WALTHAM, Mass. —Senior Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) scored a season-high 22 points to lead a group of five players who scored in double figures and classmate Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) added 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for her second straight double-double as No. 17/17 Babson College outlasted Brandeis University, 85-56, in non-conference women's basketball action Wednesday evening inside Red Auerbach Arena.

With the victory, Babson improves to 4-0 on the season while Brandeis dropped its third straight contest to fall to 2-5 overall. Among the highlights for the Beavers was a perfect team performance at the free throw line, knocking down all 17 attempts.

Bauman made 6-of-13 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and drained all eight free throws while adding a game-high six assists, while Smith was also 6-of-13 from teh field. Sophomore Abby Miller (Millis, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points off the bench and junior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) and sophomore Kiara Simone Davis (Coral Springs, Fla.) contributed 10 points apiece in the win.

Senior Tathiana Pierre (Jericho, N.Y.) led the hosts with 15 points along with six rebounds, and graduate student Shannon Smally (Foxborough, Mass.) added 10 points and a team-high eight boards. Sophomore Caitlin Gresko (Howell, N.J.) chipped in with nine points and senior Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla.) contributed seven points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Babson dominated the first quarter, outscoring the judges 22-7 while holding the hosts to 1-for-15 on field goal attempts. The Beavers scored the first 12 points over the first six minutes, including five points each from Bauman and Walsh. After first-year Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass.) broke the draught for Brandeis with a free throw with four minutes on the clock, Babson outscored the Judges 10-6 to close out the quarter, getting five more points from Bauman.

Brandeis got as close as 11 points early in the second quarter, but Babson maintained a double-digit lead throughout the frame. Miller scored eight points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers for the Beavers to keep the Judges at bay, and Bauman and junior Madison Odam (San Jose, Calif.) hit back-to-back hoops as the Green and White opened up their largest lead of the first half at 40-16 with a minute to play. First-year Lily Mires (Santa Barbara, Calif.) converted a pair of free throws and Reavis made a layup for the Judges to make it a 40-20 game at halftime.

Brandeis came alive in the third quarter, outscoring Babson 24-15 to crawl back into the game. The Judges trimmed the deficit to 12 points at 42-30 after opening the second half with a 10-2 run and pulled to within 10 points (46-36) after a pair of free throws by senior Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y.) with four minutes left in the quarter.

Davis stalled the comeback attempt with seven unanswered points for Babson on a 3-pointer and four straight free throws to push the lead back up to 17 at 53-36. Brandeis outscored the visitors 8-2 in the final two minutes to slice the margin to 55-44 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final frame belonged to Babson as the Green and White outscored the hosts 30-12. Brandeis was within 11 points (62-51) with six minutes remaining, but the Beavers exploded with 10 straight points and a 16-1 run, capped by a Bauman traditional 3-point play and a Walsh bucket from beyond the arc to put the visitors up 78-52 and the game out of reach with 2:35 to play.

Babson shot 40.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from long range, while Brandeis hit on just 27.3 percent from the field and managed just 20 percent from 3-point range. The Beavers also had a 49-38 advantage on the boards.

The Beavers head to the western part of Massachusetts this weekend to compete in the Shooting Touch Tournament at Williams College, starting with a game against Bridgewater State Friday at 8 p.m. Brandeis is home again on Saturday, hosting MIT at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Babson owns a 28-25 all-time record against Brandeis in a series that dates back to the 1975-76 campaign, including wins in nine of the last 11 games.
• After holding the Judges to 27.3 percent field goal percentage, the Beavers have won 51 consecutive games dating back to 2014 when holding the opponent to less than 30 percent from the field.
• The Beavers' 17 made free throws without a miss is the best team performance at the line in more than a decade.