BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass.) scored 20 points and regionally-ranked Babson College used a 10-2 run over the final 2:18 to defeat visiting Wheaton College, 71-65, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Wednesday night at Staake Gymnasium.
With its 11th straight win, Babson (19-5, 14-1 NEWMAC) clinched a share of its fifth regular-season league title in seven years, and will be the top seed in next week's conference tournament. Wheaton concludes its regular season at 17-8 overall and 10-6 in the NEWMAC.
Ferola finished 6-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three-point range to go along with six rebounds and four assists for the Beavers. Junior Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass.) contributed 16 points, eight boards and three steals, while senior Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) added 11 points and eight caroms.
Senior Kiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, N.Y.) led all players with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while classmate Rebecca Arnone (Litchfield, N.H.) chipped in with 22 points and eight boards for the Lyons.
Ferola scored eight of Babson's first nine points and the Green and White built a 15-5 lead less than five minutes into the contest. Wheaton cut its deficit to four on a three-pointer by Arnone, but a layup by Pickering and two free throws by sophomore Brenna LeGacy (Attleboro, Mass.) pushed the Beavers' advantage back to 21-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lyons again got within four midway through the second quarter, but Babson responded with an 8-1 spurt to extend its edge to 31-22 with 3:23 to go in the period. Ferola drained her third triple of the half to give the Beavers a 36-24 lead, and senior Megan Otto (Scituate, Mass.) made 1-of-2 at the free throw line in the closing seconds to make it 39-28 going into the locker room.
Wheaton closed to within five late in the third quarter, but the Green and White got back-to-back transition buckets from senior Jess Coelho (Westport, Conn.) to push its lead back to 55-43 with 9:20 to go in the fourth. Shoemaker and Arnone responded by scoring 15 straight for the Lyons, and first-year Ruthie Zientek (Holmdel, N.J.) tied the game at 61 with a three-point play with 3:54 remaining.
Following a pair of empty trips on both ends, Shoemaker's putback gave Wheaton its first lead since the opening possession of the game with 2:35 to go. Otto cut the Beavers' deficit with a free throw on the ensuing possession, and Ferola followed with a transition layup to take the lead and a three-pointer one possession later to make it 67-63 with 26 seconds remaining. Cicchetti stepped up and buried four straight free throws over the final 16 seconds to secure the win.
The Green and White shot just 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the floor, but connected on 21-of-24 free throws, including 13-of-14 in the second half.
Wheaton shot 30.4 percent (24-of-79) from the floor and were just 5-of-29 from distance, but finished with a 51-49 edge on the glass and scored 15 second-chance points.
Babson will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when it hosts Mount Holyoke at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are now 42-16 all-time against Wheaton and have won 16 of the last 17 games between the two teams.
• Babson's 11-game winning streak is the program's longest since the 2012-13 squad won 12 straight games between January 19-March 1.
• Over the last seven games, Ferola is averaging 15.6 points and shooting 49.4 percent from the floor.
• The Beavers are 8-0 at home this season and 19-3 over the last two years at Staake Gymnasium.
• Wednesday's victory was the first this winter for Babson when being outrebounded.