NORTHAMPTON, Mass.—Sophomore Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) scored 16 points, and classmate Jennifer Narlee (Medfield, Mass.) added 15 as visiting Babson College defeated Smith College, 71-64, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Ainsworth Gymnasium.

Babson, which is ranked eighth in the region, snapped its two-game losing streak to move to 16-7 overall and 12-3 in conference play. Smith, which has dropped five of its last six games, falls to 7-15 overall and 3-10 in the NEWMAC

Pickering, who finished 7-of-12 from the floor, added six rebounds and five assists, while Narlee was 6-of-12 shooting and pulled down eight boards for the Beavers. Sophomore Taylor Russell(Braintree, Mass.) added 11 points, and junior Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) chipped in with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.

First-year Samantha Alakai (Honolulu, Hawaii) led all scorers with 20 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists, while classmate Paige Marquez (San Francisco, Calif.) finished with 14 points and two steals for the Pioneers.

After trading hoops over the first six minutes, Babson used a 19-5 run to build a 14-point first-half lead. Senior Erin Young (Westwood, Mass.) followed a layup by Ferola to give the Beavers a 15-10 lead, and Russell added five points over the next two possessions to make it 20-12. Alakai drained a three-pointer to cut Smith's deficit to five, but four straight points from Narlee keyed a 9-0 burst that gave the Green and White its biggest lead of the game at 29-15 with 5:46 to play in the stanza.

The Pioneers cut Babson's lead to single digits on five occasions late in the opening period, the last coming on a three-pointer by first-year Tavorsia Talley (New Hope, Pa.) in the closing minute to make it 38-30 going to the locker room. Narlee and Pickering combined for 18 first-half points for the Beavers, who shot 48.4 percent as a team.

Trailing by seven early in the second half, Alakai and sophomore Mandy Castro (San Diego, Calif.) sandwiched three-pointers around a free throw by junior Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass.) to pull Smith within 45-43 at the 14:53 mark. The Green and White answered though, outscoring the Pioneers 9-0 over the next 6:21 to push its lead back to 11. Ferola got the run started with a three-pointer, and Narlee converted a layup for the Beavers, who got 11 straight defensive stops to make it 54-43 with 8:32 remaining.

Smith responded with a 7-0 spurt, including back-to-back buckets by Marquez, to get as close as 54-50. Junior Megan Otto (Scituate, Mass.) scored on Babson's next possession, and Narlee followed with a three-point play to push the lead back to nine at the 6:21 mark. Alakai scored on the Pioneers' next trip, but the Green and White answered with a layup by Graber and a three-pointer by senior Lindsey Roche (Arlington, Mass.) made it 64-52 with just over four minutes to play.

The Beavers shot 41 percent (25-of-61) on the afternoon, and despite shooting just 54.8 percent at the free throw line outscored Smith 17-4 at the charity stripe. The Green and White also enjoyed a 30-14 advantage in paint scoring.

Smith shot 42.2 percent (25-of-59) overall and knocked down 10 three-pointers, but the hosts committed 22 turnovers in the game.

Babson returns to action on Thursday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Salem State University, while the Pioneers take on Clark University on Monday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Babson is now 34-11 all-time against Smith and has won 13 of its last 14 against the Pioneers going back to 2009…the Beavers are now 14-1 on the year when leading at halftime…Babson is 14-2 when shooting 40 percent or better from the floor this winter…the Beavers are 12-0 when topping the 70-point plateau this season, and 12-4 when forcing 18 or more turnovers.