BOX SCORE
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Babson College men's
basketball team rallied from a 15-point second half deficit but
fell just short as the Beavers lost to Lebanon Valley College,
73-72, in the 2010 Land of Magic Classic at Embry-Riddle University
on Tuesday. With the loss, Babson falls to 4-6 overall, while the
Dutchmen improve to 7-4.
The Beavers were led in defeat by sophomore Russell
Braithwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who recorded a double-double
with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with 10 rebounds in just
24 minutes of action. Junior Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor,
Maine) added 12 points and four rebounds, while first-year
Matt Palazini (Franklin, Mass.) tossed in 13
points off the bench. Senior captain Matt Zoia (Nashua,
N.H.) and junior captain Matt Florio (Skillman,
N.J.) each chipped in with nine points and four assists
while combining for six of the team's nine steals.
For Lebanon Valley, Anthony Trautman recorded a game-high 21
points, while Danny Brooks was close behind with 19 points. Joe
Meehan contributed 14 points, 10 assists, six boards, and three
steals, and Grant Becker pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Dutchmen led by as many as 15 in the first half before
taking a 39-33 advantage into the break. Babson then pulled to
within two after back-to-back lay-ups by Braithwaite early in the
second, but Lebanon Valley would surge back to match its largest
lead of the contest after a Brooks jumper made it 58-43 with 13:16
left in the game.
Following a Meehan lay-up that made it 60-47, the Beavers
embarked on a 9-0 run to get back into the contest. Palazini scored
the first seven points of the spurt, while Noonan capped it with a
bucket to make it 60-56 with just over eight minutes remaining in
regulation.
The Dutchmen would keep the Beavers just out of striking
distance for the next four minutes before Noonan hit three straight
free throws and Braithwaite followed with a lay-up to pull Babson
to within three, 67-64, with 1:20 on the clock. However, Meehan
knocked down a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left, and, after
Florio hit two of his own to cut it back to three, Trautman hit the
second of two to make it a two-possession game, 70-66, with 18
seconds remaining.
Becker added another freebie to give Lebanon Valley a five-point
lead with 10 seconds left, but Palazini gave Babson life with his
third three-pointer of the game three seconds later. Meehan then
iced the Dutchmen victory with two free throws with four seconds on
the clock, making it 73-69, before a three at the buzzer by Babson
junior Peter Foley (Wells, Maine) provided the
73-72 final.
The Beavers finish up their southern trip with a 4 p.m. contest
against Penn State-Harrisburg on Wednesday. Babson then returns
home to open its second semester schedule with a NEWMAC road game
at Springfield on January 5.
