Wellesley Falls to Nationally-Ranked Babson

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Despite a solid first-half performance, Wellesley basketball fell to unbeaten Babson College 75-49 on Wednesday night at Keohane Sports Center.  The win lifts the Beavers, ranked #4 in the USA Today poll, to 22-0 on the season, 15-0 in the NEWMAC.  Wellesley drops to 11-10, 8-7 in conference play.

In a hard-fought first half, the Blue out-shot the Beavers 42% to 29%, but Babson forced 18 Wellesley turnovers while scoring 14 points in the paint to maintain the upperhand throughout most of the period.  A second-half offensive charge from the Beavers, led by Sarah Collins and Damisi Adewumi, proved the difference in the game.

The visitors opened the game with seven straight points, including five from Nicole Wurdeman, before Wellesley tied the game 7-7. The squads traded baskets through the middle of the period, with the Blue grabbing two short-lived leads before Babson edged away to a 25-20 advantage.  A late Wellesley surge cut the Beaver lead to 27-26 at the break.

Babson opened the second half with a fierce 14-6 run to take a 41-32 lead midway at the 13-minute mark.  Wellesley responded with a spurt, including three-pointers from Elisha Orama and Malia Maier, but the Beavers answered with a run of their own, pushing the lead to 53-39 with 8:10 remaining.  The Blue cut the edge to ten, but Babson's Sarah Collins and Damisi Adewumi, who combined for 32 second-half points, put the game out of reach as Babson cruised to the 75-49 win.  

Babson's Collins led all scorers with 26 points, including 20 in the second half, while Adewumi finished with 12 points, all coming in the final 12 minutes of play. Wurdeman and Kathleen King each tallied double-doubles as Wurdeman hit totals of 10 points and 10 rebounds, while King recorded 12 points and 10 boards.  All of Wurdeman's points came in the first half.  Rounding out the box for the Beavers, Becky Bowman notched eight points to go along with seven assists.

Wellesley's Leslie Leong recorded her fifth double-double of the season, tallying 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Also for the Blue, Becca Kimball finished with 14 points, while Maier had nine points and six steals.

Both teams return to action on Saturday, February 12, when Babson hosts Coast Guard in a 1pm game and Wellesley travels to WPI for a 2pm matchup.