BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Taylor Russell (Quincy, Mass.) scored a career-high 20 points and classmate Ashley Snyder (Foxboro, Mass.) scored the go-ahead hoop with 2:04 remaining as Babson College edged visiting Springfield College, 66-62, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.
Babson, which has won a season-high six straight games, is now 14-5 overall and 10-1 in league play, while Springfield drops to 12-7 overall and 6-4 in the NEWMAC.
Russell went 8-of-13 from the floor and added six rebounds and four assists for the Beavers. SeniorKristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) added 13 points and six boards, while junior Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes. Senior Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) chipped in with eight points, six rebounds and a gam-ehigh five assists in the win.
Senior Emily Gins (Fort Myers, Fla.) scored 18 points, while junior Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass.) recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to lead the Pride.
The Green and White got eight quick points from Ferola and used nine second-chance points to build a 16-4 lead less than four minutes into the first quarter. Springfield outscored the Beavers 17-9 to get within four at the end of one, but the hosts ripped off a 13-4 run to open the second quarter. Russell scored 11 points during the spurt and knocked down two free throws to make it 38-25 with 5:31 left before halftime.
Gins scored six of her 10 first-half points over the final five minutes, while Babson missed eight of its final 10 field goals as Springfield got within 42-37 at the break on a late layup by sophomore Carli Brent (Wilmington, Mass.).
Back-to-back hoops by Ferola and a jumper by Graber extended the Beavers' lead to 48-37 three minutes into the third quarter. Adamopoulos and Gins each scored six points as part of a 16-5 burst that helped the Pride tie the game at 53 on a jumper by Gins in the closing seconds of the period. Babson surged in front 60-53 on a three-pointer by senior Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass.) at the 6:05 mark of the fourth, but Springfield scored on its next three possessions, pulling even on a triple by junior Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass.) with 4:37 left.
After trading hoops, the Green and White went in front for good on Snyder's only field goal of the game with just over two minutes left. Following a pair of stops on both ends, Russell converted a feed from Graber to make it four-point game with 37 seconds remaining. The Pride had four shots to cut into its deficit on the ensuing possession but came up empty.
The Beavers shot 43.8 percent (28-of-64), held a 40-34 advantage on the glass and outscored Springfield 18-10 in second-chance points.
The Pride shot just 37.1 percent (23-of-62) and were just 3-of-14 in the fourth quarter.
Both teams return to action on Wednesday as Babson travels to Wheaton at 7 p.m., while Springfield hosts Clark at 5:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Babson is now 24-11 all-time against Springfield.
• With the win, the Beavers secured a spot in the seven-team NEWMAC Tournament, which begins on February 24.
• Babson is now 6-0 at home this season and has won 22 of its last 26 games at Saake Gymnasium.
• The Beavers have now held their opponents below 40 percent shooting in 18 of 19 games on the year.