NEWTON, Mass. -- The Babson College men's basketball team improved to 5-0 for the first time in nine years by defeating host Lasell College, 76-72, in a non-conference contest on Tuesday night.

All five wins have come in a grueling eight-day span for the Beavers, who are now off to their best start since they won their first seven contests in 2002-03. Meanwhile, the Lasers fell to 1-3 with their third straight loss.

Junior Russ Braithwaite shot 9-for-13 from the field and 5-for-8 from the line for a team-high 23 points in the win. The veteran forward also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. First-year David Mack added a career-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and junior Marcus McDermott chipped in with 12 points while hitting 4-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line. Senior captain Matt Florio recorded four assists and two steals while hitting two huge free throws with six seconds left, and sophomore Matt Palazini tossed in eight points to go with his game-high three steals.

Lasell was paced by Sean Bertanza, who shot 9-for-17 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free throw line for a game-high 25 points. He was joined in double-figures by Javon Williams, who scored 12 points to go with eight rebounds.

An 8-0 run midway through the first half gave Babson a 16-7 lead, and a three-pointer by first-year John Wickey later in the period gave the Beavers their largest lead of the day at 24-13. However, the hosts scored 10 straight points as part of a 16-2 run that put them back in front, 29-26, with just under a minute to play in the half. Braithwaite then hit a jumper as time expired to cut the Beavers' deficit to 29-28 at the break.

The two teams battled back and forth for the first two and a half minutes of the second stanza before Babson embarked on a 12-3 run that resulted in a 48-39 advantage. Braithwaite scored six points during the burst, while Mack added four more. Lasell later cut the deficit back to three after a Nate DiSessa three-pointer made it 48-45 with 14 minutes remaining, but senior Kris Noonan hit a bucket to spark a 7-0 run that pushed the Beavers' lead back to double figures, 55-45, with 11 minutes on the clock.

Babson still led by as many as nine after a McDermott lay-up made it 73-64 with a little less than four minutes remaining, but the Lasers made one final run with eight straight points to get to within one, 73-72, with 40 seconds left in regulation. Lasel then had a chance to take the lead after a Beaver turnover, but junior Peter Foley pulled down a huge defensive rebound on a missed lay-up by Bertanza and immediately drew a foul with 11 ticks left.

After Foley hit one of two from the line to push the lead back to two at 74-72, Lasell committed its 21st turnover of the contest to give the ball back to Babson. Florio then drew a foul and sank two free throws with six seconds left to cap off the 76-72 Beaver victory.