BABSON PARK, Mass.—First-year Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) scored a team-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists, helping Babson College erase a nine-point first-half deficit on its way to a 70-56 victory in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.
With its first victory of the season, Babson is now 1-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while Smith drops to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Sophomores Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) and Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) each netted 12 points for the Beavers, while junior Lindsey Roche (Arlington, Mass.) had 10 points and three steals. First-year Jennifer Narlee (Medfield, Mass.) also played a pivotal role off the bench for the Green and White, contributing six points and three steals, along with a team-high eight boards.
The Pioneers were led by 15 points apiece from seniors Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H.) and Sydney Parkmond (Waterbury, Conn.). Parkmond, who shot 4-of-6 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
After trading hoops over the first seven minutes of the game, a three-pointer from junior Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.) put Babson in front 16-15 with 12:11 remaining in the opening stanza. Smith scored the next eight points, though, including six from Drummond, to open up a 23-16 lead at the 9:24 mark.
The Beavers used back-to-back hoops from Narlee and Roche to get within 23-20, but the Pioneers knocked down four straight free throws, and added a jumper from Drummond in transition, to take its biggest lead of the game at 29-20 with 4:15 left in the period. Despite 15 first-half turnovers, Smith went 13-of-16 from the charity stripe and took advantage of 14 points from Drummond to build a 31-26 edge heading into the locker room.
Babson ripped off a 9-0 run in the opening 2:18 of the second half to take its biggest lead of the game at 35-31. Graber opened the stanza with a layup, Ferola and Pickering converted back-to-back Smith turnovers into buckets, and Roche buried a three-pointer after another Ferola steal to force a Pioneers timeout.
Smith quickly answered with a 7-0 spurt of its own, fueled by three consecutive transition layups to go back in front 38-35 with 16:09 to go in the game. Ferola buried a three to stop the run and help the Green and White pull even at 38-38, and after falling behind 42-40, sophomore Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass.) and Young knocked down back-to-back trifectas to put the Beavers ahead for good at 46-42 with 11:57 remaining.
Clinging to a 52-49 lead following a three-pointer by Pioneers' junior Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif.), Babson used a pivotal 8-0 run to put the game away for good. Pickering made 1-of-2 from the line, Roche knocked down a three-pointer in transition, Graber converted a layup, and Pickering capped the spurt with two more free throws to give the hosts a 60-49 lead with 4:44 left in the game.
The Beavers outscored Smith 32-22 in the paint and converted 29 Pioneers turnovers into 31 points on the day. The Green and White shot 41.5 percent (27-65) for the game and 55 percent after halftime while holding the visitors to just eight second-half field goals.
Both teams return to action with NEWMAC games on Tuesday night as Babson travels to Springfield for a 7 p.m. start, with Smith hosts Wheaton at 6 p.m.