Posted: Dec 06, 2011
Wellesley Basketball Falls to #16 Babson
Babson
(6-1, 3-0 NEWMAC)
66
Wellesley
(3-3, 2-1 NEWMAC)
39
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Babson (6-1, 3-0 NEWMAC) | 32 | 34 | 66 |
|
Wellesley (3-3, 2-1 NEWMAC) | 15 | 24 | 39 |
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Babson College, ranked #16 in the nation, took full advantage of its height to defeat Wellesley College, 66-39, on Tuesday night at Keohane Sports Center. The Beavers' Sarah Collins, Kathleen King, and Nicki Wurdeman combined for 55 points and 33 rebounds in the victory while holding the Blue to just 24 boards and a 30.2% shooting percentage. The win lifts Babson to 6-1 on the season, 3-0 in the NEWMAC. The Blue drop to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the conference.
The Beavers opened the game with tight defense, strong rebounding, and early buckets from Collins and Wurdeman to build a 13-3 lead midway through the first period. Babson kept the pressure on, pushing the lead to 17-3 before Wellesley finally recorded its first field goal with a three-pointer from Elisha Orama at the 8:03 mark. Orama followed with her second trey a minute later to put the difference at 19-9, but the Beavers closed out the period with a 13-6 run, for a 32-15 lead at the break.
The squads traded buckets in the opening minutes of the second half until back-to-back layups from King put the score at 50-28 with 12:20 remaining. Wellesley surged midway through the half, when a three-pointer from Malia Maier and a freethrow from Meghan Sargent cut the lead to 50-34, but Babson responded with 14 unanswered points as they cruised to a 66-39 win.
Collins and Wurdeman each recorded double-doubles for the Beavers. Collins poured in 20 points while Wurdeman tallied 18 points. Both women tallied 13 rebounds. King added 17 points and five boards.
Ashleigh Sargent led the Blue with 13 points. Maier added nine and Orama chipped in seven. Morgyne Weaver led all players with six steals.
Both teams return to action on Friday, December 9 at 7pm, when Babson hosts Wheaton and Wellesley travels to Clark.