BABSON PARK, Mass. – Junior All-American Nicki Wurdeman (Rowley, Mass.) scored 22 of her game-high 26 points in the first half to lead nationally-ranked Babson College to an 85-54 win over visiting Clark University in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball contest at Staake Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
With the victory, the Beavers, ranked fifth in the country in the most recent USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and sixth in the D3hoops.com Poll, improved to 15-0 overall and 9-0 in the conference. Meanwhile, Clark saw its four-game win streak come to a halt as the Cougars fell to 6-10 overall and 5-4 in the NEWMAC.
Wurdeman shot 11-for-17 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line for her 26 points while also adding 10 rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Sarah Collins (Weymouth, Mass.) also recorded a double-double in the win, as she finished a tremendous all-around effort with 13 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots, and four steals. Junior captain Kathleen King (Framingham, Mass.) chipped in with 15 points, nine caroms, and four assists, senior captain Becky Bowman (Melrose, Mass.) added nine points and three assists, senior Damisi Adewumi (Bronx, N.Y.) contributed nine points and seven rebounds, and senior captain Amanda Grammel (Leominster, Mass.) tossed in eight points to go with four boards. The Beavers held a commanding 56-31 rebounding advantage in the contest, including a 31-9 margin in the first half.
Clark was led by first-year Emily Reilly (Marlborough, Mass.), who shot 4-for-9 from the floor and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line for 18 points, She was joined in double-figures by fellow first-year guard Ashleigh Condon (Hull, Mass.), who scored 14 points and recorded three steals while hitting 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the stripe. Junior Kate Minister (Manchester, England) finished with a team-high three blocked shots in the loss, while first-year Esther Cohn (Carrboro, N.C.) led the Cougars with five rebounds off the bench.
Babson exploded for an 8-0 run out of the gate, as Bowman, Collins, Wurdeman, and Grammel all scored in the first 1:12 of the contest. The Cougars would answer with five straight points of their own to get back to within three, but the Beavers embarked on a 17-4 burst from there that increased their cushion to 25-9. Clark would get no closer than 12 for the remainder of the game as Babson carried a 49-30 advantage into the break en route to the impressive 85-54 win.
Both teams continue their NEWMAC schedule this weekend, as Babson heads to Springfield and Clark hosts MIT – both beginning at 1 p.m.