Beavers Hang National Championship Banner, Shoot 70 Percent in the Second Half to Pull Away from Lasers

BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior transfer Tim Hasbargen (Munich, Germany) led five players in double figures with 18 points to help seventh-ranked Babson College defeat visiting Lasell College, 95-64, in non-conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night at Staake Gymnasium.

Babson (1-0), the defending Division III national champions, won its 10th straight season opener, while Lasell opens the year at 0-1.

Hasbargen connected on 8-of-10 shots from the floor, sophomore Frank Oftring (North Attleboro, Mass.) scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and junior transfer Brandon Johnson (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) collected his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Beavers. Senior Bradley Jacks (Fort Washington, Md.) also scored 11 points, while classmate Nick Comenale (New York Mills, N.Y.) chipped in with 13 points, seven boards and a game-high five assists.

Junior Tim Blair (Newington, Conn.) led all players with 26 points, while classmate Brandon Vila (Jersey City, N.J.) added 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Lasers. Senior Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) dished out five assists and added a game-high four steals in the loss.

The Green and White led by as many as eight in the first six minutes, and shot 47.1 percent on its way to building a 39-27 lead at the break. The hosts pushed their advantage to 50-34 after back-to-back three-pointers by Comenale and Jacks less than three minutes after halftime.

Blair scored 13 points over the first five-plus minutes of the second half to get Lasell as close as 52-46 with 14:16 remaining. The Beavers responded with a 12-2 run sparked by nine points from Hasbargen to push their advantage back to 64-48 with 11:20 left.

Babson's offense was too much to overcome for the Lasers, as it connected on 12 of its first 17 shots to open the second half and shot 70 percent in the stanza, which included a 9-of-14 effort from three-point range. Lasell cut its deficit to 69-56 on a layup by McMahon with 8:23 to go, but the Green and White got 13 points from Oftring and sophomore Jack Coolahan (Newtown, Pa.) as part of a 15-7 spurt that extended the lead to 21 with under three minutes to play.

The Beavers, who shot 57.8 percent from the floor, outscored Lasell 46-26 in the paint. The Green and White also finished with a 46-27 advantage on the glass.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as Babson hosts Worcester State at 1 p.m., while Lasell takes on Nichols at 3 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are now 12-3 all-time against Lasell and have won five straight in the series.
• With its fifth straight home win, Babson improves to 55-5 inside Staake Gymnasium going back to January 22, 2014.
• Comenale has reached double figures in scoring in seven consecutive games going back to last season.
• Prior to the game, the Green and White unveiled its 2017 national championship banner and presented the squad with their rings.