WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Fifth-ranked Babson College shot just 21.9 percent from the field as the Beavers were defeated by host Williams College, 61-39, on day two of the 2011 Williams Classic on Sunday afternoon. It was the first regular season loss for Babson since January 4, 2010, when they fell to Eastern Connecticut State on the same floor in the championship game of that year's Williams Invitational.
The Beavers are now 3-1 on the season, while Williams improved to 2-0 with the win.
Senior captain Nicki Wurdeman led the Beavers' offense in defeat, scoring 14 points while also adding nine rebounds. Senior captain Kathleen King chipped in with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds to earn All-Tournament honors, while junior Sarah Collins added eight points and eight boards. Babson had its worst shooting performance in at least eight years, hitting only 14 of 64 field goal attempts.
Williams was paced by Tournament MVP Claire Baecher, who just missed a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and nine blocks, and All-Tournament honoree Jill Greenberg, who led all players with 15 points. Kellie MacDonald contributed nine points and six caroms, and Jennie Harding finished with seven points, seven boards, and three steals. The Ephs shot 40.0 percent from the floor, hitting 20 of their 50 shot attempts.
After junior Allanah Wynn hit two free throws just over a minute in, Babson continued to maintain the lead for the next five and a half minutes. Baecher then converted a conventional three-point play to put Williams in front, 10-8, with 13:12 left in the first half, and, following a tying bucket from Collins, the Ephs took the lead for good when Harding drained a three at the 12:28 mark.
An 11-2 Williams run later in the first pushed the hosts' advantage to 12 at 28-16, and a 6-1 burst to close the period gave the Ephs their largest lead to that point, 36-21, heading into the break. Babson would chip away and get to within 10 after a Collins lay-up capped an 8-0 run with 11:17 remaining in the second half, but Williams answered with a 7-0 burst of its own before running away with the 61-39 victory.