Wellesley Falls to Babson, 62-46

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Despite a strong first-half performance, Wellesley basketball fell to Babson College 62-46 this afternoon at Keohane Sports Center. The Blue drop to 8-7 on the season, 2-5 in conference play. Cross-town rival Babson moves to 12-7 overall, 5-2 in the NEWMAC competition.

The teams traded baskets through the opening 10 minutes of the game, playing to a 13-13 tie midway through the period. Katie Frett (Hallowell, ME) sparked an 8-2 run for the Blue with back-to-back layups, giving Wellesley a 21-15 lead with 7:38 remaining in the half. Babson fought back with a run of their own, taking a 23-22 edge at the 4:02 mark, courtesy of consecutive jumpers from Kathleen King (Framingham, MA). The Blue regained the lead with a layup from Jessica Duff (Milton, Abingdon, UK) and a freethrow Courtney Richter (Sinking Springs, PA), but a layup from the Beavers' Nicole Wurdeman (Rowley, MA) tied the score at 25-25 at the break. 

The Blue came out strong in the second half, as Richter tallied eight quick points to spark the Blue to a 41-34 lead with 14:38 left in the game. Babson responded with a 12-0 run to take a 46-41 lead at the 9:24 mark, with the help of six more points from Wurdeman. The Beavers maintained the momentum, out-scoring the Blue 16-5 in the closing minutes of the game to cruise to a 62-46 win. 

Wurdeman led Babson with 22 points and 12 rebounds. King added 19 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Michelle Kenel (Rockaway Beach, NY) and Becky Bowman (Melrose, MA) chipped in eight and six points, respectively.

Richter led the Blue with 11 points and three steals. Duff recorded another double-double, her 11th of the season, notching 10 points and 11 rebounds. Julia Thomas (Concord, CA) added seven points and 11 rebounds, as Frett chipped in eight points and three rebounds in the loss.

Both teams return to NEWMAC action on Wednesday, February 4. Babson will travel to Wheaton for a 7:30 p.m. match-up, while Wellesley plays host to WPI at 7 p.m.