Women's Basketball at Springfield
Saturday, February 15 | 3 p.m. 
Blake Arena | Springfield, Mass. 

SERIES HISTORY
•    Babson is 36-16 all-time against Springfield in a series that dates back to 1993.
•    The Beavers have won 13 of the last 18 games between the teams but snapped a three-game losing streak with last month's two-point win.
•    Eight of the last 10 games between Babson and the Pride have been won by the home team. 
•    The Green and White is just 1-3 since 2022 inside Blake Arena although the one win came in last season's NEWMAC Tournament semifinals. 

LAST MEETING
•    Sophomore Samantha Reale finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks and knocked down the go-ahead free throws with 1:19 remaining to help the Beavers defeat Springfield, 67-65, on January 15 in Babson Park. 
•    Senior Katelyn Mollica matched her career high with six three-pointers and scored 21 points, while classmate Emily Flynn finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for Babson, which jumped out to a 10-point first-quarter lead and outscored the visitors 15-5 at the free throw line. 
•    Angie Czeremcha scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half and added eight rebounds and four assists, while Natalie Lucas contributed 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting for the Pride, which outscored the Green and White 34-18 in the paint. 

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
•    Babson (13-9, 5-3 NEWMAC) extended its season-best winning streak to four games by outlasting MIT 84-79 in overtime on Wednesday night. 
•    Mollica scored 19 points to go along with three steals, Flynn recorded 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Reale and senior Camilla Silk both added 12 points for the Beavers, who scored 33 points off of MIT's 23 turnovers. 
•    Mollica (14.5 pts, 1.5 ast) is shooting 42.4 percent from beyond the arc and ranks third in Division III with 78 three-pointers, Reale (11.4 pts, 6.4 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.0 stl) leads the team in assists and steals and is shooting 51.6 percent over the last four games, and Flynn (10.0 pts, 7.2 reb, 2.3 ast) is first on the team in rebounding and is shooting 41.9 percent from long range. 
•    The Green and White ranks first in conference play in three-point field goal percentage (42.7), third in rebounding margin (7.1) and fifth in scoring offense (67.1 points). 

SCOUTING THE PRIDE
•    Springfield (13-9, 5-3 NEWMAC) has won three straight games after defeating Salve Regina, 76-72, on Wednesday night. 
•    Amanda Leary scored 21 points, Claire Finney finished with 19 points and Czeremcha posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pride, which built a 16-point halftime lead and outscored the Seahawks 38-16 in the paint. 
•    Czeremcha (14.5 pts, 9.2 reb) has recorded three straight double-doubles and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring and second in both rebounding and field goal percentage at 50.8, Leary (13.7 pts, 7.4 reb, 2.2 ast) has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games and Finney (9.8 pts, 2.3 ast) boasts a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio in league play. 
•    Springfield ranks first in NEWMAC play in rebounding margin (8.8), second in field goal percentage defense (32.8) and third in scoring defense allowing just 53.4 points.  

POSTSEASON PUSH
•    With the Beavers and Pride sitting in a tie for fourth place in the NEWMAC standings, Saturday's result will likely have a major impact on where the teams are seeded in the upcoming conference tournament. 
•    A victory by Babson would allow it to control its own destiny for a top-four seed and home quarterfinal, which includes possibly finishing as high as second or third should it beat Mount Holyoke or Clark next week. 
•    A loss by the Green and White would likely mean it needs to win out and get some help to gain home-court-advantage for the NEWMAC quarterfinals on February 26. 

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
•    Babson enters the weekend ranked second in Division III shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range while averaging 7.2 trifectas per outing. 
•    Mollica, who owns Babson's single-season (78) and career (202) three-point records, ranks fourth in Division III in three-pointers per game (3.55) and 14th in three-point percentage (42.4). 
•    Flynn is shooting 41.9 percent from deep and ranks sixth in the NEWMAC with 39 triples on the year. 

STUFFING THE STAT SHEET
•    Senior Kiara Simone Davis came off the bench to play a season-high 34 minutes while producing four points, eight rebounds and six assists in Wednesday's win over MIT. 
•    The eight boards matched her career high set back in 2022 and the six dimes were a new season high. 

BENCH PRODUCTION
•    In addition to Davis playing a season-high 34 minutes, junior Chloe Perreault scored nine points in 14 minutes and first-year Julia St. Laurent contributed seven points before fouling out in overtime against MIT.
•    Perreault made two free throws with 13.1 seconds to go in regulation and clinging to an 81-79 lead with 18 seconds to go in the extra session, first-year Madison Hart came off the bench and went 2-of-2 at the line to help secure the victory. 

TRENDS TO WATCH
•    Reale has at least one steal in 30 of her last 31 games and has seven during the Beavers' three-game winning streak, and also ranks fourth in the NEWMAC with 62 offensive rebounds this winter. 
•    Flynn has made nine three-pointers over the last three games after making five over Babson's first five NEWMAC contests. 
•    Mollica has connected on at least one three-pointer in 20 straight outings and is shooting 46 percent from deep in conference play. 
•    Perreualt is shooting 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the floor, which includes going 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from three-point range, over the last six games. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW
•    Babson is 8-0 this season and has won its last 11 games going back to last February when shooting at least 40 percent. 
•    The Beavers have outrebounded their foes in 20 of 22 games this winter. 
•    The Green and White is 5-3 on the year in games decided by five points or less. 
•    Babson is 10-3 on the year when holding its foes below 40 percent shooting.

UP NEXT
•    The Beavers will play their regular season road finale at Mount Holyoke on Wednesday at 7 p.m.