SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Junior guard Jordan Mello-Klein (Sharon/Thayer Academy) and freshman guard Isaac Martin (Peachtree Gardens, Ga./Norcross HS) combined for 15 points during a game-ending 17-10 run as Bentley University remained alone at the top of the Northeast Division standings with a 73-66 win over American International College in Northeast10 Conference men's basketball Saturday afternoon at Butova Gym.

Mello-Klein scored all nine of his points during the closing stretch, including four of four free throws in the final 36.6 seconds, and Martin played a key role off the bench. After the Yellow Jackets tied the game with 8:01 to play, he pitched in with six points, two rebounds and an assist.

With the victory, Bentley improved to 16-4 overall and 8-3 in conference action. AIC fell to 6-14 overall with its eighth loss in 11 conference games.

Following a basket from AIC senior forward Goree Venable-Gonzalez (Bayonne, N.J.) that created the game's ninth and final tie, back-to-back driving lay-ups from Martin and Mello-Klein put Bentley in front to stay at 60-56. Mello-Klein, who complemented his nine points with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, followed with a straight ahead trey, making it a seven-point game with 6:24 to play.

The Yellow Jackets, down 64-60, had a couple chances to get closer but failed to connect, misfiring on both an elbow jumper and a three-pointer. Martin rebounded the first errant shot and sophomore guard Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS) claimed the second.

Senior forward Chris Hudson (Hodgdon, Maine/Williston Northampton School), Bentley's top scorer with 17, scored off a post feed from Martin, returning the lead to six, 66-60, with 1:54 left. After an AIC lay-up, Martin delivered a three from the right corner, making it a three-possession game.

Free throws from Mello-Klein with 36.6 and 9.2 seconds locked up the win for the Falcons.

There was very little separation in the game with the biggest differential nine points for AIC, 16-7, following an early 16-3 run.

A 13-2 Bentley run resulted in a brief Falcon lead at 20-18, but five straight by AIC junior guard Jordan Vidal (Bronx, N.Y.) put the home team back in front.

Martin buried two three-pointers during a 10-4 spurt that produced a 37-31 Bentley lead, but AIC scored the final four points of the opening half to create a two-point game at the break, 37-35.

AIC used an 11-2 run to go up six with just under 14 to play, and Bentley responded with an identical run for a 54-51 lead near the midpoint of the second. Hudson had the first six and sophomore guard Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School) sank a go-ahead triple from the right corner.

Hudson was followed on the Bentley scoring list by Webb, Wright-Kinsey and Margin, all with 12. Martin's total was a career-high, surpassing the 10 he had on Wednesday, and he also finished with four rebounds and a plus-12.

Senior forward Zekiah Owens (Spencerport, N.Y) led AIC with 20 points.

Bentley made exactly half its shots in each half while holding the Yellow Jackets to .406. Rebounds favored the visitors, 42-32, and the Falcons, despite struggling at the line, made 11 of the game's 12 free throws.

Turnovers hurt the Falcons with AIC turning 13 into 23 points and a 16-point advantage in that category.

The conference's two divisional leaders will square off Tuesday in Syracuse, N.Y. when Bentley makes its biannual trip to Le Moyne College.