Women's Basketball at the Scholars Classic
Friday, November 8 vs. Swarthmore | 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 9 at No. 1/1 NYU | 3 p.m.
John A. Paulson Center | New York, N.Y.
WHAT TO KNOW
• The Babson College women's basketball team will open the 2024-25 season at the Scholars Classic hosted by defending national champions NYU.
• The Beavers face Swarthmore on Friday night before taking on the top-ranked Violets on Saturday afternoon in lower Manhattan.
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Swarthmore: first meeting
vs. NYU: first meeting
A LOOK BACK ON 2023-24
• The Beavers bounced back from a 6-10 start by winning nine of their final 12 games to reach a third consecutive NEWMAC Tournament final under first-year head coach
Kate Barnosky.
• Babson picked up road wins over Coast Guard and Springfield in the conference tournament before falling to eventual Division III national runner-up Smith in the league's championship game.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• Babson (0-0) returns four starters and 11 players in all from a team that went 15-13 on its way to reaching the NEWMAC Tournament final last winter.
• Senior
Katelyn Mollica, who earned All-NEWMAC second-team honors, averaged 12.6 points while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range, sophomore
Samantha Reale (9.0 pts, 3.9 reb) led the team with 44 steals and senior
Camilla Silk (7.1 pts, 6.6 reb) shot 50.7 percent and led the squad in rebounding last winter.
• Junior
Chloe Perreault (6.5 pts, 5.6 reb) shot 47.3 percent from the field, while seniors
Emily Flynn (5.5 pts, 3.1 reb) and
Abby Miller (5.2 pts, 1.6 ast) both scored in double figures five times last season.
• The Green and White allowed 0.89 points per possession and 57.4 points per game while holding opponents to 36 percent shooting a season ago.
SCOUTING THE GARNET
• Swarthmore (0-0) brings back three starters and 11 players from a team that went 12-14 and reached the Centennial Conference quarterfinals last season.
• Alyssa Hyashi (9.9 pts, 4.3 reb) made a team-high 19 three-pointers and led the squad with 61 steals, Anna Hansson (9.6 pts, 7.6 reb) averaged more than four offensive rebounds per game despite missing nearly all of the second half of the season, and Norah Wingfield (8.3 pts, 3.0 reb) shot 42.9 percent from the floor.
• The Garnet averaged 54.4 points and shot just 36.8 percent from the floor and 24.2 percent from three-point range last winter, while forcing nearly 20 turnovers per game.
• Swarthmore was picked to finish fifth in the Centennial Conference preseason coaches' poll.
SCOUTING THE VIOLETS
• No. 1 D3hoops.com/WBCA NYU (0-0) returns a pair of starters and 13 players in all from a team that went 31-0 on the way to capturing the program's second Division III national championship last winter.
• Despite losing three starters, the Violets bring back reigning WBCA and D3hoops.com Division III Player of the Year Natalie Bruns (14.3 pts, 7.3 reb, 3.6 ast, 3.2 blk), who shot 53.8 percent from the floor, and Belle Pellecchia, who earned All-America honors after averaging 10.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor.
• Caroline Peper (9.5 pts, 2.1 reb) shot 47.5 from the floor while coming off the bench in 30 of 31 games, and NYU added a pair of transfers in Jamie Behar (Lehigh) and Kate Peek (Fairfield) to bolster its roster.
• NYU ranked first in Division III in field goal percentage (49.0) and 10th nationally in rebounding margin (+10.7) last year.
BEAVERS PICKED THIRD BY NEWMAC COACHES
• After reaching its third consecutive conference tournament final last winter, Babson finished in a tie for third place when the NEWMAC released its preseason coaches' poll last month.
• The Green and White, which claimed two first-place votes, and Springfield both finished with 101 points, while defending league champions Smith collected eight first-place votes to finish atop the poll with 116 points. MIT was second with 104 points.
THOMPSON GARNERS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS
• Graduate student
Toni Thompson was named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America fifth team last week.
• A transfer from Occidental College, Thompson returned after missing the entire 2022-23 season because of injury to average 24.5 points, 11. 2 rebounds and 2.2 steals while shooting 42.5 percent in 26 starts last season while leading Occidental to its first conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
• Thompson recorded 17 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points seven times and reached double figures in scoring in all but one contest in 2023-24, and averaged 20.1 points on 46.8 percent shooting and 8.7 boards in 45 games over two seasons at Occidental.
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
• After knocking down 55 three-pointers as Babson advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in 2022-23, Mollica buried a school-record 68 triples last winter surpassing the previous mark of 56 set by Joanna Maher '03 back in 2001-02.
• Mollica already ranks fourth in program history with 123 three-point field goals in just 60 games and begins the season 67 shy of the Beavers' all-time record of 190 achieved by Erin Young '15.
WINNING FORMULA
• Over the final 12 contests of last season, the Beavers won nine times and outscored their opponents by more than six points per game in the second half.
• Babson shot 41.4 percent from the floor, knocked down more than six three-pointers per game and had a turnover rate of just 19.8 percent.
• The Green and White also made nearly as many free throws (146) as its opponents attempted (148) and owned a +3.5 advantage on the glass.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
• The Beavers finished a perfect 10-0 in 2023-24 when leading at halftime.
• Babson was 12-3 last winter when shooting 40 percent or better.
• The Green and White was 13-2 last year when holding its opponents below 60 points.
• The Beavers went 11-2 last season when outscoring their opponents at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
• Babson welcomes Bridgewater State to Staake Gymnasium for its home opener on Wednesday, November 13, at 7 p.m.
