WORCESTER, Mass. –Junior forward Karl Ziegler (Annandale, Va.), junior guard Terrance Bobb-Jones (Wilmington, Del.) and sophomore guard Kamali Bey (Springfield) combined for 55 points, on 20 of 32 shooting, and 24 rebounds as Assumption College claimed an 81-74 win over Bentley University in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball Wednesday night at Laska Gymasium. It was the conference opener for both teams.

Ziegler topped the scoring list with 21 points and he also had 12 rebounds and three steals, both game-highs. Bobb-Jones finished with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double and Bey came off the bench to match Bobb-Jones in the scoring column.

Senior guard Keegan Hyland (South Portland, Maine/South Portland HS) buried four second-half three-pointers en route to a team-best 18 points for Bentley, and junior forward Tyler McFarland (Rockport, Maine/Camden Hills HS) followed with 17 points and ten rebounds. The Falcons also received a career-best 15 points from sophomore guard Ferguson Duke (Dartmouth, N.S./ Hun School (N.J.)), who was making his first career start.

Bentley used an early 11-0 run and a first-half closing 9-2 spurt to take a 36-34 lead into intermission. Assumption, as it would throughout the game, shot better (47-38 percent) but a substantial edge at the foul line (14 of 16, as compared to five of nine) and a 4-1 advantage in triples resulted in the slim bulge. McFarland and Duke paced the Falcons in the half, each with 11 points.

The lead changed hands seven times during the first seven-plus minutes of the second half, the last time on a pair of Ziegler free throws with 12:51 to play that made it 49-47. After a Ziegler jumper capped an 8-3 run, Hyland knocked down a three from the top of the key for the game's 12th and final tie, 51-all.

A Bobb Jones lay-up put Assumption in front for good and launched a 14-7 run that gave the home team a 65-58 advantage with a little more than five minutes left on the clock. Bentley got to within four two more times before a foul-line jumper by Bey and a straight-away three by sophomore guard Marcus Murray (Washington, D.C.) extended the spread to nine, 72-63, with 2:08 left.

An Assumption parade to the foul line followed and the Hounds sank nine of 12 to lock up the victory. Assumption, which committed a foul on the Falcons' first four offensive possessions, wound up with substantial free throw advantage (23-32 to 15-17) with Bentley's only second half attempt coming with 12.8 seconds.

The only stat where Bentley had a significant edge was three-point shooting with the Falcons 9 of 26 from deep and the Hounds two of nine. Assumption shot better overall (.500-.417) and was a plus-11 on the boards, 39-28.

Bentley, 1-2 overall, will look to get back on track Saturday when it hosts Stonehill College at 3:30 pm.