BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Linnett Graber (Roseland, Mass.) led three players in double figures with 15 points and seven rebounds as Babson College defeated visiting Smith College, 67-53, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Wednesday night at Staake Gymnasium.

With the win, Babson is now 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Smith, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, drops to 4-7 overall and 1-3 in the NEWMAC.

Graber went 6-of-8 from the floor, while junior Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass.) and sophomore Taylor Russell (Braintree, Mass.) each added 10 points for the Beavers. ClassmateJennifer Narlee (Medfield, Mass.) contributed six points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Cicchetti and sophomore Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) dished out five assists apiece.

First-year Stephanie Soto-Rivera (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) led the Pioneers with 11 points and six boards. Classmates Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif.) each chipped in with 10 points, and fellow first-year Amanda Barriscale (Mill Valley, Calif.) added eight points and four rebounds.

The Green and White scored on each of its first two possessions and opened a 10-4 lead on a three-point play by Cicchetti at the 15:20 mark. Pickering followed with a layup in transition and senior Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.) buried back-to-back treys to give the Beavers an 18-4 lead with 11:11 to play in the opening stanza.

Smith answered with five quick points, including a three-pointer from Marquez, but Babson answered with a 12-0 spurt to take its biggest lead of the first half. Russell had a pair of hoops during the run, which included eight points in transition and was capped by first-year Brenna LeGacy's (Attleboro, Mass.) layup to make it 30-12 with 3:39 left in the period.

Babson, which led 32-16 at the break, shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) in the first half, while holding the Pioneers to just six field goals and 22 percent shooting.

Alakai scored on the Pioneers' second possession out of the locker room to cut their deficit to 14, but the Green and White ripped off a 9-0 run to grab its biggest lead of the game at 41-18 on a layup by junior Jess Coelho (Westport, Conn.) with 14:54 to go. Smith refused to go away quietly though, as it responded with a 16-4 spurt to cut the margin to 45-34 on a three-pointer by Marquez with 10:35 to play.

The Pioneers would get as close as 11 on four occasions before Babson increased its lead over the final 10 minutes. Eight points from Graber along with a layup from Narlee made it 58-40, and Pickering pushed the lead to 63-43 with a three-point play at the 5:03 mark.

The Green and White shot a season-high 51 percent (26-of-51) from the floor and outscored Smith 34-30 in the paint. Babson also held a 42-26 advantage on the glass.

The Pioneers shot just 34.5 percent (19-of-55), but did score 18 points off 24 Beavers' turnovers.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as Babson visits Clark University at 1 p.m., while Smith travels to MIT for a 2 p.m. start.

GAME NOTES: Babson is now 33-11 all-time against Smith in a series that dates back to 1982…the Beavers have won 12 of the last 14 meetings in the series, including eight in a row at home going back to 2009…the Green and White is now 7-1 this season when leading at halftime…Babson is 6-0 on the year when recording at least 14 assists…the Beavers are now 6-1 this winter when scoring 60 points or more…Babson has outrebounded all four of its league foes so far this season and has a +12.5 rebounding margin against NEWMAC opponents.