WALTHAM, Mass. – Graduate guard Colton Lawrence (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO HS) led five double-figure scorers with 25 points and buried five of his team's 16 three-pointers as 23^rd-ranked Bentley University rallied in the second half for a 92-89 win over American International College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball Saturday afternoon at the Dana Center.

There were 20 lead changes and 11 ties before Bentley claimed its seventh consecutive win. Coach Jay Lawson's team improved to 13-2 overall and 8-2 NE10, good for a game-and-a-half lead over Saint Anselm in the Northeast Division standings.

The final lead change came with 5:18 remaining in the second half when Lawrence drained a three-ball in the midst of a 10-0 run that made it 85-79 Falcons. Sophomore guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) launched the spurt with a slam, Lawrence made it 80-79 with his three-ball, and graduate guard Jordan Mello-Klein (Sharon/Thayer Academy) scored the next five points.

The run grew to 13-1 and the lead to eight (88-80) when senior guard Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS) hit a long jumper with 2:24 to play.

Nine straight points by senior guard Shyheim Hicks (Brockton) – two three-pointers and a trio of free throws made it 92-89 with 43 seconds left.

While the scoring was over, the excitement was not. After AIC inbounded from the sideline with 9.8 seconds left, Mello-Klein slapped the ball away for his fifth steal of the game. After a foul and a missed free throw, AIC got the ball back but was unable to get a potential game-tying shot off.

In a game that had saw very little separation, eight was the biggest lead either way. AIC finished the first half with an 18-7 burst to go up 49-44 at the break. All five Bentley starters scored during an early second-half 12-4 spurt that put the Falcons back in front, 56-54.

Bentley's 13-1 run followed a 13-5 Yellow Jacket run that had produced a 79-75 AIC lead with six minutes straight up.

Lawrence had a strong shooting night with his 9-of-16 overall including five of nine from three. He also finished with four rebounds and three assists.

Mello-Klein had a big line, with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists along with his five steals. Laput finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, senior guard Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School) netted 13 points and Webb had 11,

Hicks and junior forward Frankyn Batista (Barahona, Dom. Rep.) combined for 49 points for AIC, which dropped to 6-13 (3-8 NE10) following its sixth straight loss. Hicks sank seven three-pointers during a 28-point performance and Batista filled the stat sheet with 21 points, ten rebounds and five assists.

AIC had the shooting advantage in the first half, 59-41 percent, while Bentley had a slim edge in the second, 57-54 percent. Both teams had 34 baskets overall, the Falcons made six more three-pointers and the Yellow Jackets were better at the line, making 11 to Bentley's eight.

Bentley took excellent care of the ball, seven turnovers as compared the AIC's, and had a 21-10 advantage in second-chance points.

Next up for the Falcons is a Wednesday home game against Le Moyne College.