MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Sophomore Silvana Scarsella (Des Plaines, Ill.) and junior Sami Martin (Platteville, Wis.) combined to score 45 points and Loras College (Iowa) closed the game with a 14-point run on the way to handing No. 9/9 Babson College its first loss of the season, 73-52, Tuesday afternoon at the women's basketball Cruzin' Classic inside the Fernandez Family Center on the campus of St. Thomas University.

Babson had its seven-game winning streak to start the season snapped and dropped to 7-1, while Loras, which has won three in a row, including a win over then-No. 9 Wisconsin-Eau Claire on December 9, improves to 8-2 with the victory.

The Beavers got 11 points apiece from seniors Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) and Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) and junior Madison Odam (San Jose, Calif.). Bauman made 5-of-9 shots and added five rebound and four assists, Odam grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and Smith was also 5-of-9 from the field and contributed six boards, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Scarsella finished with a game-high 24 points after making 8-of-14 shots, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, while Martin was good for 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, converting 8-of-15 shots from the field. Senior Madison Fleckenstein (Asbury, Iowa) and sophomore Emerson Whittenbaugh (Delhi, Iowa) contributed 10 points apiece, and senior Cierra Bachmann (Channahon, Ill.) filled up the stat sheet with five points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

Babson led most of the first quarter, including a seven-point margin (15-8) after a 3-pointer by sophomore Abby Miller (Millis, Mass.) with under four minutes remaining. The Duhawks ran off eight unanswered points, featuring a pair of buckets by Martin, to take the lead before Smith answered with a late jumper to give the Beavers a 17-16 lead after one.

The Green and White managed just three points in the first seven minutes of the second quarter, all from Smith, as they were outscored 15-3 in that span. The Beavers responded with eight consecutive points on 3-pointers by sophomore Camille Minor (Kingston, Mass.) and Bauman and a layup by Odam to pull to within three points (31-28) in the final minute of the half before Fleckenstein hit a jumper to give Loras a 33-28 margin at the intermission.

The teams traded baskets throughout the third quarter, with Babson pulling as close as three points (40-37) on an Odam jumper with 5:27 on the clock, and Loras leading by as much as eight points (50-42) to close out the frame.

The Duhawks pushed their lead to double digits early in the fourth quarter but Babson remained within striking distance (54-46) after a Bauman layup with 7:25 to play and was within seven points (59-52) after a jumper by Katelyn Mollica (Foxboroough, Mass.) with five minutes remaining.

It was all Loras the rest of the way as Babson missed all nine of its shots while the Duhawks drained a pair of 3-pointers, grabbed three offensive rebounds and knocked down 8-of-10 free throw attempts.

Babson shot 40.4 percent from the field, a season-low 17.4 percent from long range, and made only 2-of-4 as a team from the free throw line. Loras converted 41.7 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from three, and 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the stripe while earning a slight 38-35 margin on the boards.

Babson plays its second game in the Cruzin' Classic on Wednesday at 12 p.m. against Hanover (Indiana). Loras, which defeated Hanover 73-31 on Monday, will host Wisconsin-Stevens Point on December 29 in Dubuque, Iowa.

GAME NOTES
• Tuesday's game was the first career meeting between Babson and Loras, a member of the American Rivers Conference.
• Babson's four free throw attempts was the fewest attempts in a game since going 1-for-4 in a win over Eastern Nazarene on March 13, 2021 during the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season.
• The nine offensive rebounds for the Beavers broke a streak of nine straight outings with double-digit numbers on the offensive glass.