Babson Park, MA --- Senior Payton Ouimette (Medfield, MA) poured in a career-high 28 points and Babson closed the game with a 24-10 run to defeat visiting WPI, 67-56, in NEWMAC women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.
Babson, which has won 16 of its last 17 games, improves to 18-3 overall and 11-2 in league play, while WPI slips to 8-12 overall and 3-9 in the NEWMAC.
Ouimette also hauled down 10 rebounds to record her 14th double-double of the year, while junior Emily Bonifacic (Allendale, NJ) scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half for the Beavers. Senior Tea Spellacy (Belchertown, MA) added eight points and junior Jacqueline Jozefick (Milford, CT) chipped in with seven points and four boards in the win.
First-year Bailey Savage (Charlton, MA) scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to lead the Engineers. Senior Alyssa Paul (Schagticoke, NY) finished with nine points and first-year Victoria Mirecki (Rock Tavern, NY) added eight points and nine rebounds.
WPI shot 9-of-12 from the floor and led by as many as seven twice before settling for a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. Jozefick gave the Green and White its first lead nearly 90 seconds into the second, but Paul answered with a triple on the ensuing possession to put the Engineers back in front 24-23. First-year Alex Scariati (Scotch Plains, NJ) drained a three-pointer and both junior Alexa Itsines (Nazareth, PA) and sophomore Sara Lyons (Pittsford, NY) hit jumpers over the final 41 seconds of the frame to keep the visitors in front 34-31 at the break.
A three-pointer by Savage gave WPI a 43-37 with 6:38 to go in the third quarter before the Beavers responded with a 14-3 spurt. Ouimette scored eight consecutive points to cut the deficit to one and Spellacy and sophomore Katie Jones (Ridgewood, N.J.) canned back-to-back trifectas to put Babson on top 51-46 with 26 seconds to go in the period.
Mirecki converted a layup in the closing seconds of the third only to see the Beavers start the fourth quarter with seven straight points to extend their lead to 58-48 with 6:44 to play. The Engineers twice got as close as seven, but Bonifacic scored on a putback and Jozefick hit a turnaround jumper in the paint to extend the margin to 64-53 with 3:52 remaining.
The Green and White shot 36.9 percent for the game and finished with a 36-16 scoring edge in the paint. The Beavers also held a 38-32 advantage on the glass. After shooting 52.8 percent over the first three quarters, the Engineers were just 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) over the final 10 minutes.
Both teams return to action on Wednesday as Babson hosts No. 3/4 Tufts at 7pm, while WPI takes on Wheaton at 6pm.
Release Courtesy Babson Sports Information