BABSON PARK, Mass.—Sophomore Shyheim Ulrickson (Topsham, Maine) knocked down three free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining to help Babson College defeat No. 21 Amherst College, 72-71, in non-conference men's basketball action on Thursday night at Staake Gymnasium.

With the win, Babson improves to 5-4 on the year, while Amherst falls to 5-1 overall.

Senior Nick Comenale (New York Mills, N.Y.) paced four players in double figures with 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior Brandon Johnson (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) finished with 14 points and seven boards. Ulrickson had 13 points to go along with career highs of eight assists and seven rebounds, and first-year Andrew Jaworski (Tolland, Conn.) chipped in with 12 points for the Beavers.

Senior Michael Riopel (Nassawadox, Va.) finished with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Mammoths. Classmate Johnny McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) and first-year Fru Che (Somerville, Mass.) both scored 12 points apiece in the loss.

The Green and White used a 14-2 run that included three-pointers from Ulrickson, Comenale and sophomore Frank Oftring (North Attleboro, Mass.) to build a 23-11 advantage less than 10 minutes into the contest. Amherst tied the game at 32-all thanks to a 15-5 spurt, but the Beavers outscored the Mammoths 12-4 over the final four minutes of the half to take a 44-36 lead into the locker room.

Babson's biggest margin of the second half came at 48-38 following a Johnson layup with 17:09 remaining. Riopel knocked down three-pointers on four straight possessions though, as Amherst took its first lead since early in the first half at 53-51 with 13:44 left. The momentum was short-lived as a four-point play by Jaworski and a three-point play by Oftring were part of a nine-point run that gave the Beavers a 60-53 lead with 12:10 to go.

The Mammoths used an 11-2 run to go back in front 64-62 on a bucket by Sellew at the 4:31 mark. The lead changes hands five times over the next three minutes as Johnson put the Green and White up 69-68 with 2:31 to go. Following empty trips at both ends, first-year Tim McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) buried a deep triple from the right wing to push Amherst ahead 71-69 with 35.9 seconds left.

Ulrickson grabbed an offensive rebound of a missed shot by senior Bradley Jacks (Fort Washington, Md.) with 23 seconds to go and then chased down an errant pass before being fouled on a running three-point attempt just before time expired. He calmly stepped to the line and drilled all three shots at the charity stripe to seal the victory.

Babson returns to action on December 29 when it travels to Bates at 1 p.m., while Amherst visits Lasell on Saturday at 3 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 14-24 all-time against Amherst and picked up their first home win over the Mammoths since 2010.
• Babson connected on nine of its 12 three-point field goals in the first half.
• The Green and White is 1-2 this season in games decided by five points or less this season, and 5-1 on the year when leading or tied with five minutes to go in the game.