DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Babson College men's basketball team rallied from a 15-point second half deficit but fell just short as the Beavers lost to Lebanon Valley College, 73-72, in the 2010 Land of Magic Classic at Embry-Riddle University on Tuesday. With the loss, Babson falls to 4-6 overall, while the Dutchmen improve to 7-4.
The Beavers were led in defeat by sophomore Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who recorded a double-double with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. Junior Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) added 12 points and four rebounds, while first-year Matt Palazini (Franklin, Mass.) tossed in 13 points off the bench. Senior captain Matt Zoia (Nashua, N.H.) and junior captain Matt Florio (Skillman, N.J.) each chipped in with nine points and four assists while combining for six of the team's nine steals.
For Lebanon Valley, Anthony Trautman recorded a game-high 21 points, while Danny Brooks was close behind with 19 points. Joe Meehan contributed 14 points, 10 assists, six boards, and three steals, and Grant Becker pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Dutchmen led by as many as 15 in the first half before taking a 39-33 advantage into the break. Babson then pulled to within two after back-to-back lay-ups by Braithwaite early in the second, but Lebanon Valley would surge back to match its largest lead of the contest after a Brooks jumper made it 58-43 with 13:16 left in the game.
Following a Meehan lay-up that made it 60-47, the Beavers embarked on a 9-0 run to get back into the contest. Palazini scored the first seven points of the spurt, while Noonan capped it with a bucket to make it 60-56 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation.
The Dutchmen would keep the Beavers just out of striking distance for the next four minutes before Noonan hit three straight free throws and Braithwaite followed with a lay-up to pull Babson to within three, 67-64, with 1:20 on the clock. However, Meehan knocked down a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left, and, after Florio hit two of his own to cut it back to three, Trautman hit the second of two to make it a two-possession game, 70-66, with 18 seconds remaining.
Becker added another freebie to give Lebanon Valley a five-point lead with 10 seconds left, but Palazini gave Babson life with his third three-pointer of the game three seconds later. Meehan then iced the Dutchmen victory with two free throws with four seconds on the clock, making it 73-69, before a three at the buzzer by Babson junior Peter Foley (Wells, Maine) provided the 73-72 final.
The Beavers finish up their southern trip with a 4 p.m. contest against Penn State-Harrisburg on Wednesday. Babson then returns home to open its second semester schedule with a NEWMAC road game at Springfield on January 5.