MEDFORD, Mass.—Junior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) led four players in double figures with 20 points and scored the go-ahead layup with 5.7 seconds to go to lift No. 12 WBCA/No. 14 D3hoops.com to a thrilling 78-76 win over No. 21/23 Tufts University in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon in Cousens Gymnasium.

With its fourth straight win, Babson improves to 11-1 overall while Tufts slips to 10-4 on the year.

Walsh was 8-of-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists, senior Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) finished with 16 points, five boards and three assists and classmate Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) added 13 points and six rebounds for the Beavers. Sophomore Katelyn Mollica (Foxborough, Mass.) also scored 12 points, all in the second half, and classmate Camilla Silk (Medfield, Mass.) tied for team-high honors with six boards.

Junior Maggie Russell (Morristown, N.J.) recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 rebounds as well as a game-high four assists, sophomore Sofia Gonzalez (Glendale, Calif.) finished with 13 points, six boards and three assists and junior Hannah Kelly (Harding Township, N.J.) came off the bench to score 10 points for the Jumbos.

The first half featured 10 ties and four lead changes with neither team leading by more than five. Sophomore Abby Miller (Millis, Mass.) gave the Green and White a 20-17 advantage with a three-point less than a minute into the second quarter before Tufts responded with an 8-0 burst to go back in front 25-20 at the 7:28 mark on a three-point play by Russell.

The Beavers took a 30-28 lead on a bucket by Smith two minutes later but the Jumbos closed the period with a 12-5 run that included a buzzer-beating triple by Gonzalez to give the hosts a 40-35 edge at the break.

Babson trailed by seven early in the third before scoring on six consecutive possessions to pull even at 48 on a jumper by Walsh with 6:41 to go in the stanza. Bauman put the visitors in front 53-52 at the 4:54 mark and Walsh ended a scoring drought of nearly four minutes with a pair of free throws to help extend the margin to 57-54 going to the fourth.

Back-to-back jumpers by Mollica and a three-pointer by Bauman gave the Beavers their largest lead of the game at 64-56 with 6:56 remaining in the contest only to see Jumbos' first-year Mikayla Paquette (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) respond with six straight points to pull the hosts within two midway through the quarter. The Green and White stretched its advantage to give on a triple by Mollica with 3:28 left but the hosts got three-pointers from Gonzalez, junior Callie O'Brien (Staten Island, N.Y.) and sophomore Annika Decker (Menlo Park, Calif.) to pull within 72-71 at the 1:13 mark.

Russell answered a jumper by Bauman with two free throws before Mollica went 2-of-2 at the charity stripe at the other end to make it 76-73 with 16 ticks left. Gonzalez buried a deep three-pointer out of a sideline inbounds play to tie the game on Tufts' next possession, but Walsh answered with a driving layup after streaking down the left sideline for the game-winning bucket. Babson then survived Russell's running three-pointer that went in-and-out off the glass at the buzzer.

The Beavers shot 46.2 percent and committed just two second-half turnovers. The Jumbos shot 39.7 percent and finished with a slim 40-39 edge on the glass.

Babson returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Springfield at 5 p.m., while Tufts travels to Amherst on Friday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 11-19 all-time against Tufts and Sunday's win was their first in the series since 2014.
• Babson is 8-0 this season and 71-1 since 2018-19 when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
• The Beavers are 3-0 this winter and have won seven consecutive games decided by five points or less.
• The Green and White is 5-0 on the road this season.