Blue Basketball Finishes as NEWMAC Runner-Up; Babson Tops Wellesley

BABSON PARK, Mass. -- The Wellesley College basketball team's impressive playoff run came to an end in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic (NEWMAC) championship game on Sunday. The third seeded Blue hung tough, but in the end, couldn't keep pace with nationally-ranked Babson, as the Beavers earned the title with a 66-55 victory. 

The win marked the fifth straight season in which Babson (25-2) earned the NEWMAC title. Wellesley (15-10) was making it's first championship appearance in over 10 years.

Babson senior Sarah Collins scored a career-high 32 points to lead the top-seeded Beavers over the third-seeded Blue. Collins was fantastic in the title game for Babson (ranked 17th by D3hoops.com, 14th by USA Today), shooting 11-for-17 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free throw line for 32 points. The 2012 All-American also grabbed 10 rebounds for her 23rd double-double of the season, and she tacked on a game-high four blocked shots. As a result, she was named the NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season.

Beavers first-year Kristen Ferola was the only other Beaver in double figures with 10 points, while first-year Linnett Graber finished with eight points and four boards. Senior Allanah Wynn chipped in with seven points and first-year Megan Otto added four points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Wellesley saw its outstanding postseason run come to a close despite a 13-point effort from junior Leslie Leong, who shot 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from the stripe. Sophomore Natalie Anderson finished with nine points for the Blue, while senior Malia Maier and sophomore Morgyne Weaver each netted eight points. Senior Ashleigh Sargent also played well in her final NEWMAC Tournament contest, finishing with six points and a team-high six rebounds.

Collins scored eight points during a 12-3 run that gave Babson a 21-15 advantage with 6:47 left in the first half, but Wellesley fought back to within three on two occasions, including a 23-20 deficit following two free throws from Jackson with 4:45 remaining. The Beavers then rattled off an 8-0 burst that was capped by a conventional three-point play by Graber off a beautiful pass from Collins to increase the lead the 11 at 31-20 with 2:55 on the clock.

After a timeout, the Blue netted five straight thanks to a Jackson layup and a three-pointer by Leong to make it 31-25, but Collins closed the period with a jumper and two foul shots to give the hosts a 35-25 advantage heading into the break. Collins led all players with 20 points at the half for Babson, while Leong had 10 for Wellesley.

Wellesley continued to chip away early in the second stanza, getting to within three after a conventional three-point play by Leong capped a 5-0 run that trimmed the deficit to 39-36 with 12:39 left in the game. The margin was still three after a Maier bucket made it 41-38 with 11:49 to go, but Babson finally put the game out of reach with a dominating 10-0 run over the next six minutes of action. Ferola started the barrage with a three-pointer at 10:19 – the only basket for either squad for more than four minutes – before first-year Alicia Wilde (Franklin, Mass.) converted a three-point play to make it 47-38 with 7:29 on the clock. Collins then added a layup and Wynn followed with two free throws to give the hosts their largest lead to that point, 51-38, with six minutes remaining.

The Blue never drew closer than 10 over the remainder of the contest, as Collins repeatedly answered each Wellesley score with a bucket of her own. The visitors began fouling with more than a minute left, but the Beavers hit seven of their 12 free throws in the final 90 seconds to finish off the 66-55 victory.