The win is the fourth in the row for the Huskies who improve to 8-3 with the win. The loss is just the second of the season for 16th-ranked Babson and drops their record to 8-2.
Three Southern Maine players earned spots on the all-tournament team. Cochran and senior guard Nicole Garland (Portland, Maine/Deering) joined the tournament's Most Valuable Player junior forward Haley Jordan (Falmouth, Maine). Massachusetts of College of Liberal Arts senior forward Jen Wehner (Cooperstown, N.Y.) and Babson College forward junior Sarah Collins (Weymouth, Mass.) and senior Kathleen King (Framingham, Mass.) rounded out the all-tourney squad.
Cochran finished the game with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. The 6-1 forward was 8-for-10 from the free throw line and 5-for-10 from the field Garland was 4-for-5 from three-point territory and 6-for-9 overall en route to 18 points. She added three assists. Jordan had 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot.
Collins led all scorers with 27 points on a 13-for-21 effort from the field. She recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds, another game high total, and added two assists, two blocks and two steals. King chipped in with a double-double of her own with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Trailing the Huskies 34-32 at the break, Babson held the Huskies to just four points over the opening five minutes of the second stanza with an 18-4 run to open 50-38 lead with 14:54 on the clock. Collins had nine points in the run while junior guard Allanah Wynn (Quincy, Mass./Milton Academy) added six points on a pair of three-pointers.
The Huskies chipped away at the Babson lead over the next six minutes and 25 seconds to pull even with the Beavers at 55. The Huskies outscored Babson 17-5 during the stretch. Led by four straight points from Jordan, the Huskies whittled the Babson lead to four, 50-46, with 12:47 to play. Cochran followed Jordan's four straight points with a lay-up and junior forward Jordan Grant (Concord, N.H.) rounded out the mini-run with a bucket in the paint. Grant finished with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and six steals off of the bench.
Both teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes and the Huskies trailed Babson 55-52 following a lay-up from freshman guard Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.), before Garland cut to the basket for two and Grant hit the back end of two free throws for the tie score.
The action cooled over the next 8:29 and saw the lead exchange hand three times. Two free throws from Garland with 7:30 to play gave the Huskies their first lead since the first half, before Young scored four straight points on three-pointer and one of two free throws for a 59-57 Babson lead with 6:39 to play. Collins and King extended the Beaver lead two five with 5:40 to play, before Garland scored five straight points on a fast break layup an da three pointer for a 62-62 game with 4:15 to play.
With the teams trading baskets and the score was tied at 66 with 2:44 to play after two free throws from Jordan. The score than stalled at 66 for two minutes and thirty-six seconds. Babson was 0-4 during that stretch with three turnovers, while USM was 0-2 with a pair of turnovers, including a line violation with thirty seconds to play on free throws. On Babson's next possession, the Huskies were able to force the 24th Babson turnover of the game as Cochran came up with a steal before being fouled and hitting the two free throws for the win.
Babson had a final possession but the clock ran out before it could get a clean look at the basket.
Southern Maine travels to Husson University on Tuesday (6:00 p.m.). Babson hosts Coast Guard on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.).
CONSOLATION GAME
In the consolation game, MCLA senior forward Jen Wehner became the program's all time
leading scorer after netting points 16 points, however the Trailblazers couldn't hold on to a second half lead in dropping their fourth straight game to Wisconsin-Stout 78-72 in overtime.
Stout improves to 4-9 overall, while the Trailblazers drop to 5-6 on the season.
Wehner, who was a preseason D3 News All American, broke the mark set by Pam Barton '94 (1,321 points). Wehner now has 1,327 points in her career. Wehner, the reigning MASCAC Player of the Year, hit the milestone bucket off a nice feed from Alie Dobrovolc as she converted on the left
block giving MCLA a 51-45 lead with 8:10 remaining.
Wehner's bucket seemed to spark MCLA as they used the momentum to push out to a 58-48 lead with just 5:08 remaining. Stout would battle back though, using an 18-3 run to push ahead 66-61 with just a minute remaining. The Trailblazers wouldn't quit though, battling back using a Katelyn Chenevert three and a pair of Wehner free throws to tie the game at 66.
Lucy Tremblay's steal and layup gave MCLA the lead, but Ronnie Moltzau's jumper with 8 seconds to play sent the game into overtime at 68 apiece.
Stout controlled play in OT after Tremblay scored the opening bucket. Stout responded with six straight points before Wehner cut the lead to 74-72 with 1:06 left. That was the last basket MCLA would score. Stout added a layup and a pair of free throws for the final margin.
UW-Stout led 30-24 at halftime as there were seven lead changes in the opening twenty minutes. Turnovers were the biggest story as MCLA committed 16 first half turnovers while Stout had 15. Wehner was hampered by foul trouble as well, scored only 2 points after playing only 7 minutes in the opening period. Lucy Tremblay kept MCLA close as she collected 12 first half points.
Stout held the Trailblazers to just 25% shooting in the opening half after they connected on 40% of their own attempts.
Stout was led by four players in double figures, including Whitney Rawley's team high 15 points. Brea Boomer added 14 points, while Katelynne Folkers had 12. Reyzer chipped in with 10.
For MCLA, Wehner added 18 rebounds to her 16 points. Tremblay finished with a team high 19 points while Dobrovolc added 13 points and 5 assists.
–cac–