BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Taylor Russell (Braintree, Mass.) finished with 16 points and eight rebounds and Babson College outscored visiting Emerson College 40-17 in the middle quarters en route to a 72-59 victory in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Wednesday night at Staake Gymnasium.

With its second consecutive win, Babson is now 4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Emerson slips to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the NEWMAC.

Senior Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) went 6-of-8 from the floor and contributed 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Beavers. Junior Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) added 10 points, five boards and three assists, while first-year Elizabeth Lane (Skaneateles, N.Y.) dished out a game-high four assists in the win.

Sophomore Sierra Ducey (Poway, Calif.) posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Lions.

Trailing 16-11 after the first quarter, the Green and White opened the second period with a 15-2 run to take control of the game. Russell scored six points during the spurt, while Graber and Pickering added five and four, respectively, as the Beavers built a 26-18 lead. Babson shot 50 percent in the second quarter and took a 32-22 advantage into the locker room on a late pull-up jumper by Pickering.

Emerson, which trailed by double digits for most of the third quarter, cut its deficit to 44-33 with 2:27 left in the stanza on a three-pointer by first-year Charlie Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.). The Beavers scored the final seven points of the third quarter, and then capped an 11-0 run with buckets by Pickering and senior Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) to take their biggest lead of the game at 55-33 with 8:00 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

The Green and White shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the floor and outscored Emerson 40-28 in the paint. Babson also scored 18 points off of 18 Lions' turnovers and finished with a 43-28 edge on the glass.

Emerson shot just 38.3 percent (23-of-60) on the night and was held to just six field goals in the second and third quarters.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as Babson travels to Smith at 2 p.m., while Emerson visits Clark at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are now 4-0 all-time against the Lions since they joined the NEWMAC prior to the 2013-14 season.
• Babson has won 17 of their last 21 games at home.
• The Green and White has now held eight straight opponents to under 40 percent shooting going back to last season.
• The Beavers are 4-1 this year and have won 26 of their last 29 contests when leading at halftime.