BOX
SCORE | VIDEO
OF THE FINAL 18 SECONDS
BABSON PARK, Mass. - Babson College first-year Alex
Rudolph (Bal Harbour, Fla.) drained a three-pointer from
the right wing as time expired to lift the Beavers to a dramatic
63-60 victory over visiting Bowdoin College in a non-conference
men's basketball matchup at Babson's Staake Gymnasium on Tuesday
night. THis was the second straight victory for the Beavers,
who evened their record at 8-8, while the Polar Bears lost their
second in a row to fall to 8-5.
Junior captain Matt Zoia (Nashua, N.H.) led
Babson with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 3-for-5 clip
from long range. Sophomore Matt Florio (Skillman,
N.J.) added 10 points and four assists, while Rudolph finished with
eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Junior captain Eric White (Hyattsville, Md.) and
junior Dana Mauro (Wethersfield, Conn.) also
scored eight points apiece in the win, while first-year
Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and sophomore
Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, N.Y.) netted seven
apiece.
Bowdoin was paced by senior captain Mark Phillips (Ashland,
Mass.), who hit 9-of-14 from the field for a game-high 18 points
while also collecting six rebounds. Senior captain Paul Sellew
(Glastonbury, Conn.) chipped in with 12 points and six boards for
the Polar Bears, while sophomore Will Hanley (New Canaan, Conn.)
tossed in 10 points to go with six boards and four assists. Senior
captain Mike Hauser (East Williston, N.Y.) added five points and
five assists for the visitors, who enjoyed a 34-22 rebound
advantage but committed 21 turnovers to Babson's 14.
Rudolph's buzzer-beater capped off a thrilling second half that
featured six ties and five lead changes. Babson used a 7-0 run
midway through the period to take a 52-46 lead with 6:32 left, and
the Beavers eventually built their largest lead of the game at
55-47 following a free throw from Rudolph with 5:13 on the clock.
Bowdoin then came storming back with a 13-5 run over the next five
minutes, culminating with a clutch three-pointer by sophomore Ryan
O'Connell (Ipswich, Mass.) that tied the game at 60-60 with 18.3
seconds remaining.
On the final possession of the game, Babson nearly turned the
ball over before Florio chased down an errant pass near mid-court.
He then dribbled to the top of the key and fed Rudolph on the right
side with less than three seconds left. The Babson first-year guard
took one dribble to his left to side-step a charging Bowdoin
defender and launched a three from a step beyond the arc. The shot
went down as time expired, giving the Beavers the spectacular 63-60
victory.
Babson led for most of the first half, opening with a 6-0 run
and matching that six-point advantage on two more occasions.
Bowdoin eventually battled back and after a 7-0 run took their
first lead of the contest at 19-17 with 8:19 to go. A three-pointer
by Edwards put the Beavers back in front, and they would lead until
the final 38 seconds when Phillips sank a jumper to give the Polar
Bears a slim 29-28 advantage heading into the locker room.
Florio led Babson with nine points in the opening stanza, while
Phillips had 10 at the break for Bowdoin.
