Bauman Breaks Own Single-Season Assist Record as Beavers Pull into Three-Way Tie for Second in NEWMAC Standings

BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) scored a career-high 21 points and classmate Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) finished with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead No. 15 WBCA/No. 17 D3hoops.com Babson College to an 84-60 win over visiting MIT in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Wednesday night inside Staake Gymnasium.

Babson, which is second in the latest NCAA Region II rankings released on Wednesday, improves to 20-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play. MIT, which is ranked seventh in Region II, had its nine-game winning streak snapped and is now 15-9 overall and 7-2 in the NEWMAC.

Bauman surpassed her own single-season assist record set last season, while Smith finished 10-of-17 from the floor to lead the Beavers. Junior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) scored 18 points to go along with a career-high eight assists and three steals and sophomore Katelyn Mollica (Foxborough, Mass.) added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Beavers.

First-year Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa.) scored 15 points and graduate student Paula Pieper (Greenville, S.C.) finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists to pace the Engineers. Sophomore Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) chipped in with 11 points and two steals in the loss.

The Green and White trailed 11-10 almost six minutes into the contest before closing the first quarter with a 10-2 run that included a triple by Mollica and a three-point play by Smith. MIT got within 24-19 on a jumper by Pieper with 8:08 to go in the second before the Beavers responded by scoring on nine of its next 12 possessions as part of a 22-5 run to end the half.

Bauman, Smith and Walsh combined for 20 points during the spurt and the Engineers missed their final 10 field goal attempts of the stanza to help Babson push its advantage to 46-24 at the break.

MIT opened the third quarter with a 10-2 burst that included four points apiece from first-year Kaya Weiser (Villanova, Pa.) and sophomore Olivia Joseph (Newtown Square, Pa.) to cut its deficit to 48-34 at the 6:10 mark. The hosts answered back with a pair of three-pointers by junior Madison Odam (San Jose, Calif.) from the top of the key and back-to-back layups by Walsh as part of a 16-4 surge that extended the margin back to 64-38 with less than a minute to go in the period.

The Engineers made one final push getting 13 straight points from Pieper and Choi and a pull-up jumper by Weiser to get as close as 68-55 with 4:44 to go in the contest. Smith answered with back-to-back hoops inside and Walsh followed a Bauman layup with a three-pointer from the right wing as Babson regained a 20-point lead with 2:17 remaining.

The Beavers shot 51.4 percent from the floor and outscored MIT 42-12 in the paint while finishing with a 44-40 edge on the glass. The Engineers shot just 30 percent on the night but outscored the Green and White 15-5 at the free throw line.

Both teams conclude the regular season on Saturday as Babson travels to WPI at 1 p.m. while MIT hosts Clark at 2 p.m. in Cambridge.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 57-13 all-time against MIT although Wednesday's victory was their first over the Engineers inside Staake Gymnasium since January 2019.
• Bauman has dished out 137 assists this season passing last year's program record of 132 and has 44 assists against just nine turnovers over the last five games.
• Babson is now 11-1 at home this season with seven victories by double-digits.
• The Beavers are now 14-0 this winter when scoring at least 70 points and 17-0 when holding their opponents below 40 percent shooting.