BOX SCORE

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Babson College women's basketball team outlasted Wheaton College, 51-43, in the NEWMAC Tournament Finals at WPI on Sunday, as the Beavers earned the fourth conference championship in program history and the first since 1999. First-year Nicki Wurdeman (Rowley, Mass.) posted 12 points and eight rebounds in the win, while fellow rookie Michelle Kenel (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) capped off a magnificent weekend with 11 points, eight boards, and three assists. With the victory, Babson earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament - the fourth berth in program history.

First-year Kathleen King (Framingham, Mass.) added eight points, nine rebounds, and three steals for Babson, while sophomore Renay Hamilton (Lynn, Mass.) contributed eight points, including a huge bucket that put the Beavers ahead for good with two minutes remaining in the game.

Bri Smith paced Wheaton with 20 points, hitting 4-of-9 from three-point range, while Ida Kruse added seven points and eight rebounds. Andrea Bailey dished out a game-high eight assists in the loss, and Jenny Champney tallied six points and six boards.

Babson used a late 8-0 surge to a take a 30-23 lead at halftime, as Kenel drained back-to- back three-pointers and sophomore Kristy Benoit (Shrewsbury, Mass.) followed with a fastbreak lay-up off her own steal to end the period. Wheaton then rallied to tie the score midway through the second half, and the contest remained close the rest of the way.

With the score tied at 43-43, Hamilton drove the lane and knocked down a floater to put Babson in front by two with exactly two minutes left in regulation. Wurdeman then pulled down huge defensive rebounds on Wheaton's next two possessions before taking a nice feed from Kenel and converting a lay-up on the right block to give Babson a 47-43 advantage with 32 seconds remaining.

After another miss on the offensive end, Wheaton was forced to commit four consecutive fouls to reach the bonus situation. When they finally did, sophomore Becky Bowman (Melrose, Mass.) sank both of her attempts with 20.5 seconds left to make it a 49-43 affair, and King later tacked on two more freebies with 11.5 on the clock to finish off the 51-43 Babson victory.

Led by longtime head coach Judy Blinstrub, the Beavers now head to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. Babson's previous appearances came in 1993 and 1994, when they advanced to the second round, and 1999, when they fell in the opening round. The Beavers will learn the date and identity of their first round opponent on Monday morning, when the NCAA announces the official tournament field and bracket.