MEDFORD, Mass.—First-year Joey Flannery (Acton, Mass.) poured in 30 points to lead five players in double figures and earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, as Babson College defeated Salem State, 101-87, in the Big 4 Challenge championship game on Sunday afternoon at Cousens Gymnasium on the campus of Tufts University on Sunday afternoon.

Babson (7-1) trailed 52-49 at halftime, but outscored the Vikings 52-35 in the second half to win their first Big 4 Challenge cup. Junior John Wickey (Manchester, N.H.), who was named to the All-Tournament team, added 14 points and 3 steals for Babson, while classmate David Mack (Holden, Mass.) had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the final.

Salem State (4-4) was led by 27 points from Bryan Ortiz, who was selected to the All-Tournament team. Andrew White, who had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists today, was also an All-Tournament selection.

A 10-0 run in the middle of the second half gave Babson the advantage. The Vikings had gone in front 63-62 on a three-pointer by Jon Perez at 12:14. First-year Sam Bohmiller (Franklin, Mass.) spearheaded the Babson run, scoring the next eight points with two three-pointers and a lay-up. After a pair of free throws by Mack, Babson led 72-63 with 8:15 on the clock.

Salem State would twice cut the margin to six, including 76-70 following a lay-up by Hamed Akanni with 6:30 remaining. However, the Beavers put the game away with an 8-0 spurt started on a three-pointer by senior Matt Palazini (Franklin, Mass.). A pair of free throws by Flannery put Babson ahead 84-70 with 5:01 left in the game. 

Another three-pointer by Perez brought Salem State within single-digits at 96-87, but with only one minute left it wasn't enough and Babson won its first New England Big 4 Challenge. The Beavers had been 0-8 in the tournament entering the weekend.

A tightly contested first half finished with the Vikings leading by three. The game was tied 47-47 with 1:45 to go until intermission, but White hit a three-pointer for Salem State to go ahead 50-47. After a pair of free throws by Babson's Flannery, White scored a lay-up with five seconds remaining to send the teams to the locker room with Salem up by three.

Ortiz had 15 at the break for the Vikings, who shot 56.3 percent (18/32) in the first half. White added 13 points to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Salem State made five threes, outscored Babson 11-5 at the free throw line, and held a 17-12 edge on the glass over the first 20 minutes. Flannery recorded 16 first-half points for Babson, making 6 of 7 shots, while Mack chipped in with 10 points. The Beavers shot 63.3 percent (19/30) from the floor, including a 6-for-9 effort from three-point range.

Babson shot an outstanding 56.5 percent (35-for-62) overall for the game, including 9-for-19 from three-point territory. Junior Eric Dean (Gilford, N.H.) added 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the victory, while Palazini had 11 points and three assists. Flannery finished the weekend with 61 points in two games after scoring 31 points in the Beavers' opening-round win against Brandeis on Saturday.

The Vikings, playing in their third straight Big 4 Challenge title game, got 12 points and six rebounds from Akanni. Perez scored 11, and Chris Parenteau blocked four shots for Salem State, which was 29-for-60 shooting overall (48.3%) and 10-for-27 on threes (37%).

Both teams return to action on Thursday night as Babson hosts nationally-ranked Amherst at 7 p.m., while Salem State travels to Plymouth State for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

GAME NOTES: Babson is now 5-12 all-time against Salem State…The Beavers topped the century mark for the first team since a 115-107 five-overtime victory over Wheaton on February 18, 1999…Babson made a season-high 35 field goals against Salem State while shooting a season-high 56.5 percent from the floor…The Beavers also made a season-best 22 free throws and had a season-low nine turnovers…Babson's 7-1 start matches the 2011-12 and 2002-03 teams for the program's best season-opening stretch in the last decade.