BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) scored 14 points to lead a group of four players in double figures and second-seeded Babson College put the game out of reach with 28 consecutive first-half points on the way to a 79-41 victory over seventh-seeded Wheaton College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball tournament quarterfinal Wednesday evening inside Staake Gymnasium.

With the win, No. 11/12 Babson has won three in a row and six of its last seven to improve to 22-4 overall, while Wheaton fell for the fifth time in its last six games and concluded its season at 13-13 overall.

Walsh and senior Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) both made 5-of-8 shots, Walsh adding six rebounds and four steals and Smith finishing with 13 points. Sophomore Katelyn Mollica (Foxboro, Mass.) and senior Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) both converted 5-of-9 shots, Mollica making a pair of three-pointers and adding four assists and Bauman chipping in with 11 points. Twelve different Beavers got into the scoring column in the victory.

Sophomore Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) had a solid performance for the Lyons, filling up the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. First-years Reagan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Nasha Arnold (North Reading, Mass.) added nine points apiece in the setback.

After sophomore Greta Minos (Boston, Mass.) hit a three-pointer to put Wheaton up 4-3 with 7:45 on the clock, Babson ran off 22 straight points while keeping the Lyons off the scoreboard for the remainder of the quarter. Smith put in three layups, Mollica knocked down a pair of three-pointers, and Bauman hit a two and a three in the surge to give the Beavers a 25-4 lead after one frame.

After Smith, first-year Chloe Perreault (Danbury, Conn.) and Bauman hit layups to start the second quarter to extend Babson's margin to 31-4 and consecutive streak to 28 points, Wheaton finally broke the drought on a layup by Arnold with 5:54 on the clock. The visitors came alive, outscoring Babson 14-8 over the next three-plus minutes to pull to within 19 points at 37-18. Keyton scored seven points for Wheaton in the rally, including a three-pointer, and Arnold added five points, including a three.

Babson regained the momentum on a jumper by Odam and a triple by Walsh to push the lead back up to 24 points. Sophomore Abby Miller (Millis, Mass.) also knocked down a three-pointer for the home team and the Beavers went to the locker room with a 47-23 advantage.

Odam hit the first bucket of the third quarter two minutes in and Smith drained a pair of free throws for the only four points for either team in the first four minutes. First-year Madeline Duwe (Greenville, S.C.) gave the Lyons their first points of the second half with a three-pointer with less than six minutes remaining in the third before Babson went on a 10-1 run as the lead ballooned to 61-27. Bauman ignited the surge with a pair of baskets and Walsh capped it with back-to-back layups and the Beavers went on to a 63-30 lead after three.

Reserves saw an abundance of playing time in the fourth quarter as the hosts cruised to the victory.

Babson shot 55.0 percent from the field (33-of-60) and 63.6 percent from long range (7-of-11) while holding Wheaton to 27.5 percent overall (14-of-51) and 22.2 percent from outside the arc (4-of-18). The Beavers finished with a 43-26 advantage on the glass.

Babson advances to the NEWMAC semifinals and will host third-seeded MIT on Friday evening at 6 p.m. inside Staake Gymnasium. The Engineers advanced with a 77-66 triumph over sixth-seeded Coast Guard on Wednesday evening.

GAME NOTES
• Babson has won 12 consecutive games against the Lyons going back to 2015 and is now 51-16 all-time against Wheaton in a series that dates back to the 1977-78 season.
• The 24 wins this winter for the Green and White are the most in a season since the 2016-17 squad finished 24-6 overall and tied for the sixth-most in program history.
• Beavers are 12-1 inside Staake Gymnasium this season and have gone 30-4 at home since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. The Green and White are also 20-3 in conference tournament home games since 2009.
• Babson has won all eight games this season when holding the opponent to less than 30 percent shooting efficiency, extending its winning streak to 56 in a row since 2014.
• The Beavers have won their last seven NEWMAC quarterfinal contests going back to 2009 and have reached the semifinal round in 14 consecutive seasons.