Feb. 15, 2007

Box Score

Babson Park, MA - The Babson College men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit in the final 64 seconds of regulation to claim a miraculous 62-61 victory over visiting Coast Guard in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Thursday night. With the victory, the Beavers improved to 16-8 overall and 9-2 in the conference, while the tough-luck loss dropped the Bears' record to 11-12 overall and 2-9 in the NEWMAC.

Senior co-captain Brandon Eigenberg (Milford, Conn.) knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer with 16 seconds left, as he finished another stellar performance with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sophomore Norm de Silva (Dartmouth, Mass.) added 12 points, including a clutch three with 55 seconds left that sparked the Beavers' 9-0 game-ending run. Junior Greg Bush (East Islip, N.Y.) also hit a key trifecta in the closing moments, while sophomore Zach Etten (Hollis, N.H.) tossed in 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Junior Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, Ind.) led Coast Guard with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Ryan Burgess (Haskell, Texas) netted a team-high 14 points to junior Al Sowers (Monrovia, Md.) go along with five boards. Junior co-captain Al Sowers (Monrovia, Md.) also had a strong offensive game, scoring 13 points.

Coast Guard held its largest lead of the game when Sowers hit a free throw to make it 59-48 with 2:28 left in the second half. Junior Chris Bradley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) then scored on an offensive put-back and Etten followed with a three-pointer to pull Babson within six, 59-53, with 1:10 on the clock. On the ensuing possession, Coast Guard junior co-captain Grant Johnson (Grayson, Ga.) drew a foul and sank a pair of freebies to give the Bears a 61-53 advantage with 1:04 left, setting up a wild finish.

De Silva ignited the game-winning run when he drained a three with 56 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Eigenberg came up with a huge steal which led to a Bush trifecta that cut the Beavers' deficit to two, 61-59, with 43 ticks remaining. Junior defensive standout Chris Bilodeau (Hull, Mass.) then made a spectacular steal under the Babson basket to give the Beavers the ball, and Eigenberg followed with a huge three from the right corner off a pass from Etten to put his team in front, 62-61. Prebeck would draw a defensive foul with 1.1 seconds left to play, but both of his free throw attempts rimmed out as Babson came away with the amazing one-point victory.