BABSON PARK, Mass.—First-year Anika Chinthakunta (Saratoga, Calif.) led three players in double figures with 15 points to help Babson College open the season with a 67-60 win over visiting Eastern Connecticut State University in non-conference women's basketball action on Tuesday night inside Staake Gymnasium.

Chinthakunta finished 7-of-13 from the floor and added three rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) contributed 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and three assists to lead the Beavers. First-year Abby Miller (Millis, Mass.) knocked down three three-pointers and scored 14 points and junior Samantha Smith (Greenfield, N.H.) pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds in the victory.

Senior Julie Keckler (Trumbull, Conn.) led all scorers with 23 points, while classmate Jenna Serrantino (Cromwell, Conn.) added 15 points to pace the Warriors. Fellow senior Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, Mass.) registered a game-high five steals and first-year Taylor Salato (East Haven, Conn.) pulled down a team-best nine rebounds.

Chinthakunta and Walsh combined for 16 points and the Green and White shot 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the floor on the way to building a 23-16 first-quarter advantage. The Beavers (1-0) were held to just one field goal over the first six minutes of the second but got hoops on back-to-back possessions by Chinthakunta and Walsh to match their biggest lead of the half at 32-23 with 3:02 to go before the break.

Junior Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) started the third quarter with a three-pointer and Chinthakunta scored off an offensive rebound by Smith to give Babson's it's largest advantage of the night less than 90 seconds into the period at 40-28. Serrantino scored seven consecutive points to help Eastern Connecticut State (0-1) get within three, and Keckler followed a triple by Miller with eight straight points to put the visitors in front 51-49 two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Salato kept the Warriors in front 55-53 with back-to-back hoops, but the Beavers scored on three of their next four possessions to go back in front 59-55 on a layup in transition by Chinthakunta with 3:02 remaining. Eastern Connecticut State senior Aiyana Ward (Waterbury, Conn.) put back a miss by Keckler to cut the margin to two with 1:41 left, but Miller canned a three-point on the following possession and Walsh scored on a run-out to stretch Babson's advantage to 66-59 with 1:01 to play.

The Beavers shot 41.8 percent from the floor and finished with a 50-38 edge on the glass. The Warriors shot just 33.8 percent on the night and were just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from three-point range.

Babson returns to action on Saturday when it takes on Keene State in Middlebury, Vt., at 1 p.m. Eastern Connecticut State faces Stevens in Union, N.J., on Friday at 5 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Babson is now 1-3 all-time against Eastern Connecticut State, although Tuesday's meeting was the first between the teams since 2010.
• The Beavers, which went 11-0 in an abbreviated 2021 campaign, have now won 22 of their last 23 games going back January 25, 2020.
• Babson shot 7-of-12 from three-point range (58.3 percent) and outscored Eastern Connecticut State 38-28 in the paint.