SALEM, Mass. -- Tufts University withstood a late rally and converted all six of its free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to escape with a 54-48 victory over Babson in the opening round of the Big Four Challenge Saturday afternoon on the campus of Salem State University.

Babson, which entered the game 7-0, played from behind throughout the second half, and trailed 48-41 with 2:19 remaining. However, Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, NY) converted a three-point play, and Marcus McDermott (Milton, MA) turned a steal into a hoop to bring the Beavers to within two, 48-46 with 1:28 left. After a steal by Matt Florio (Princeton, NJ), Babson had a chance to take the lead, but Braithwaite missed a contested jumper with 36 seconds left.

Kwame Firempong (Inglewood, CA) was fouled and made both free throws to give the Jumbos a 50-46 lead. After a McDermott miss, Alex Orchowski (Cornwall, NY) made a pair of free throws, and Firempong made two more with seven second left to seal the victory for the Jumbos.

Tufts (5-1) was led by Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA), who finished with a game-high 15 points on 7-10 shooting. Firempong joined him in double figures with 10 points. The Jumbos shot just 1-12 from three-point range and committed 19 turnovers.

Babson was led by Braithwaite, who finished with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds. McDermott also scored nine points and Alex Rudolph (Bal Harbour, FL) added eight, as the Beavers shot just 36% from the field and committed 21 turnovers.

Tufts (7-1) advances to the championship game where it will take on the winner of the Salem State-Brandeis game at 3 p.m. Babson will play in the consolation game at 1 p.m.

In a sloppy first half, Tufts used a 14-2 run to take a 22-10 lead, but Babson scored the final eight points of the period and trailed just 24-20 at intermission. The teams combined for 23 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, and between them went just 2-14 from three-point range.

NOTE: Taken from a Salem State University press release.