No. 10/13 Women's Basketball vs. Rhode Island College
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal | Babson Park Sectional
Saturday, March 11 | 7:30 p.m.
Staake Gymnasium | Babson Park, Mass.
WHAT TO KNOW
• Babson and Rhode Island College will meet in Saturday's sectional final with the winner advancing to next Saturday's Division III semifinals in Hartford, Conn.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
• Babson got 18 points from junior Kelly Walsh, 17 from senior Megan Bauman and 14 from junior Madison Odam in Friday's 73-59 win over Marietta.
• The Beavers started the second quarter with a 12-0 run and never let the Pioneers get closer than six in the second half on the way to its third straight double-digit tournament win.
• Angelina Nardolillo scored 17 points and Jeniyah Jones and Izabelle Booth added 15 apiece as the Anchormen knocked off No. 12/10 Chicago, 64-56, in Friday's first game.
• The Anchorwomen went ahead midway through the first quarter and led by as many as 17 early in the third before holding off a late rally by the Maroons.
SERIES HISTORY
• Babson is 5-1 all-time against Rhode Island College in a series that dates back to 1998.
• The Beavers have won the last five meetings between the teams although they have played the Anchorwomen just twice since 2014.
LAST MEETING
• Walsh scored 17 points and Odam added 15 points and 12 rebounds to help Babson defeat Rhode Island College, 62-34, on November 16, 2022, in Providence, R.I.
• Walsh also contributed three steals and two blocked shots for the Beavers
• Nardolillo had eight points, Izabelle Booth scored seven points and both players grabbed 12 boards in the loss for the Anchorwomen.
BABSON IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• The Beavers are making their second consecutive appearance and 12th overall in program history.
• The Green and White will play in its third sectional final on Saturday night after falling to Amherst in both 2010 and 2011.
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• The Anchorwomen are making their second consecutive tournament appearance and the sixth in program history.
• Rhode Island College has advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• No. 10 WBCA/No. 13 D3hoops.com Babson (25-5) followed up Friday's win over Maine Maritime with a 76-66 victory over SUNY New Paltz in Saturday's second round.
• Walsh went 15-of-15 at the free throw line and matched her career high with 24 points, while senior Samantha Smith added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Beavers, who used a 12-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters to seize control of the game.
• Senior Megan Bauman (13.7d pts, 5.8 reb, 3.9 reb) ranks second in Division III in assists, Smith (12.8 pts, 7.6 pts, 2.1 blocks) is shooting 54.5 percent over the last eight games, and Walsh (12.1 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.4 steals) is averaging 17.8 points over her last seven outings.
• The Green and White ranks 14th in Division III in both field goal percentage (44.4) and three-point field goal percentage (34.4) and is holding opponents to 56.6 points per game.
SCOUTING THE ANCHORWOMEN
• Rhode Island College (26-3) has won 25 of its last 26 games and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history with a 62-55 win over previously unbeaten and third-ranked Scranton last Saturday.
• Nardolillo led four players in double figures with 14 points and Madison Medbury finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Anchorwomen, which finished with a 46-31 edge on the glass and outscored the Royals 23-12 in the fourth quarter.
• Booth (12.2 pts, 7.4 reb) is shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc, Nardolillo (11.4 pts, 7.2 reb) is shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and Jeniyah Jones (9.6 pts, 6.8 reb) leads the team with 61 steals.
• Rhode Island College ranks sixth in Division III in rebounding margin (13.2), 15th in field goal defense (32.3 percent) and 20th in scoring defense allowing 50.9 points.
NEW ENGLAND FLAVOR
• Five of the eight teams in the Division III quarterfinals are from New England for the first time in NCAA history. Prior to this season no more than three schools from the region had ever advanced to the quarterfinals in the same year.
• In addition to Babson and Rhode Island College, No. 5/3 Smith takes on No. 16/20 Trinity (Conn.) on Saturday night, while No. 18/21 Tufts hosts No. 1/1 Christopher Newport in Medford.
VETERAN TRIO EARNS ALL-NEWMAC RECOGNITION
• Bauman, Smith and Walsh were all named to the all-conference squads when the NEWMAC released its postseason awards on Tuesday.
• A second-team selection last winter, Smith was tabbed as the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the first time after averaging 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-high 2.3 blocks while shooting 56.2 percent in league play.
• A three-time all-conference selection, Bauman collected first-team honors for the second year in a row after averaging 14.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and a NEWMAC-best 7.1 assists while shooting 53 percent in 10 games.
• Walsh garnered all-conference second-team honors for the first time in her career after contributing 9.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals in nine outings against league foes.
SENSATIONAL SENIORS
• Two-year captains Bauman and Smith have helped lead the Beavers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and a record of 75-21 since arriving in Babson Park back in 2019.
• Bauman is the program's all-time (452) and single-season assist leader with 177 dimes this winter, and also ranks fourth all-time in three-point field goals (89) and 10th on the school's career scoring list with 1,224 points. She is also the only player in Babson history to amass more than 1,200 points, 350 rebounds, 400 assists and 100 steals in her career.
• Smith is tied for fourth in program history in blocked shots (122) and ranks fifth all-time in field goal percentage (49.9). She also surpassed 500 career rebounds last Friday against Maine Maritime and recorded her team-leading eighth double-double of the season in last Saturday's victory over New Paltz.
• Bauman and Smith added to their postseason awards haul on Tuesday when they earned NEWBA All-Region accolades. Bauman was named to the first team and was recognized for the second year in a row, while Smith landed a spot on the second team.
ASSAULT ON THE RECORD BOOKS
• Bauman ranks first in Division III shooting 92.8 percent at the free throw line this winter and enters the NCAA Tournament in fifth place in Division III history with a 88.8 percent career mark at the charity stripe. Her 173 assists this season also rank second nationally and are just seven away from Damaris Rodriguez' 180 dimes.
• Sophmore Katelyn Mollica's 55 three-pointers rank second on Babson's single-season behind only Joanna Maher '03, who knocked down 56 triples during the 2001-02 campaign. Mollica is also shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks second on the program's single-season list.
• Smith's 67 blocked shots this winter rank fifth on the Beavers' single-season list and are the most since 2012-13 when Sarah Collins '13 swatted away 99 shots.
• Walsh ranks eighth in Division III shooting 89.5 at the free throw line and her 72 steals are the second highest total by a Babson player going back to 1996. Only Jennifer Narlee '17, who finished with 74 in 2017, has amassed more during this stretch.
TOURNAMENT TRENDS
• The quartet of Walsh (19.5 points), Smith (15.5), Mollica (11.5) and Bauman (10.0) each scored in double figures in both of Babson's wins over Maine Maritime and New Paltz.
• Smith (9.0), Bauman (7.0), sophomore Camilla Silk (5.5) and Odam (5.0) combined to grab over 58 percent of the team's rebounds over its first two NCAA Tournament games.
• The Beavers held their first two opponents to just 29 percent shooting.
• Babson outscored the Mariners and Hawks 44-26 in the fourth quarter.
TOURNAMENT TESTED
• Walsh is averaging 16.8 points and 2.3 steals, Smith is putting up 16.5 points on 51 percent shooting to go along with 8.5 rebounds, and Bauman is contributing 11.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds in four NCAA Tournament games entering this weekend's sectional. Each player has scored in double figures in all four contests as well.
• Junior Rachel McMenemy is contributing 7.0 points and 4.8 boards, while Odam has averaged 6.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in four NCAA outings.
LONG TIME COMING
• Despite winning more than 26 in four consecutive seasons between 2009-13, Babson hosted its first NCAA Tournament action since losing to Capital (Ohio) in a sectional semifinal back in 1993 last weekend.
HOME, SWEET HOME
• The Beavers are 16-1 inside Staake Gymnasium this season with their lone loss coming against Trinity (Conn.) on January 23.
• Twelve of Babson's 16 wins this winter have come by at least 10 points and it is outscoring opponents by 0.27 points per possession at home.
• Going back to December 2013, the Green and White owns a winning percentage of .811 (99-23) inside Staake Gymnasium.
EXPERIENCE ON THE SIDELINES
• Babson head coach Judy Blinstrub is fourth among active coaches with 719 wins and ranks 11th all-time among Division III coaches in victories.
• Only one coach in this year's NCAA Tournament – Michael Miller of Messiah (735 wins) – has more victories than Blinstrub.
• Now in her 39th season, she boasts a .686 winning percentage (719-329) and has led her teams to 20 or more wins 16 times.
• Blinstrub also owns a 16-11 record in the NCAA Tournament.
BABSON'S BEST SEASONS
• The Beavers have won at least 24 games seven times in program history with six of those seasons coming since 2010.
2010-11 30-1 NCAA quarterfinals
2009-10 28-4 NCAA quarterfinals
2011-12 26-3 NCAA second round
2012-13 26-3 NCAA second round
1991-92 26-4 ECAC final
2022-23 26-5 NCAA quarterfinals*
2016-17 24-6 NCAA sectional semifinals
* current season
NUMBERS TO KNOW
• The Beavers are 22-1 this season and have won 84 of their last 85 games going back to the start of the 2018-19 campaign when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
• Babson is 23-0 this winter when holding its opponents below 40 percent shooting.
• The Beavers are 18-1 on the year when outrebounding their foes.
• The Green and White is 9-1 this season and 20-1 going back to the start of last year when forcing 18 or more turnovers.
• Babson is 19-2 since the start of last season when making at least six three-pointers.
• The Beavers are 21-0 on the year when giving up less than 65 points.
