WELLESLEY, Mass.—First-year Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) scored a game-high 15 points and junior Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.) netted 12 of her 14 points in the first half as fifth-seeded Babson College built a 26-point halftime lead en route to a 70-48 victory over fourth-seeded Wellesley College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) quarterfinal on Wednesday night.
With the victory, Babson is now 14-12 overall and advances to face top-seeded Smith College in the NEWMAC semifinals. Wellesley drops to 16-9 overall.
Pickering also had eight rebounds and four steals, while sophomore Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) added nine points and four assists for Green and White. Sophomore Megan Otto (Scituate, Mass.) pulled down a game-high nine boards, and first-year Jennifer Narlee (Medfield, Mass.) chipped in with seven points, seven rebounds and a career-high seven steals.
Senior Leslie Leong (Sacramento, Calif.) had 10 points and eight rebounds to lead Wellesley. Junior Natalie Anderson (Bellevue, Wash.) also chipped in with 10 points while classmate Morgyne Weaver (Oklahoma City, Okla.) contributed nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Beavers took control of the game from the start, converting three consecutive Blue turnovers into hoops to take a 7-0 lead just 1:24 into the contest. Ferola and Narlee combined to score seven of the first nine points, and two straight hoops from Pickering pushed the lead to 13-0 at the 14:52 mark.
Babson held Wellesley scoreless over the opening 6:20 and didn't allow a field goal over the first 8:22 of the game. The Blue got within 19-6 after a hoop by Weaver with 10:46 left in the stanza, but the Beavers used a 16-6 spurt over the 4:26 to build a 42-16 halftime edge.
Young scored nine of her 12 first-half points during the run as the Green and White led by as many as 28 after a three-pointer from sophomore Briana Hunt (Newton, Mass.) with 1:04 left in the period. Babson shot 48.6 percent (17-for-35) in the opening 20 minutes while forcing 13 first-half turnovers and holding Wellesley to just four field goals.
Ferola, Narlee and sophomore Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) scored on consecutive possessions to open the second half, pushing the lead to 48-16 at the 17:52 mark. The Blue responded with a 16-2 run, getting five points each from Weaver and junior Meghan Sargent (Bedford, N.H.), to pull within 50-32 with 11:19 left in the game.
First-year Gena Restiano (Revere, Mass.) helped the Beavers regain momentum, knocking down a three-pointer from the left corner and then converting an easy layup after a steal on the press to get the lead back to 23. Graber and Pickering then scored the Green and White's next eight points to make it 64-34 with 7:24 remaining.
The Green and White finished the night shooting 43.8 percent (28-for-64) while holding Wellesley to just 25 percent (11-for-44). The Beavers held a 39-34 edge on the glass and a 34-11 advantage in points off turnovers. The Blue scored exactly half of its points from the free throw line, going 24-of-28 for the game.
Babson will make its sixth consecutive NEWMAC Tournament semifinal appearance when it takes on Smith at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
GAME NOTES: Babson is now 44-15 all-time against Wellesley and has won nine of 13 postseason meetings against the Blue…the Beavers, who have won five consecutive NEWMAC titles, are riding a 13-game tournament winning streak… the Beavers will make their 16th NEWMAC Tournament semifinal appearance in the last 19 seasons on Saturday…Babson's 42 first-half points was its second-highest total of the season...the Green and White are 10-3 on the year when leading at halftime and 6-0 when scoring 70 points or more.