on Tracey's third field goal of the night and a three-yard run by Kevin Ihlefeld (Norfolk) with 1:16 remaining.

Bentley twice came up empty in the red zone, turning the ball over on downs late in the second and on a fumble at the eight in the fourth.

The statistics were much closer than the score with first downs even at 16 apiece and Assumption outgaining the Falcons 303-263. The Bentley D allowed only one third down conversion in ten attempts, and the Falcon offense controlled the ball for 26 more plays (83-57) and 35:19.

Montalto, before leaving with an injury in the fourth, completed 14 of 27 for 106 yards and one interception.  Junior CJ Scarpa (Andover/Andover HS), his replacement, was five-of-nine for 72 yards, and senior Chris Walsh (Attleboro/Attleboro HS) was Bentley's top receiver with eight for 76 yards.

Freshman Drew Mahoney (West Suffield, Conn./Suffield Academy) amassed 141 all-purpose yards for Bentley, including six kickoff returns for 117 yards.

Sophomore Brendan Tobey (Lynn) completed 16 of 27 passes for Assumption, and Harris added 38 yards on offense for a total of 175 all-purpose yards.

Bentley's leading tacklers were senior defensive back Josh Charles (Hyde Park/Catholic Memorial HS) and senior defensive tackle Jeff Amell (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle HS), each with six. Sophomore linebacker Joey Piatnik (Bethel, Conn.) had his first career interception and junior safety Sean McDonald (Norfolk/King Philip Reg. HS) recovered a fumble that was forced by classmate Junior Chery (Waltham/Waltham HS).

Bentley will close out the regular season next Saturday with a 1:00 home game against LIU Post.