WALTHAM, Mass. – All five players scored in doubles as the 14^th-ranked Bentley University men's basketball team extended its overall win streak to eight and its home streak to 20 with an 86-75 Northeast-10 Conference win over Franklin Pierce University New Year's Eve afternoon at the Dana Center.

NE10 scoring leader and junior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS)  finished with a team-best 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS), also a junior guard, followed with 18 points. Bentley also received double-doubles from graduate students Matt Leritz (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) and Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS).

Bentley improved to 10-1 overall and 5-1 Northeast-10 while Franklin Pierce  dropped to 7-4 overall and 3-3 conference.

Playing for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Falcons started fast with ten unanswered points before the game was three minutes old. Latham opened the scoring with a drive, Laput knocked down a three from the left wing, Leritz followed with a traditional three-point play and Laput finished a fast break with a lay-up.

With the score at 18-8, Franklin Pierce embarked on a 13-1 run over a span of 4:25 to take its only lead of the day, 21-19 with 8:58 to play. Five of those points were scored by sophomore forward Sean Trumper (Ashford, United Kingdom).

Coach Jay Lawson's team responded with a 17-2 run to go back in front, 36-23. That surge included two triples from Webb and one from graduate guard Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School).

The first half ended with the Falcons in front 46-34 after the differential peaked at 16 points.

After three-pointers by Webb and Wright-Kinsey made it 74-56 with 8:10 left, Franklin Pierce got back in the game with a 19-8 run. The surge reduced the lead to seven, 82-75, with 1:43 to play.

That would be as close as the Ravens would come as Webb made two free throws, Latham drew an offensive foul and Wright-Kinsey completed the game's scoring with a lay-up. The Falcons got two more defensive stops in the final minute with Webb collecting a rebound and coming up with a steal.

Laput's performance also included six rebounds and three assists. Latham added six boards and four helpers, and Webb finished with 16 points, ten rebounds, three assists and two steals. Leritz added five assists to his 13-point, 11-rebound double-double and  Wright-Kinsey filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Franklin Pierce was led by senior guard Brandon Kolek (Cumberland, R.I.), who knocked down seven of nine three-pointers and totaled a career-best 23 points.

Bentley  outshot the Ravens 50-46 percent, had a 12-8 advantage in threes and was superior at the line. The Falcons converted 12 of 13 while Franklin Pierce was just five of ten at the line.

Sixteen Bentley turnovers were costly but the Falcons dominated the boards, collecting  60 percent of the available rebounds. The final tally was 44-29 with all five starters coming up with at least six.

Next up for Bentley is  Wednesday night at Saint Rose.