Young Becomes All-Time Leader In Three-Point Field Goals 

BABSON PARK, Mass.—Sophomore Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals, and senior Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.) knocked down four three-pointers to become the program's all-time leader as Babson College raced past visiting Clark University, 87-46, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.

With its eighth straight win, Babson (14-5, 10-1) clinched a spot in next month's conference tournament. Clark, which has lost 11 straight games, drops to 3-15 overall and 1-9 in the NEWMAC.

Junior Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, Young finished with 12 points, and junior Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass.) added 11 points and three assists in the win as 12 different players scored for the Beavers.

Sophomore Olivia Lyons (Belmont, Mass.) scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Cougars. Classmate Aretha Sullivan (Worcester, Mass.) finished with 11 points and a game-high nine boards, and fellow sophomore Gwyneth Ivory (Ashland, Mass.) added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with five rebounds.

The Green and White started fast, making 12 of its first 17 shots and scoring 18 points off Clark turnovers to build a 29-11 lead with 10:36 to go in the opening half. Pickering and junior Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) combined for 15 points during the run, while Cicchetti and Ferola added five points apiece for the Beavers.

Babson took its biggest lead of the stanza at 38-16 on a three-pointer by Young at the 4:04 mark. Lyons followed with a jumper,  and junior Brooke Brennan (Weston, Mass.) buried a trey to pull the Cougars back within 17, but a hoop by Ferola and two late free throws by Pickering pushed the Beavers' advantage to 45-24 at the break. The Green and White shot 50 percent over the opening 20 minutes and turned 21 Clark turnovers into 29 points.

Babson wasted little time putting the game away as it ripped off a 21-6 run over the first second minutes of the second half. Cicchetti followed layups by Graber and sophomore Jennifer Narlee (Medfield, Mass.) with a three-pointer to make it 56-28. Another trey from Cicchetti, and five straight points from Ferola gave the Beavers a 66-30 lead with 14:07 to play.

Young, who has made 173 three-point field goals over her four-year career, tied Caitlin Boulier's '08 record to give Babson a 40-point edge with 10:12 remaining, and then hit the record-breaking triple in transition to make it 81-41 at the five-minute mark.

The Beavers shot 47 percent (31-of-66) from the field, including an 8-of-16 effort from beyond the arc. The Green and White also finished with a season-high 49 points off turnovers, and got 43 points from its bench.

The Cougars shot just 26.9 percent (14-of-52) on the afternoon, but did hold a 39-35 advantage on the glass.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. as Babson travels to Wellesley, while Clark hosts WPI.

GAME NOTES: Babson is now 23-22 all-time against Clark and has won 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Cougars going back to 2008…the Beavers eight-game winning streak is their longest since the 2012-13 team ripped off 12 straight victories…Babson is now 9-1 at Staake Gymnasium this season and has won 12 of its last 13 conference home games…the Beavers are 14-1 when scoring at least 60 points this season…the Green and White is 11-3 when forcing at least 18 turnovers this winter…Pickering, who leads the team in scoring, has reached double figures in six of the last seven games…Ferola is averaging 12.6 points over the last five games for the Beavers.