BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior James Welch (Needham, Mass.) knocked down five three-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points to help Babson College defeat visiting Springfield College, 83-74, in New England and Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon inside Staake Gymnasium.

With its fourth straight win, Babson improves to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in league play, while Springfield slips to 2-9 overall and 0-2 in the NEWMAC.

First-year Nate Amado (Hanson, Mass.) finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists for the Beavers. Graduate student Mitchell Kirsch (Atkinson, N.H.) added 12 points and five boards, while sophomore Kieran Dorney (Garden City, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds in the win.

Sophomore Nick Bray (Hartford, Conn.) scored 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting to lead three players in double figures for the Pride. Senior Daryl Costa (Providence, R.I.) added 20 points and a game-high five steals, while junior Ty Garry (Southington, Conn.) contributed 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a losing effort.

Springfield raced out to 12-5 advantage and led throughout much of a sloppy first half. The Green and White used a 14-4 run that included a pair of three-pointers by Welch to take its first lead (19-16) at the 10:28, but the Pride outscored the hosts 7-3 over the final 2:32 of the stanza to take a 34-32 lead into the locker room.

The first 10-plus minutes of the second half featured seven ties and 11 lead changes with the teams never separated by more than five points. Bray followed five straight points by Dorney with six of his own during a 7-0 spurt that put Springfield in front 56-54 at the 10:19 mark. Welch responded with a pair of three-pointers and eight points in all as the Beavers answered with a 12-2 burst to go back in front 66-58 with 7:03 remaining in the game.

Down 69-61 with under six minutes to go, Costa scored seven of the Pride's next eight points to trim the margin to 72-69 with 3:17 left. Senior Beau Smith (Germantown, N.Y.) went 2-for-2 at the free throw line on the ensuing possession and Amado scored on back-to-back trips to extend the Babson lead to 78-69 with less than 90 seconds to play.

The Beavers shot a season-high 52 percent from the field and converted 18 Springfield turnovers into 24 points. They also held a slim 33-31 edge on the glass.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday as Babson travels to WPI at 7 p.m., while Springfield hosts Wheaton at 2 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are now 26-42 all-time against Springfield and have won 12 of the last 17 meetings between the teams.
• Babson is now 7-1 at home this winter and 91-18 inside Staake Gymnasium going back to January 2015.
• The Beavers' 12 three-point field goals in Saturday's win are a season high and their most since making 12 in a 72-64 win over Eastern Nazarene on March 13, 2021.
• Babson has won 26 of its last 28 games when outrebounding its opponents dating back to the 2019-20 campaign.