SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) scored a game-high 21 points, grad students Jordan Mello-Klein (Sharon/Thayer Academy) and Pete Blust (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale HS) each had double-doubles, and senior guard Isaac Martin (Peachtree Gardens, Ga./Norcross HS) came off the bench for four threes as Bentley University won at American International College, 82-72, in non-conference men's basketball Monday afternoon at Butova Gym.

It was a game of runs for Bentley, which improved to 8-2 on the season. Eight straight points, the first five by Laput, erased AIC's last lead of the game and made it 12-6 a little more than four minutes into the game.

Later in the first half, the Falcons used a 13-4 spurt to go up 11, 27-16. Eight of those were scored by senior guard Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS).

In front 42-37 at intermission, Bentley ran off nine straight when play resumed. Laput scored on a driving lay-up, Blust finished off a fast break, Webb buried a three-pointer and Blust made it 51-37 with a tip-in.

A 10-2 run, capped by a Mello-Klein corner three, produced the biggest lead of the afternoon, 61-43 with 12:30 to play.

After the Yellow Jackets closed within eight with 8:24 remaining, Bentley regained control and went up 73-58 with seven unanswered points. Webb converted a three-point play, Laput scored on a drive and Martin buried a three from the left corner with 7:14 on the clock.

 While Bentley didn't shoot particularly well from three (only 33 percent), coach Jay Lawson's team made 13 of the game's 15 treys. That gave the Falcons a 39-6 advantage in points via the three-ball as AIC was only 2 of 16 from outside the arc.

The Falcons also controlled the boards with rates of 38 percent at the offensive end and 74 percent at the defensive end. They finished with a 44-35 advantage overall and 15 offensive rebounds that resulted in 15 second-chance points.

Laput, 10 of 18 shooting the ball, reached 20 for the third straight game and also gave the Falcons five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Webb followed with 15 and Mello-Klein provided 13 points, ten rebounds and three steals.

Blust made five of his six shots and finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. All of Martin's points came via his career-high four three-pointers.

The top scorers for AIC (4-6) were junior forward Franklyn Batista (Barahona, Dom. Rep.) and graduate guard Jordan Vidal (Bronx, N.Y.), with 15 points apiece.

Bentley will close out the 2021 portion of the schedule Dec. 30 at home against Dominican College.