NASHVILLE—Junior Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, but it wasn't enough as Babson College suffered an 85-57 loss to the University of Mount Union on the final day of the Music City Classic at Trojan Fieldhouse on the campus of Trevecca Nazarene University on Wednesday.

Babson, which had its five-game winning streak snapped, is now 7-3 on the year, while Mount Union has won six consecutive contests to move to 9-2 overall.

Pickering added five rebounds and four assists, while senior Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points and a team-high seven boards for the Beavers. Junior Taylor Russell(Braintree, Mass.) also added seven points and five rebounds.

Senior Annie Bova (Parma Heights, Ohio) knocked down five three-pointers and poured in a game-high 30 points to lead the Purple Raiders.

Mount Union knocked down three early triples and built a 13-4 lead less than four minutes into the opening quarter before Babson ripped off a 16-6 run to take its final lead of the game late in the period. Pickering and Ferola combined for 12 points during the spurt, which put the Green and White in front 20-19 with 39 seconds left in the frame.

The Beavers shot just 25 percent in the second quarter and were outscored 23-8 as the Purple Raiders took a 45-28 lead into the locker room. The Green and White, keyed by Pickering and Russell, responded with an 11-2 spurt and got within 49-41 on a jumper by Pickering with 5:16 to play in the third quarter. Mount Union answered though, as junior Kelsey Scott (New Castle, Pa.) and first-year Rachel Tinkey (Canfield, Ohio) knocked down three-pointers on consecutive possessions to push its lead back to 55-41 less than a minute later.

Babson got as close as 60-51 on a free throw by junior Ashley Snyder (Foxboro, Mass.) late in the third quarter, but made just two fourth-quarter field goals as the Purple Raiders closed the game with a 25-6 run.

The Beavers shot just 36.1 percent (22-of-61) and connected on just one of their 12 three-point attempts. The Green and White, which was outrebounded for just the second time this season (45-39), outscored Mount Union 30-26 in the paint.

The Purple Raiders shot 46.2 percent (30-of-65) overall and went 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

Babson returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to nationally-ranked Tufts at 7 p.m., while Mount Union hosts Ohio Northern on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Wednesday's game was the first for the Beavers against Mount Union and their first against an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opponent since 1993.
• The Purple Raiders are the first team to shoot 40 percent or better against Babson over the last 12 games.
• The loss was the first of the season for the Beavers when committing less than 17 turnovers.
• The Green and White, which outscored Mount Union 12-11 at the charity stripe, is now 6-1 on the year when making more free throws than its opponents.