BOX
SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- The Babson College women's basketball team
came from behind to defeat visiting Clark University 72-68 in the
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener
for both teams at Staake Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Babson
first-years Kathleen King (Framingham, Mass.) and
Nicole Wurdeman (Rowley, Mass.) led the way once
again for the Beavers, combining for 27 rebounds and 33 points.
With the win, the Beavers improve to 7-4 (1-0 NEWMAC), while the
Cougars are now 4-7 (0-1 NEWMAC).
Wurdeman scored 10 of her 19 points in the second half and
tallied 17 rebounds and three steals, while King added 14 points
and 10 rebounds for the Beavers. It was Wurdeman's fifth
double-double of the season, while King notched her fourth.
Sophomore Renay Hamilton (Lynn, Mass.) tossed in a
season-high 10 points, sophomore Becky Bowman (Melrose,
Mass.) chipped in with 11, and junior Sarah Hughes
(Wellesley, Mass.) finished a sensational performance off
the bench with eight points and six boards in just 19 minutes of
play.
For the Cougars, four players reached double digits in the loss.
Kate Minister (Manchester, U.K.) led the way with 15 points and
five rebounds and Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, Mass.) followed
with 12 points and six rebounds. Sarah Roderigue (Oakland, Maine)
ended the contest with 11 points and Ivori Aiken (Harlem, N.Y.)
added 10.
Clark took the lead early and remained ahead until a layup by
Hamilton put the Beavers up 20-18 with ten minutes left in the
first half. The lead changed once again with just over a minute to
play after the Cougars netted six unanswered points to take a 33-29
lead into the break.
In a second half that featured four ties and six lead changes,
Bowman knocked down a three-point basket just 14 seconds into the
period and Wurdeman added another 51 seconds later to put Babson
back on top, 35-33. Clark regained the lead with an 8-2 run soon
after, and the Cougars later went up by as many as eight points
after an Aiken jumper made it 60-52 with just under nine minutes to
play.
Still trailing by as many as seven with 6:24 left, Babson
finished the game with a furious 14-3 run, including 13 unanswered
points, to claim the victory. Wurdeman scored four of the first
seven points of the barrage, including the game-tying lay-up with
4:29 left, and Bowman, Hughes, and sophomore Amanda Grammel
(Leominster, Mass.) each hit two free throws apiece to
give the hosts a 71-65 lead with 31 seconds remaining. Minister
gave the Cougars fresh life when she drained a three-pointer with
15 seconds remaining to pull her team to within three, but Bowman
later blocked the potential game-tying three with just over a
second remaining. Wurdeman then knocked down one of two free throws
with 0.3 seconds on the clock, and Clark was unable to get a shot
off before the buzzer as Babson held on for the 72-68 win.
Both teams continue NEWMAC play on Saturday, when the Beavers
will host visiting Wheaton College and the Cougars will travel to
Mount Holyoke. Both games begin at 2 pm.
