Men's Basketball at Lasell
Wednesday, November 9 | 7 p.m.
Lasell Athletic Center | Newton, Mass.
BABSON: Roster | Schedule & Results | 2021-22 Stats
LASELL: Roster | Schedule & Results | 2021-22 Stats
NEWMAC: 2021-22 Standings | Schedule & Results | 2021-22 Stats
GNAC: 2021-22 Standings | Schedule & Results | 2021-22 Stats
D3HOOPS.COM: Preseason Top 25
WHAT TO KNOW
• Both teams tip off the 2022-23 men's basketball campaign Wednesday evening when Babson visits Lasell for a non-conference encounter in nearby Newton, Mass.
• The Beavers are coming off a 19-8 season a year ago that included a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while Lasell finished 15-11 last season after advancing to the semifinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament.
SERIES HISTORY
• Babson is 17-3 all-time against Lasell in a series that dates back to 1998.
• The Beavers have won 10 in a row over the Lasers, which includes a three-point win last season in Babson Park.
• Nine of the 20 matchups between the teams have been decided by five points or less.
LAST MEETING
• Colin Bradanese '22 scored a team-high 14 points and knocked down the go-ahead free throw with 3:23 to go as Babson went on to defeat visiting Lasell, 70-67, on November 10, 2021 inside Staake Gymnasium.
• Bradanese led all players with 11 rebounds to record his second double-double of the year, while Rob Crouch scored all of his season-high 11 points in the second half to pace a balanced Beavers' attack. James Welch '22 came off the bench to score nine points, sophomore Nate Amado contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and Mitchell Kirsch '22G chipped in with seven points and three steals in the win.
• Kevin Nunez '22 poured in a game-high 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three steals to lead the Lasers. Kevin Vanderhorst '21, '22G added 15 points and seven boards, while graduate student EJ Day finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• Babson is coming off its sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2014 and has made 11 NCAA Tournaments in program history, including the national championship season of 2016-17.
• The Beavers return nine veterans from last year's squad that finished second in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season race with an 11-2 mark and advanced to the semifinals of the NEWMAC Tournament.
• The Green and White have two returning starters, led by Amado, who averaged 11.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in a solid rookie season while shooting 46 percent from the field. Junior Andrew Kirkpatrick contributed 8.5 points per game in 16 outings, knocking down 17-of-45 shots from three-point range (37.8 percent). Junior John Gorgol averaged 5.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 10 starts before suffering a season-ending injury.
SCOUTING THE LASERS
• Lasell has made eight straight GNAC Tournament appearances, advancing to the semifinals last season after posting an 11-7 conference record.
• The Lasers return a dozen veterans and two starters from last year's squad and welcome 10 newcomers to the team.
• Day is back for a fifth season after earning Second Team All-District and First Team All-GNAC honors last year when he averaged 21.6 points per game, second-most in the conference. Sophomore Karim Belhouchet started 23 of his 26 games and averaged 3.6 points with 18 three-pointers in a solid rookie season and classmate Conan McCusker averaged 4.6 points off the bench.
HEAD COACHES
• Head coach Stephen Brennan, in his 28th season on the bench for the Beavers, has guided the program to an overall record of 447-275 (.619), a 212-120 mark (.639) in conference play, four NEWMAC Tournament championships, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. A nine-time conference Coach of the Year, Brennan led the team to the 2017 Division III national championship.
• Lasell is guided by 17th-year head coach Aaron Galletta, who has recorded an overall record of 201-208 (.491), a 150-101 mark (.598) in conference play, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2008. The Lasers have reached the GNAC Tournament the past eight seasons under Galletta, reaching the championship game in 2017.
SEASON OPENERS
• Babson has won three straight and 13 of its last 14 season openers, including a 69-63 verdict over UMass Boston last November 6 at Staake Gymnasium.
• An 85-80 overtime loss at Johnson & Wales in 2018, breaking a streak of wins in 10 straight openers, is the only blemish in season debuts dating back to 2008.
PRESEASON POLLS
• Lasell was picked to finish fifth in the South division of the GNAC behind Saint Joseph (Conn.), Albertus Magnus, Johnson & Wales and Regis. USJ received nine first-place votes followed by Albertus (3) and JWU (1).
A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE
• Babson will play as many as six games against teams that participated in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, as well as games against D3hoops.com preseason No. 8 WPI and No. 13 Saint Joseph (Conn.).
• Prior to league play beginning in January, the Beavers will play eight of their first 11 games away from home, including the Big 4 Challenge at Tufts the weekend before Thanksgiving and a trip to the Midwest the week between Christmas and New Year's to face NCAA Tournament foe Hope (Mich.) and the University of Chicago.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Babson went 3-2 in five overtime games in 2021-22, including an 85-77 loss to Emerson in the NEWMAC Tournament semifinals.
• The Beavers finished 13-0 last season when scoring at least 80 points.
• The Green and White were 17-3 when shooting at least 40 percent from the field and won 13 out of 14 games when out rebounding their opponent.
UP NEXT
• The Beavers will be at Staake Gymnasium for their home opener on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Salve Regina, an institution that will join the NEWMAC in the summer of 2023.
