LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Senior guard Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to power Bentley University, the number 16 team in the preseason NABC Division II coaches poll, downed Georgian Court University, 86-61, in non-conference men's basketball Saturday afternoon at the Wellness Center Arena.

Laput was joined in double figures by senior forward Ivan Misic (Toronto, Ont.) and sophomores Joe Carroll (Cedar Grove, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) and Cash McClure (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook HS). Misic scored 13, Carroll came off the bench for a career-high with 12, and McClure's 11 was also a career-best.

A 22-6 first-half run consumed more than five minutes and gave Bentley a 22-point advantage, 47-25, with 2:21 remaining in the first half. The surge included four three-pointers with McClure, graduate forward Isaac Martin (Atlanta, Ga./Norcross HS), Laput and Carroll all connecting from outside the arc.

It was a dominating first half for Laput, the reigning D2SIDA East Region Player of the Year, as he went into the break with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The bench contributed 16 points with Carroll scoring eight and Martin providing seven.

Georgian Court closed to within 12, 71-59, with 6:29 left, but the Lions managed only two more points the rest of the afternoon. Meanwhile, the Falcons closed with a 16-2 run, a surge that began with four points from Carroll and four free throws from senior guard Aaron Latham (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS).

All four of Bentley's double-figure scorers shot better than 50 percent from the field. Laput was 8 of 14, Misic finished five of seven, and McClure and Carroll were each four-of-seven. McClure grabbed seven points and finished a team-best +23.

Latham added nine points and four assists.

Senior guard Clint Wright Jr. (Suffolk, Va.) led Georgian Court (0-1) with 15 points.

Bentley, which shot 58 percent in the first half, finished at .469 overall and made 11 of 31 from deep, including a combined five of six from Laput and Carroll. Georgian Court's .450 included just five of 17 from three.

The Falcons outrebounded the Lions by 11, 40-29, and had a 21-3 advantage in second chance points. Points off turnovers, 20-8, also favored the visitors.

Bentley, 2-1, will return home to host the University of New Haven next Saturday in the home and Northeast-10 opener.