BOX SCORE

BABSON PARK, Mass. - Springfield College senior captain Pat Crean (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) hit the go-ahead lay-up with 1:13 remaining in regulation to propel the visiting Pride to a dramatic 72-70 win over host Babson College in the first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game of the season for both teams on Wednesday night. With its third straight victory, Springfield improved to 5-8 overall (1-0 NEWMAC), while the Beavers fell to 5-6 (0-1 NEWMAC) after their first loss in three games.

Crean was held to just 4-of-12 shooting from the field, but the senior forward shot 12-for-12 from the free throw line to finish with a game-high 20 points. He also collected seven rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked one shot. Junior Matt Cavalieri (West Warwick, R.I.) added a double-double for the Pride, finishing with 18 points and 10 boards, while junior Darvis Rankins (Boston, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and five caroms. Junior guard Billy Harkins (Bellmore, N.Y.) led all players with six assists, and sophomore center Ryan Coburn (West Warwick, R.I.) finished a huge game in the paint with eight blocked shots and five rebounds.

After being held to just two points and one rebound in the first half, Babson sophomore Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) turned in a huge second stanza to finish with 18 points, eight boards, and two blocks. First-year Marcus McDermott (Milton, Mass.) added 16 points and four assists for the Beavers, while junior captain Matt Zoia (Nashua, N.H.) contributed eight points in defeat. Babson turned the ball over just 11 times in the contest, but shot just 32.3 percent from the field in the second half.

Springfield controlled the game early on, as the visitors dominated the paint behind five early blocks from Coburn to build a 29-19 advantage in the first 12 and a half minutes. However, Babson battled back to tie the game with a 14-4 run over the next 4:30, fueled by two lay-ups apiece from McDermott and junior Dana Mauro (Wethersfield, Conn.) as well as three-pointers by first-year Alex Rudolph (Bal Harbour, Fla.) and junior Shelton Ladson (New York, N.Y.). Springfield then moved back in front with four straight points and eventually entered the break with a 37-35 lead.

Although the Beavers would tie the contest again at 41-41 three minutes into the second half, Springfield refused to relinquish the lead for the first 12 minutes of the period. The Pride led by as many as eight on four occasions during that span, including a 57-49 margin following a lay-up by sophomore Evan Christner (Voorheesville, N.Y.) with 9:54 on the clock.

Babson finally moved ahead with an 11-0 run that was sparked by a Zoia trifecta that made it 57-52 with 9:40 left. Noonan followed with a big three-point play off an offensive rebound at 9:09, and after drawing a foul on his teammate's free throw, first-year Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.) sank a pair of his own to tie the contest at 57-57. The Beavers then took their first lead since the opening four minutes when McDermott stepped back for a three-pointer to make it 60-57 with eight minutes remaining.

Babson extended its lead to as many as five after a pair of Noonan free throws with 7:13 to go, but Springfield netted four straight to get within one and neither team led by more than three the rest of the way. With the hosts holding a 68-65 advantage, Cavalieri drained a jumper and Crean sank two freebies to move the Pride back in front 69-68, but Noonan came right back with a jumper from the right baseline to give Babson a 70-69 edge.

Crean put Springfield in front for good when he sank a driving lay-up from the right block with 1:13 left, giving his team a 71-70 lead. The Beavers then came up empty on their next possession, and a Cavalieri offensive rebound at the other end helped the Pride run more than 40 seconds off the clock. Babson finally got the ball back with 19 seconds remaining, but Noonan's long jumper from the right elbow missed and Rankins came up with the rebound in traffic. After getting fouled, the junior guard hit one of two from the line with 1.5 seconds left, and McDermott's desperation three from beyond half court hit the top of the backboard as Springfield escaped with the 72-70 win.