DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Sophomore Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.) exploded for a career-high 27 points in leading the Babson College men's basketball team to a dominating 86-64 win over Penn State Harrisburg on day two of the Land of Magic Classic at Embry-Riddle University. With the victory, the Beavers salvaged a split at the event and improved to 5-6, while the Nittany Lions dipped to 3-7 on the season.
Braithwaite connected on 11 of 16 shots from the field for his game-high 27 points while also adding six rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the contest. Senior captain Matt Zoia (Nashua, N.H.) tossed in 20 points while hitting 6 of 11 from three-point range, and first-year Joe Zavertnik (Plantation, Fla.) netted 11 points to go with five boards. Junior Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) contributed 10 points, sophomore Peter Foley (Wells, Maine) pulled down a game-high seven rebounds, and junior captain Matt Florio (Skillman, N.J.) tallied six points and four assists.
Kenton Alston led Penn State Harrisburg with 15 points and seven caroms, while David Reisinger added 13 points for the Nittany Lions.
Leading by just one at 25-24 with 4:42 left in the first half, the Beavers used a 14-2 run to break the game open. Zoia knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the burst, which gave Babson a 39-26 advantage with 2:08 remaining in the period. The Beavers eventually entered the locker room armed with a 45-33 lead.
The Nittany Lions cut their deficit to 10 in the opening two minutes of the second half, but a 15-2 Babson run put the contest out of reach. Zoia hit two more trifectas during the stretch, while Braithwaite added seven points, including a conventional three-point play on a dunk and ensuing free throw at the 17-minute mark. The Beavers would lead by as many as 25 later in the game as they cruised to the 86-64 victory.