MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.—Senior Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead free throws with 25 seconds remaining, as No. 9/9 Babson College edged Hanover College, 66-65, at the Cruzin' Classic on Wednesday afternoon inside the Fernandez Family Center.

With the win, Babson improves to 8-1 overall, while Hannover drops to 6-4 with its second consecutive loss.

Bauman was 7-of-10 from the floor and dished out a game-high eight assists for the Beavers. Junior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) contributed 12 points, three rebounds and three steals, junior Madison Odam (San Jose, Calif.) finished with 10 points, six boards and a career-high six blocked shots, and senior Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) chipped in with six points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Sophomore Grace Bezold (Covington, Ky.) had 21 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead four players in double figures for the Panthers. Junior Reese Sexton (Louisville, Ky.) added 15 points, sophomore Katherine Benter (Brownstown, Ind.) scored 12 points and senior Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind.) chipped in with 10 points and six boards in the loss.

The Green and White trailed throughout the second half and was down as much as six at 58-52 after Bezold knocked down a pair of free throws with 6:48 to go. Sophomore Camilla Silk (Medfield, Mass.) and Walsh scored back-to-back hoops to trim the deficit to two and Bauman canned consecutive three-pointers to give the Beavers a 62-61 lead.

Smith answered a layup by Bezold with a hoop in the paint but Benter hit a jumper on the ensuing trip to give Hanover a 65-64 advantage with 39 seconds remaining. Bauman was fouled and drained two free throws on the next possession and both Benter and Wilder missed shots over in the waning seconds for the Panthers.

Down 15-14 after one, Hanover opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run to grab its biggest lead of the game at 23-15 with 5:58 to go before halftime. The Green and White, which shot 51.9 percent in the opening half, responded with an 11-2 spurt as the teams went to the locker rooms deadlocked at 34.

The Panthers led by as many as five twice in the third quarter and used three-pointers by Benter and Sexton to take a 56-52 advantage less than two minutes into the fourth.

The Beavers shot 44.6 percent from the floor and finished with a 40-36 edge on the glass. Hanover shot just 37.3 percent but turned 23 Babson turnovers into 20 points.

Babson returns to action on December 30 when it hosts Middlebury in the Judy Pearson Memorial Tournament at 1 p.m., while Hanover takes on Mount St. Joseph on January 4 at 7:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• Wednesday's game was the first in program history against Hanover.
• Babson is now 6-1 going back to the start of last season in games decided by five points or less.
• The Beavers' nine blocked shots in Wednesday's victory are their most since finishing with nine blocks in a 79-66 win at Coast Guard on February 22, 2020.
• Babson is 38-4 since the start of 2020-21 when holding its opponents below 70 points.
• The contest featured seven ties and 17 lead changes.