WALTHAM, Mass. – On the strength of 76 percent shooting inside the three-point line, 58 points in the paint and a 44-19 rebound dominance, Bentley University extended its winning streak to seven with an 88-63 win over Jefferson University in non-conference men's basketball Sunday afternoon at the Dana Center.

Bentley, ranked 18^th in the NABC Division II coaches poll, improved to 9-1 overall and stretched its home winning streak to 19. Jefferson, which trailed by as many as 28, dropped to 6-5 overall.

All five starters for coach Jay Lawson's team reached double figures in points with junior guard and Northeast-10 scoring leader Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) topping the list with 20 points.

Down one with 5:48 left in the opening half after an 8-2 Ram run, Bentley outscored the visitors 16-8 the rest of the first half to open a 38-31 lead. Five different players scored over the span with Laput accounting for six of the 16 with three inside baskets.            

First-half rebounds were 22-10 and each of the nine Falcons who saw playing time in the half at least one. Laput led all scorers with 12 points prior to intermission.

A 6-0 run that included layups by Laput, graduate forward Matt Leritz (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) and junior guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) extended Bentley's lead to 13, 46-33, early in the second half.

With the difference still 13 with about 11 minutes left, Bentley doubled its advantage with a 19-6 spurt making it 78-52 with 4:40 to play. Included were three-pointers by Laput and graduate guard Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS).

Laput, who was 7-of-10 from the floor, was followed in the scoring column by Leritz with 14 on 7-of-8 shooting. Webb had 13, graduate guard Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School) added 11 and Latham scored 10. Senior guard Kellen Bochenek (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont HSZ) added nine, matching his career-high, off the bench and also had six rebounds.

Leritz led the Falcons in rebounding with nine and Wright-Kinsey added eight, along with three dimes, two steals and two rejections.

Sophomore guard Erik Timko (Audubon, Pa.), who came into the game as the top scorer in the East Region, led Jefferson with 14 points, about nine below his norm.

Bentley outshot the Rams 60-43 percent and made seven more free throws, 12-5, although neither club shot well from the line. There were only 12 three-pointers combined, six by each team. The Falcons' 21 assists were divided among nine players and included four by Webb.

The next game for the Falcons is New Year's Eve day at home against Franklin Pierce.