BOX
SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. - Senior captain Zach Etten (Hollis,
N.H.) recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10
rebounds and sophomore Shelton Ladson (New York,
N.Y.) added 18 points and nine boards to lead the Babson
College men's basketball team to a thrilling 94-89 victory over
visiting Emerson College in a non-conference matchup of unbeatens
on Tuesday night. With the win, the Beavers remained perfect at
4-0, while the Lions suffered their first loss to drop to
2-1.
Etten shot just 4-for-12 from the floor but hit all 11 of his
free throw attempts for 22 points while also posting 10 rebounds
and four assists. Ladson chipped in with 18 points on 6-of-11
shooting, including a stellar 5-for-5 clip from three-point range,
while also pulling down nine boards and dishing out three helpers.
First-year Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, N.Y.)
also shot 6-for-11 for 14 points, including six straight during a
critical 9-2 run late in the game, senior Pat Belniak
(Sutton, Mass.) hit 5-of-6 to finish with 13 points and
six rebounds, and sophomore Eric White (Hyattsville,
Md.) chipped in with eight points off the bench, including
two key trifectas in the second half.
Junior Jeremy Shannon (Lowell, Mass.) had a monster game in
defeat for Emerson, shooting 15-for-22 from the field and 10-for-11
from the line for a game-high 42 points to go with nine assists,
four rebounds, and three steals. Junior Bryan Rouse (East
Greenwich, Conn.) added 18 points and five boards while hitting
6-of-11 from the floor, and sophomore Tom Messinger (Florence,
Mass.) netted 14 points.
Babson began the game with an 18-5 run that was fueled by nine
early points from Ladson, but Emerson closed the gap to 34-32 with
a 12-2 spurt later in the period that featured six points from
Shannon and three-pointers from Messinger and Rouse. The two teams
would remain close for the rest of the half as Babson took an
eventual 48-43 lead into the break.
The first seven minutes of the second half featured three ties
and five lead changes, culminating with a three-pointer by
Messinger that gave the Lions their final advantage of the game,
64-63, with 12:41 left to play. Babson then embarked on a 14-2 run
that was highlighted by a pair of three-pointers by White and
another trifecta by Ladson as the Beavers jumped out to a 77-66
lead with 9:23 to go.
Emerson still trailed by double figures at 79-69 with 7:32
remaining, but the Lions erupted for eight straight points,
including two more buckets by Shannon, to pull to within two at
79-77 with 4:24 on the clock. However, the Beavers put the game
away with a 9-2 barrage over the next three minutes, including six
straight points by Edwards and a three-pointer by Etten, to extend
their lead to 88-79 with 1:40 remaining. The Lions would get back
to within five after a three by Shannon made it 92-87 with 35 ticks
left, but Babson first-year Lambros Papalambros (Quincy,
Mass.) hit two big free throws with 22 seconds on the
clock as the Beavers held on for the eventual 94-89 victory.
