Men's Basketball at Springfield
Wednesday, February 9 | 7:00 p.m.
Blake Arena | Springfield, Mass.
SERIES HISTORY
• Babson is 26-42 all-time against Springfield in a series that dates back to the 1976-77 campaign.
• The Beavers have won 12 of the last 17 games against the Pride, including an 83-74 victory in Staake Gymnasium back on January 8.
• The Green and White have won six of the last eight games in Blake Arena, including five in a row from 2013-17. The last meeting at Springfield was an 84-78 overtime victory by the Pride on February 22, 2020.
LAST MEETING
• Senior James Welch knocked down five three-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points to help Babson defeat Springfield, 83-74, on January 8 inside Staake Gymnasium for its fourth straight win.
• First-year Nate Amado finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists for the Beavers. Graduate student Mitchell Kirsch added 12 points and five boards, while sophomore Kieran Dorney chipped in with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds in the win.
• Sophomore Nick Bray scored 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting to lead three players in double figures for the Pride. Senior Daryl Costa added 20 points and a game-high five steals, while junior Ty Garry contributed 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a losing effort.
• Babson's 52.0 shooting percentage in the game stands as the third-best this season and its 12 three-pointers is tied for second-most.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• Babson (15-6, 8-2 NEWMAC) had a six-game winning streak snapped last Saturday in an 83-64 setback to No. 24 WPI in the battle for first place in the NEWMAC in Staake Gymnasium.
• Amado posted his fourth double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Beavers, while Dorney went 7-of-10 from the floor and scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half. Kirsch added 10 points and four assists in the loss.
• Senior Colin Bradanese (14.9 pts, 6.4 reb, 53.5 FG%) leads the team in scoring and ranks second in rebounding, while Amado (11.5 pts, 7.2 reb) is second in scoring and the team leader on the glass. Dorney contributes 11.4 points per game and Kirsch is good for 8.9 points and 4.2 assists an outing.
• The Beavers are second in the NEWMAC with 39.9 rebounds per game but were held to a season-low 28 boards Saturday against WPI.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
• Springfield (5-14, 3-7 NEWMAC) has dropped its last four games, including Saturday's 82-77 setback at Wheaton.
• The Pride shot 50 percent from the field in the setback (29-of-58) but were outrebounded 38-29.
• First-year Jacob Morales led the Pride with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Bray scored 12 points and Costa added 11 points in his return to the lineup.
• The Pride have a balanced scoring team with four players averaging in double figures – sophomore Zeke Blauner (12.4 ppg), Morales (10.9), Costa (10.7) and senior Collin Lindsay (10.0). Morales leads the squad with 5.0 boards per game.
A LOOK AT THE NEWMAC PLAYOFFS
• WPI (9-1) and Babson (8-2) have solid holds on the top two spots in the conference with each team facing four remaining games.
• Emerson (6-4), Clark (5-5) and MIT (5-5) are battling for the final three playoff spots with Springfield (3-7) still alive but needs a strong finish.
• The top three teams receive a first-round bye and advance to the NEWMAC semifinals on February 24, while the fourth seed will host the five seed in a quarterfinal on February 22, with the winner traveling to the top seed for a semifinal contest. The NEWMAC final is February 26 at the highest remaining seed.
BEAVER BITES
• Bradanese is ranked eighth in the conference in scoring, 12th in rebounding and sixth in field goal percentage. He is one of just four players to rank in the top 12 in all three categories, along with Jarred Houston (Emerson), Ian Hinkley (MIT), and John Lowther (WPI).
• Dorney is averaging 14.3 points over his last seven games and has made at least one three-point shot in seven straight and 11 of his last 12, converting 28-of-64 (43.8%) in that span.
• Amado is averaging 9.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in his last six games with two double-doubles and finishing one rebound shy of a third.
• Kirsch has dished out four or more assists in nine of 10 conference games and is averaging 4.9 dimes against NEWMAC foes.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
• Babson is 9-1 this season when leading at the half.
• The Beavers are 8-0 this winter and boast a 22-game winning streak when holding their opponents below 70 points.
• Babson is 9-1 this season when winning the rebounding battle, and 29-2 over the past three seasons when winning the battle of the glass.
UP NEXT
• The Beavers play their final regular season home game this Saturday at Staake Gymnasium against Clark before winding up the slate with road games next week at Coast Guard and MIT.
