BABSON PARK, Mass.—Juniors Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) and Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) combined for 23 second-half points as the University of Saint Joseph erased a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Babson College, 71-67, in men's college basketball action on Saturday afternoon inside Staake Gymnasium.

With its first loss, Babson slips to 5-1 on the year, while Saint Joseph improves to 1-2.

Senior Andrew Jaworski (Tolland, Conn.) and junior Colin Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) both finished with 14 points and three rebounds to lead the Beavers. Junior James Welch (Needham, Mass.) came off the bench to score 13 points and sophomore Andrew Kirkpatrick (Winnetka, Ill.) added eight points and a game-high seven assists in the loss.

O'Neill led all players with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Martin went 10-of-13 at the free throw line and finished with 16 points and five assists to pace the Blue Jays. Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points and Chaylyn Martin (Hartford, Conn.) contributed 11 points and six boards in the victory.

Down 14 at halftime, Saint Joseph opened the second half with a 7-0 run and pulled within 47-42 on a three-point play by Samuels with 15:12 to play in the game. The Beavers were still up nine after a Bradanese layup with under nine minutes remaining, but the Blue Jays scored the next nine points to pull even at 56-56 on a hoop by Chaylyn Martin with 6:13 remaining.

The teams traded hoops over the next four-plus minutes before O'Neill canned a three-pointer from the right wing to put the visitors in front 67-64 with 1:45 left. O'Neill followed with two free throws on the following possession and Jaecee Martin went 2-of-2 at the charity stripe to give Saint Joseph its biggest lead of the game at 71-64 with 32 seconds to play.

The Blue Jays took its biggest lead of the opening half at 18-13 on a three-pointer by junior Jake Sullivan (Branford, Conn.) only to see the Green and White answer with a 20-2 burst that included two triples apiece by Welch and Jaworski on the way to building a 33-20 advantage with 6:46 to go before halftime. Saint Joseph answered with a 6-0 burst to cut their deficit to 33-26 on a trifecta by O'Neill, but the Beavers got a pair of three-pointers from sophomore Aaron Gao (Bridgewater, N.J.) and an old-fashioned three-point play from Bradanese to stretch their margin to 44-30 at the break.

The teams will conclude their two-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Hartford, Conn.

Babson, which made nine first-half three-pointers, shot just 26.7 percent in the second half and a season-low 40 percent for the game. The Beavers were also outrebounded 46-26.

Saint Joseph shot 41.7 percent from floor and went 16-of-18 at the free throw line in the second half.

GAME NOTES
• Saturday's meeting was the first all-time between Babson and Saint Joseph.
• The Beavers lost for just the fourth time in the last 25 games when making at least 11 three-pointers on Saturday.
• Prior to the game, Babson honored Jaworski and fellow senior Matt Pattyson (Doylestown, Pa.). 
• The Beavers' 23 second-half points are their fewest since being held to 23 in a 57-54 loss to Springfield on February 16, 2019.