NEWTON, Mass. — Sophomore Nate Amado (Hanson, Mass.) and senior Andrew Kirkpatrick (Winnetka, Ill.) combined to score 48 points and Babson College outscored Lasell University 44-28 in the second half to pull away to a 76-65 victory in the men's basketball season opener Wednesday evening at the Lasell Athletic Center.

With the win, Babson opens the season at 1-0 while Lasell starts 0-1.

Amado scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds while Kirkpatrick added 23 points along with three rebounds, three assists and four steals in the win. First-year Timmy O'Toole (Milton, Mass.) contributed eight points, nine rebounds and five steals in a solid collegiate debut, and classmate Mark Woolhouse (Lebanon, N.J.) added eight points off the bench for the Beavers.

Graduate student EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) finished with a game-high 29 points and six rebounds for the Lasers, making 12-of-13 from the free throw line. Sophomore Gabe Qua (Suffield, Conn.) added nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds and sophomore Marcus Lewis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) chipped in with eight points in the loss.

The Lasers led much of the first half, taking an eight-point lead (23-15) on a four-point play by sophomore Conan McCusker (Dorchester, Mass.) with nine minutes to go and extending it to a 10-point margin on a pair of Day free throws on the next possession. Babson chipped away at the lead on a pair of Amado buckets and a three-point play by first-year Tyler Lauder (Malvern, Pa.) and went into the break down five points, 37-32.

The Beavers opened the second half with the first 11 points to take a 43-37 lead, sparked by back-to-back dunks by O'Toole and Amado and continued by an Amado jumper, a three-point hoop by graduate student Ryan Cibull (Alameda, Calif.) and a Kirkpatrick basket.

Lasell was within two points (51-49) after a Day three-pointer before Babson ran off seven straight points, capped by a Woolhouse three, to pull ahead, 58-49. Another Woolhouse three pushed the margin to 63-50 with seven minutes remaining and a Kirkpatrick triple lifted the Beavers to a 66-55 lead with five minutes to play. The Lasers fought back to within four points (67-63) after a traditional three-point play by senior Davon Bradley (Indianapolis, Ind.) with 3:14 to play, but Babson outscored the hosts 9-2 the rest of the way, including four points each from Amada and O'Toole, to secure the win.

Babson shot just 38 percent from the field (30-79) while Lasell converted 40 percent (20-50) overall and 38.1 percent from long range (8-21). The Beavers won the battle on the glass, 46-41.

The Green and White will host Salve Regina in the home opener on Saturday at Staake Gymnasium at 2 p.m. Lasell visits New England College on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tipoff.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers have won 10 in a row over the Lasers and own an 18-3 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1998.
• Babson has won four straight and 14 of the last 15 season openers going back to 2008.
• The double-double for Amado was the seventh of his career, and his 15 rebounds was one off his career high.