Box Score

BABSON PARK, Mass. - First-year Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, N.Y.) scored a game-high 27 points in his second collegiate game to lead the Babson College men's basketball team to a 93-75 victory over visiting Salve Regina University in the semifinal round of the sixth annual Babson Invitational Tournament presented by Irving Oil on Saturday night. With the victory, the Beavers (2-0) advance to Sunday's championship game against Union College at 3 p.m., while the Seahawks (1-2) will play Framingham State College in the consolation game at 1 p.m.

Edwards was magnificent in the win for Babson, hitting 9-of-10 from the field and 9-of-11 from the line for 27 points. Senior captain Zach Etten (Hollis, N.H.) also shot well, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor, including a 3-for-3 clip from long range, for 19 points. Sophomore Shelton Ladson (New York, N.Y.) contributed 16 points for the Beavers, and first-year Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) chipped in with 10 points and a team-high five rebounds. Babson was extremely efficient on the offensive end, shooting 55.8 percent from the field while committing just 10 turnovers.

For Salve Regina, senior Justin Woodworth (Ipswich, Mass.) led the way with 25 points, while sophomore Windell Hinkson (Groton, Conn.) added 19 points, five assists, and three steals. First-year Andrew Knight (Danvers, Mass.) netted 12 points for the Seahawks, who shot 41.3 percent from the floor in the contest.

After Woodworth scored the first two points of the game for Salve Regina, Babson surged ahead with a 16-4 run that featured seven points from Ladson and four more from Noonan. The hosts would lead by as many as 12 after a conventional three-point play by Noonan made it 30-18 with six minutes left in the half before taking a 41-33 cushion into the locker room.

Salve Regina stayed within striking distance early in the second, and eventually pulled to within three at 57-54 after an offensive rebound and put back by sophomore Ryan Birrell (Hope, R.I.) with 10:52 remaining. However, Babson pushed its lead back to double figures with a 9-1 run over the next two and a half minutes and the Seahawks never got closer than eight the rest of the way as the Beavers claimed the 93-75 win.