BOX
SCORE
PASADENA, Calif. -- The Babson College men's basketball team
overcame a tough shooting performance with a stellar defensive
effort en route to a 47-43 victory over Occidental College at the
Caltech Holiday Classic on New year's Eve. With the win, the
Beavers improved to 7-3, while the Tigers dipped to 5-4.
Senior captain Zach Etten
(Hollis, N.H.) was
the only Babson player in double figures, finishing with 17 pints
to go with eight rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Shelton Ladson (New York, N.Y.) added
nine points and three steals, while senior Pat Belniak (Sutton, Mass.) and
first-year Marcus Edwards (East
Hampton, N.Y.) contributed seven points apiece. The Beavers
hit just 17 of 53 field goal attempts (32.1 percent), but made up
for it by forcing 20 Occidental turnovers.
Jack Hanley paced the Tigers with 10 points, while Justin Goltz
added nine points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots. David
Ostrow dished out a game-high nine assists for Occidental, and Sean
Anderson chipped in with seven points, seven boards, and four
blocks.
Babson used a 5-0 run to build an 18-11 lead midway through the
first half and eventually took a 31-21 advantage into the break.
The Beavers still led by 10 after a three-pointer by Etten made it
38-28 with 14:42 to go in the second, but Occidental rallied with
seven straight points over the next six minutes to get back to
within three.
The Tigers still trailed by only three at 44-41 after a Goltz
lay-up with five minutes remaining in regulation, but Joe
Greenaway's lay-up with 17 seconds left would be the only bucket
that the Beavers' stiffling defense would allow the rest of the
way. Meanwhile, Ettend converted a conventional three-point play
with 2:47 left to help Babson claim the 47-43 win.
The Beavers return to action on Friday evening, when they take
on host Caltech at 2 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET).
