SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—Junior Katelyn Mollica (Foxborough, Mass.) scored a team-high 17 points and classmate Emily Flynn (Hanover, Mass.) hit the go-ahead free throws with 2:11 left in overtime as fifth-seeded Babson College defeated top-seeded Springfield College, 64-59, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinal on Friday night inside Blake Arena. 

With its fourth straight win, Babson improves to 15-12 overall and advances to the NEWMAC Tournament final for the third consecutive season. Springfield, which had its 10-game winning streak snapped, dips to 22-5 on the year and is in good position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced on Monday afternoon. 

Mollica knocked down four three-pointers, Flynn finished with 13 points and first-year Samantha Reale (North Attleboro, Mass.) 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots to lead the Beavers. Senior Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) led all players with six assists and junior Camilla Silk (Medfield, Mass.) pulled down a team-high 11 boards in the win. 

Senior Jaelen Daubon (Hyde Park, N.Y.) scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures for the Pride. Sophomore Amanda Leary (Westbury, N.Y.) totaled 10 points and four assists, junior Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds and first-year Natalie Lucas (Madison, Conn.) added 10 points off the bench in the loss. 

Springfield scored the final six points of regulation and led 56-53 after Leary hit a step-back three-pointer with 3:19 to go in the extra session before Babson closed the game with an 11-3 run. Flynn's free throws followed a jumper by Mollica to make it 57-56, Reale flipped in a layup with 47 seconds to go and Walsh went 2-of-2 at the charity stripe to make it 61-56 with 18 seconds remaining. 

Leary drilled a three-pointer from the right wing with 10 seconds to play but her potential game-tying triple from the top of the key was off the mark with 0.4 seconds left. 

After trading hoops over the first seven minutes of the contest, Springfield closed out the first quarter with a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the opening half at 17-10 on a left-wing three-pointer by sophomore Stefany Padula (Franklin, Mass.). The Green and White responded with a 7-2 spurt that included five points from Mollica and a pair of free throws to get back within 19-17 just over two minutes into the second period. 

Down 29-27 following a Flynn triple from the left corner late in the second, the Beavers opened the third quarter with a 10-3 run that included four points apiece from Mollica and Silk to grab a 37-34 at the 4:14 mark. Lucas tied with a trifecta from the right wing on the ensuing possession but Reale answered with a layup and sophomore Allessia Carlo (Carmel, N.Y.) drained a three-pointer from the right wing to extend Babson's lead back to 42-38 going to the fourth. 

The Pride started the final quarter with a 7-0 run to go up 45-42 on a layup Leary with 7:35 to go before the Green and White answered back with nine straight points to take its largest lead at 51-45 on a three-point play by Flynn with 4:21 remaining. Daubon capped off a four-point trip on the ensuing possession and her steal set up Lucas' layup to tie the game at 51 with 1:55 left. 

The Beavers shot 42.9 percent from the field and outscored Springfield 15-6 at the free throw line. The Pride shot just 32.4 percent and finished with a 41-38 edge on the glass. 

Babson will travel to Smith for the NEWMAC Tournament final on Sunday at 1 p.m. 

GAME NOTES
•    The Beavers are 35-16 all-time against Springfield and 7-2 against the Pride in conference tournament play. 
•    Babson's victory snapped a three-game losing streak in the series and marked just the second time the road team has come out victorious over the last nine meetings between the programs. 
•    The Green and White is now 13-2 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points and 11-2 on the year when outscoring its foes at the free throw line.
•    The Beavers are 1-1 this season in OT and 2-2 in games decided by five points or less.