BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Joey Flannery (Acton, Mass.) scored 24 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as Babson College built a 21-point lead on its way to defeating visiting Emerson College, 80-63, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Wednesday night at Staake Gymnasium.
With the win, Babson is now 7-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Emerson drops to 5-7 overall and 0-1 in the NEWMAC.
Flannery went 9-of-17 from the floor, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists for the Beavers. Junior Isaiah Nelsen (North Andover, Mass.) was 6-of-7 from the floor and finished with 17 points, nine boards and four assists, while sophomore Bradley Jacks (Fort Washington, Md.) chipped in with 13 points. Junior Charlie Rice (Barnstable, Mass.) came off the bench to score nine points and grab five caroms in the win.
Seniors Austin Pinckney (Miami, Fla.) and Tyson Hallowell (Lincoln, Mass.) finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, to lead the Lions.
Emerson made five of its first eight shots and opened a 12-6 lead just over four and a half minutes into the game before Babson responded with a 14-4 run, capped by a three-pointer by sophomoreNick Comenale (New York Mills, N.Y.), to go in front 20-16 with 9:02 to play in the half. A layup by Flannery and a three-point play by Nelsen pushed the lead to 29-20 at the 6:57 mark, and Rice added five late points as part of a 9-4 spurt to close that stanza that gave the Beavers a 42-30 edge going to the locker room.
The Green and White pushed its advantage to as many as 19 five minutes into the second half and then used an 8-0 run that included back-to-back three-pointers from Comenale and Rice to forge the biggest lead of the night at 62-41 with 10:34 to play. The Lions responded though, as Pinckney and fellow senior Michael Thorpe (Newton, Mass.) combined for 13 points during a 21-6 burst to cut the Babson lead to just 66-62 following a layup by Thorpe with 4:19 remaining.
Flannery, who scored 12 of the Beavers' final 14 points during a closing 14-1 run, knocked down a pull up jumper on the next possession to make it a six point game, and then went 10-of-11 from the free throw line over the next 3:29 to seal the win.
The Green and White shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the floor, outscored Emerson 34-26 in the paint and finished with a 39-31 edge on the glass.
Emerson shot just 38.5 percent (25-of-65) and connected on just six of 25 three-point attempts.
Both teams return to action on Saturday as the Beavers host Springfield at 3 p.m., while the Lions take on Coast Guard at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Babson is now 17-2 all-time against Emerson and has won seven of the last eight in the series.
• The Beavers have won nine straight and 14 of their last 15 games against conference foes at Staake Gymnasium.
• In five career games against Emerson, Flannery is averaging 24.2 points while shooting 59.7 percent
• The Green and White is 4-0 this season and has won 11 straight games when shooting better than 50 percent as a team.