WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.—Junior Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Babson College defeated Misericordia University, 77-51, in non-conference women's basketball action at the Williams College Tip-Off Classic on Friday night.
With the win, Babson is now 3-0 on the year, while Misericordia drops to 0-3.
Junior Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, classmateMarissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass.) added nine points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds, and sophomore Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) contributed seven points and a game-high five assists for the Beavers. Fellow sophomore Taylor Russell (Braintree, Mass.) also added seven points while junior Megan Otto (Scituate, Mass.) pulled down six boards in the victory.
Senior Sam Baro (Douglasville, Pa.) finished with 14 points and sophomore Justine Seely (Benton, Pa.) scored eight points and led all players with 16 rebounds for the Cougars.
The Green and White led from wire-to-wire, using a 13-4 run to build a 19-9 edge on an offensive rebound and put back by Russell with 11:08 left in the opening half. Misericordia pulled 23-18 on a layup by Seely with 6:35 remaining before the Beavers closed the stanza with a 17-4 run to build a 40-22 halftime lead.
Three straight points from Cicchetti, followed by a three-point play from Pickering gave Babson 29-18 advantage with 3:32 left to go. Graber then scored eight straight points, including six from the free throw line, before senior Lindsey Roche (Arlington, Mass.) buried a three-pointer seven seconds before the break to make it an 18-point game.
Graber opened the second half with a pair of layups, Cicchetti knocked down a jumper, and Ferola scored seven consecutive points to cap a 13-2 spurt that gave the Green and White a 53-24 lead with 17:10 remaining. The teams traded buckets over the next two and a half minutes before three-pointer from senior Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.) gave the Beavers their biggest lead of the night at 60-28 with 14:02 to go in the contest.
Babson shot 40.6 percent (28-for-69) from the floor while holding the Cougars to just 28.3 percent (17-for-60) shooting on the night. The Green and White outscored Misericordia 38-26 in the paint, scored 31 points off turnovers, and went 17-of-19 at the free throw line. The Cougars outrebounded the Beavers 48-42 on the night.
Both teams return to action on Saturday as Babson faces nationally-ranked Williams at 3 p.m., while Misericordia takes on Worcester State at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Friday's game was the first meeting between Babson and Misericordia…the Beavers are 3-0 this season and have won seven straight games when leading at halftime…Babson is now 2-0 this year and has won 40 consecutive games when scoring 75 points or more going back to 2008…the Beavers have shot 40 percent or better in all three of their games this year, and have won nine straight games when doing so.