BABSON PARK, Mass.—First-year Joey Flannery (Acton, Mass.) scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half and Babson College shot a blistering 58.1 percent in the opening stanza, cruising  to an 84-57 victory over Elms College in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.

With its second straight win, Babson is now 9-2 on the year, while Elms drops to 3-7 overall.

Sophomore Travis Sheldon (Woodstock, N.Y.) and first-year Charlie Rice (Barnstable, Mass.) each came off the bench to score 11 points for the Beavers. Senior Matt Palazini (Franklin, Mass.) contributed nine points, while junior Eric Dean (Gilford, N.H.) added eight points, eight rebounds, and four steals.

Sophomore Derek Murphy (Columbia, Md.) scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half to lead the Blazers. First-year Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) recorded 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and junior Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in with 10 points and five caroms.

After a Lockett layup trimmed the Babson lead to 7-6 just over five minutes in, the hosts ripped off a 27-2 run, sparked by a trio of three-pointers from Sheldon, to break the game open. Following a Dean jumper, Sheldon sandwiched a pair of trifectas around a Palazini triple to take a 18-8 lead at the 11:42 mark.

Flannery, who had six points during the run, buried a pair of free throws, followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Sheldon and senior Kenny Ross (Furlong, Pa.) to put the Beavers up 26-8 with 9:20 to go in the period. Babson shot 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from beyond the arc in the first half, capped by junior Ryan Stowe's (Shrewsbury, Mass.) triple just before the break to grab a 49-17 halftime lead.

The Green and White, which forced 19 turnovers and outscored Elms 38-28 in the paint, pushed its lead to as many as 35 early in the second half. The Blazers, buoyed by Murphy's 12 points, as well as seven from senior Isaiah Odunlami (Providence, R.I.) pulled within 75-55 with just 2:22 to go in the game.

Babson shot 46.4 percent (32-for-69) on the afternoon, while holding Elms to just 37.3 percent (22-for-59) shooting from the floor. The Beavers, who held a 38-11 advantage in bench scoring, outrebounded the Blazers, 42-39.

Babson will be back in action on Wednesday night when it hosts Emerson to open up New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play at 7 p.m. Elms will host Lesley on Tuesday afternoon at 5 p.m.

GAME NOTES:
The Beavers' nine non-conference victories are their most in the regular season since the 2001-02 squad picked up 11 non-league wins…The 9-2 start is the program's best since 2002-03…The Beavers tied their season-high with 10 three-point field goals against Elms, and have made seven three's or more in every game this season…Babson, which is now 4-1 at Staake Gym this season, is averaging 85.0 points per game at home.