BOX SCORE

MEDFORD, Mass. -- Senior captain Zach Etten (Hollis, N.H.) hit the game-winning jumper with one second left in overtime to cap off an amazing 90-88 comeback victory for the Babson College men's basketball team in its season opener at Tufts University on Tuesday night. Etten scored 25 points and sophomore Shelton Ladson (New York, N.Y.) added 24 in a breakout performance for the Beavers, who withstood a magnificent 40-point effort from Tufts junior Jon Pierce (Belmont, Mass.) to claim the victory.

Etten's 25 came on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and a 6-of-7 clip from the line, while Ladson hit 10 of 17 from the floor, including three of five from long range, for his 24. The contest also featured a brilliant performance by Babson first-year point guard Lambros Papalambros (Quincy, Mass.), who took over during a key stretch of the second half on his way to a 19-point, three-assist debut. The rookie guard scored all but two of his points in the second half and overtime sessions, finishing the contest with a 6-of-14 mark from the field and 7-of-10 clip from the line.

With three new faces in the starting lineup, the Beavers struggled to find their rhythm early on, as the Jumbos jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first two minutes. Babson would settle down and get back to within five, 20-15, after back-to-back three-pointers from Etten, but Tufts exploded for an 11-0 run to build a 31-15 advantage with 8:51 left in the first half.

The Beavers continued to fight behind Etten and Ladson, who combined to score Babson's next 10 points as the visitors cut their deficit to nine at 34-25. Etten would later knock down his third trifecta of the period to make it a six-point affair at 36-30 with 2:44 left, but the Jumbos closed the half with a 6-2 spurt to take a 42-32 lead into the break.

Babson pulled to within three four times in the first 12 minutes of the second half, but Tufts continually answered with clutch shots to keep the Beavers at bay. At the heart of the Tufts attack was Pierce, who scored 25 of his game-high 40 in the period, including nine points from beyond the arc.

During an incredible four-minute stretch late in the second, the contest featured a thrilling battle between Pierce and Papalambros. From the 8:30 mark to the 4:30 mark, the duo combined for 23 of the game's 31 points, including nine straight by Pierce and 10 straight by Papalambros. Following Pierce's long three that ended the run, the Jumbos held a 74-70 advantage with 4:34 on the clock. However, Ladson erupted for eight straight points for the Beavers, giving Babson its first lead of the contest, 78-74, with 3:14 to go.

The Beavers led by as many as five (82-77) after an Etten jumper with 1:50 on the clock, but Tufts senior Aaron Gallant (Bangor, Maine) drained a clutch three-pointer and Pierce added two free throws to even the contest at 82-82 with just under a minute left. After Babson missed a lay-up on its final possession of regulation, Tufts had a chance to win. However, the Beavers came up with a huge defensive stop, forcing Pierce to fire an errant three-point attempt at the buzzer as the contest went into overtime.

Etten grabbed one of his three offensive rebounds early in the OT and scored to make it 84-82, but Pierce answered with two free throws to knot the score again. Papalambros then put Babson back in front with a pull-up jumper with 2:15 remaining, and on the ensuing Tufts possession Etten came up with a critical steal that culminated with Papalambros feeding fellow first-year Matt Florio (Skillman, N.J.) on a fastbreak lay-up for a four-point lead.

Tufts would refuse to go quietly, getting two free throws from junior Tom Selby (Madison, Wisc.) with 59 seconds left and then converting an offensive rebound into a lay-up by junior Reed Morgan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) that tied the game at 88-88 with 35 seconds remaining. After Babson called timeout with under 20 ticks left, Etten took the ball at the right elbow, backed his man down, and hit a dramatic fall-away jumper with a hand in his face to put Babson in front with 0.6 showing on the clock. The officials would reset the clock to 1.0 second, but the Jumbos' full-court desperation pass was knocked out of bounds by Babson first-year Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, N.Y.) as time expired.

In addition to his team-high 25 points, Etten also collected 10 rebounds and added two assists, two blocks, and two steals. Ladson recorded three steals and two key offensive rebounds for the Beavers, while Papalambros chipped in with two steals and three assists. Edwards was also stellar in his collegiate debut, hitting 5 of 7 from the field for 10 points to go along with four boards and a blocked shot. Babson shot 52.3 percent from the field in the contest, including a 54.5 percent clip in the second half.

Pierce had a monster game in defeat for Tufts, netting 40 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the floor, including 4 of 6 from long range, and an 8-of-12 showing from the line. He also added five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Gallant and junior Dave Beyel (Ocean City, N.J.) each added 14 points for the Jumbos, who shot 51.9 percent from the field.