BABSON PARK, Mass.—Sophomore Joey Flannery (Acton, Mass.) finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists as fourth-ranked Babson College rallied past visiting Westfield State, 75-62, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at Staake Gymnasium.

With its 14th straight win, Babson (26-2) collected its first NCAA Tournament win since 2004, and tied the 2002-03 team for the most wins in program history. Westfield State, which had won 15 of its last 16 games, sees its season come to an end at 20-7.

Senior John Wickey (Manchester, N.H.) scored 19 points and pulled down four rebounds, while classmate Eric Dean (Gilford, N.H.) added 12 points and six boards for the Beavers. Fellow senior David Mack (Holden, Mass.) chipped in with six points and a game-high eight rebounds in the win.

Senior Andre King (Springfield, Mass.) was tremendous for the Owls in defeat, scoring 26 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals. Classmate Grant Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) finished with 16 points and four boards, while fellow senior Robby Jones (Chicopee, Mass.) added nine points in the loss.

King scored eight early points to stake Westfield State to a 15-12 lead at the 12:24 mark, but the Green and White ripped off six straight points over its next four possessions to grab an 18-15 edge. King put the Owls back in front 20-18 with a pair of free throws, but five straight points from Flannery and a jumper from Dean to beat the shot clock gave the Beavers their biggest lead of the half at 25-20 with 5:20 to go in the stanza.

Sophomore Jesus Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) put Westfield State back in front 28-27 with a pair at the line, but Wickey hit a jumper for the sixth lead change of the half, giving Babson a 29-28 lead at the break.

The Owls scored the first eight points of the second half to take a 36-29 lead on a layup by senior Dan Tessier (Uxbridge, Mass.) with 17:53 to play. A three-pointer by Wickey and three straight points from Mack helped the Beavers get back to within four, but a hoop by Cooper, followed by six consecutive points from King helped Westfield State grabbed its largest lead of the night at 47-37 with 12:25 remaining.

The Green and White responded though, ripping off a 19-2 run to build a seven-point lead. After scoring on four of its next six possessions to cut its deficit to 49-45, a Wickey layup made a two-point game, and back-to-back hoops by Dean and sophomore Matthew Droney (Canton, Mass.) put the hosts in front 51-49. After Flannery nailed a corner three that bounced three times before dropping, Wickey hit a pair at the line to make it 56-49 with 5:18 to play.

The Owls got within three twice, the final time coming on a layup by sophomore Shane Pasquantonio (Ashland, Mass.) to make it 58-55 with 3:35 left, but the Green and White scored 15 of its final 17 points at the free throw line to pull away late.

The Beavers shot 48 percent (24-of-50) and outscored Westfield State 34-32 in the paint. Babson also held a 33-28 advantage on the glass.

The Owls shot 38.2 percent (21-of-55)  overall and were just 4-of-18 from beyond the arc.

Babson will return to action on Saturday when its hosts 21st-ranked Scranton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Friday's contest was the first meeting between Babson and Westfield State…the Beavers' 14-game winning streak is tied for the second longest in program history, just one behind the 1968-69 team, which strung together 15 consecutive wins…Flannery's 28 points tied Michael Kingsley '96, who scored 28 in the first round against Trinity in 1995, for the most points in a NCAA Tournament game…Flannery also passed Kingsley on the program's single-season scoring list and is now second with 598 points on the year… Wickey, who needs just three points to move into 10th place on the school's all-time list, reached double figures for the 31st time in the last 32 games for the Beavers.