Beavers Surpass 1968-69 Team For Best Start In Program History
BABSON PARK, Mass.—Sophomore Joey Flannery (Acton, Mass.) scored 19 points, all in the second half, and sixth-ranked Babson College closed the game with a 29-9 run over the final 14 minutes to defeat visiting MIT, 62-51, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.
With its 11th straight victory, Babson (23-2, 13-1 NEWMAC) surpassed the 1968-69 squad for the best start in program history. MIT, which had won two consecutive games, concludes the regular season at 17-7 overall and 10-4 in conference play.
Despite shooting just 4-of-13 from the field, Flannery went 11-of-11 at the free throw line in the win. He also grabbed six rebounds and collected four steals for the Beavers. Senior John Wickey (Manchester, N.H.) finished with 12 points and nine boards, while classmate David Mack (Holden, Mass.) added 12 points and five rebounds
Junior Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.) knocked down four three-pointers and scored 15 points to lead the Engineers. Senior Matt Redfield (Los Altos, Calif.) and sophomore Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.) each scored nine points, and senior Dennis Levene (Weston, Conn.) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
MIT emerged from a first half that featured nine lead changes and six ties with a 26-25 lead at the break. Babson matched its biggest lead of the opening stanza at 17-13 on a jumper by Wickey at the 6:34 mark, but the Engineers responded with three consecutive treys, including two by Pedley, to grab their biggest lead at 22-17 with 4:42 remaining in the period.
Hoops by senior Eric Dean (Gilford, N.H.) and Mack, and four straight free throws but the Green and White back in front 25-24, but Butala cleaned up a missed jumper by Pedley for a one-point lead in the closing minute of the half. The Beavers shot just 30 percent (9-of-30) in the opening 20 minutes, and were outrebounded, 23-15, by MIT.
Trailing 39-33 after a Redfield bucket with just over 14 minutes to play, Flannery started the decisive run with seven straight points to give the Green and White a 40-39 lead. Mack followed with a pair of free throws and a layup to push the Beavers' edge to 44-39 with 10:44 left in the game. Butala got the Engineers back within three on a jumper, but Flannery and first-yearBradley Jacks (Fort Washington, Md.) scored eight straight points to push the lead to 54-43 with 4:51 remaining in the contest.
The Engineers cut their deficit to single digits on a layup by Acker with 4:32 left, but Mack answered with a hoop of his own on the next possession, and Flannery scored Babson's final six points to cement the win.
In a game that featured two of the nation's top defensive squads, the Green and White shot just 35.1 percent (20-of-57), while MIT finished at just 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the floor.
The Beavers turned 15 Engineers' turnovers into 18 points, and outscored the visitors 34-26 in the paint.
Babson, which earned the top seed in next week's NEWMAC Tournament , will host an opponent to be determined in the first of two semifinal contests at Staake Gymnasium next Saturday at 1 p.m. MIT will be seeded either third or fourth and learn its conference tournament opponent later on Saturday night.
GAME NOTES: Babson is now 49-19 all-time against MIT and has won each of the last four meetings by double figures…with 19 points on Saturday, Flannery has now scored 17 points or more in 20 of the Beavers' 25 games this season…Wickey, who made his 106th consecutive start against the Engineers, reached double figures for the 28th time in the last 29 games…Babson was outrebounded 40-36 by MIT, marking just the second time this season this season that has occurred…Saturday's contest marked the final regular-season home game for Dean, Mack and Wickey, who have led the program to a record of 43-9 over the last two seasons.