MEDFORD, Mass. – Senior tri-captain Sarah Collins (Weymouth, Mass.) just missed her second career triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and eight blocked shots as she led the 16th-ranked Babson College Beavers to a 61-45 victory over the SUNY New Paltz Hawks in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament at Tufts University's Cousens Gym on Friday night.

With the win, the Beavers (26-2) advance to the second round of the national tourney for the fourth consecutive season. Babson will face the winner of Friday's second opening-round contest pitting the host Tufts Jumbos against the St. Lawrence University Saints.

Making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Hawks see their fantastic season come to an end with a record of 24-4.

Collins kicked off her final NCAA Tournament run with a monster performance, shooting 7-for-15 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line for a game-high 18 points. In addition to her 14 caroms and eight rejections, the 2013 NEWMAC Player of the Year also recorded a team-high three steals. The double-double was her 24th of the season, tying Ashley Roser of Wells for first in the nation in that category.

Joining Collins in double-figures were first-years Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.), who finished with 12 points, Megan Otto (Scituate, Mass.), who scored 11, and Alicia Wilde (Franklin, Mass.), who added 10. First-year Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) chipped in five points and a game-high six assists for the Beavers, who shot 46.3 percent (25-54) for the game, including a sparkling 52.0 percent (13-25) clip in the first half.

SUNY New Paltz received 10 points and five steals from first-year Michelle Valle (New York, N.Y.) and eight points from senior Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y.). Senior Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y.) pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds while blocking three shots for the Hawks, and first-year Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y.) added five points, six boards, and three assists.

Babson never trailed in the contest, although SUNY New Paltz stayed close for the majority of the first half. The Beavers led by just three after a steal and transition jumper by junior Jeanette Scott (West Babylon, N.Y.) made it 21-18 with 5:09 left in the period, but the Beavers responded with an 8-2 run to take the largest lead of the session, 29-20, with 2:51 to go. Otto kick-started the burst with a baseline drive and layup, Collins added two free throws, Graber tossed in a running hook in the lane, and Collins capped it with a bucket off a nice entry pass from fellow senior tri-captain Katerina Mallios (Winthrop, Mass.).

After taking a 32-24 lead into the break, Babson continued to surge in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points to push the margin to 38-26. A trifecta by junior Alyssa Gratien (Syracuse, N.Y.) cut it back to single digits at 38-29 with 16:12 left to play, but the Hawks would get no closer the rest of the way. A steal and conventional three-point play by senior tri-captain Allanah Wynn (Quincy, Mass.) quickly reestablished the 12-point lead, and, after a New Paltz bucket, back-to-back hoops by Otto made it a 14-point cushion at 45-31 with 10:38 to go. The difference would eventually hit as many as 18 on two occasions before Babson finished off the 61-45 victory.

GAME NOTES: Collins now has 527 points for the year – the third-highest single-season total in program history. She also broke her own single-season record for blocked shots. She now has 95 this winter… This was the first-ever meeting between Babson and SUNY New Paltz… The Beavers are now 10-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including an 8-3 mark over the last four seasons.