BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) scored 16 of her team-high 20 points in the second half as No. 9/9 Babson College rallied to defeat visiting Middlebury College, 60-51, in the opening game of the Judy Pearson '85 Memorial Tournament on Friday afternoon inside Staake Gymnasium.

With its second consecutive win, Babson improves to 9-1 on the year. Middlebury, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, dips to 6-4 overall.

Bauman was 6-of-11 from the floor and added three assists and two steals, while senior Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Beavers. Junior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) chipped in with 10 points and sophomore Katelyn Mollica (Foxborough, Mass.) added eight points, six rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore Ashley Mustafaj (Yonkers, N.Y.) led all players with 23 points, while classmate Augusta Dixon (Charleston, S.C.) came off the bench to finish with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Panthers.

Mustafaj opened the game with 12 straight points for the visitors and connected on a short jumper after consecutive hoops by Dixon to push Middlebury's lead to 18-12 just over two minutes into the second quarter. The Green and White pulled back within two on a bucket by Smith but senior Reegan McDonald (Holden, Mass.) drained two free throws and followed up a layup by Mustafaj with a three-pointer to give the Panthers their largest lead of the game at 25-16 with 3:25 to go before halftime.

Down eight at the break, Bauman and Smith combined for nine points during a 13-6 spurt that cut the Beavers' deficit to 34-33 on a jumper by Mollica with 4:41 to go in the third. Bauman scored the final four points of the stanza to tie the game at 41-41 and sophomore Kiara Simone Davis (Coral Springs, Fla.) buried a three-pointer from the left wing to give Babson a 44-43 edge, its first since early in the opening quarter, with 8:35 to play in the contest.

Mollica answered a Mustafaj free throw with a jumper and Bauman scored the next six points to extend the Beavers' margin to 52-44 with 5:02 left. Middlebury responded with hoops on its next three possessions to pull back within one a driving layup by Mustafaj before the Green and White closed the game with an 8-0 run.

Smith made it 54-51 with a jumper in the paint at the 2:01 mark and converted a layup inside pushing the lead to five with 49 seconds remaining. Bauman and Walsh converted four straight free throws over the final 31 seconds for the final margin.

The Beavers shot 40.4 percent from the floor, outscored the Panthers 30-20 in the paint and finished with a 45-27 advantage on the glass. Middlebury shot just 36.4 percent but turned 21 Babson turnovers into 28 points.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as Babson takes on Endicott at 2 p.m., while Middlebury faces Eastern Connecticut State at 12 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 3-1 all-time against Middlebury.
• Babson is 8-0 on the year and 21-3 going back to the start of last year when scoring at least 60 points.
• With three assists in Friday's win, Bauman is now fourth on the program's all-time list with 326 for her career.
• The Beavers are now 6-1 all-time in the Judy Pearson '85 Memorial Tournament.