Babson Tops Basketball, 78-60

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Feb. 23, 2008) - Senior forward Linsey Poulson (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) tallied team-highs of 18 points and seven rebounds to propel the Babson College women's basketball team to a 78-60 victory over Mount Holyoke College this afternoon in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at the Mildred Howard Gymnasium. With the win, the Beavers improved to 12-13 overall and 7-6 in league play. The Lyons rounded out their 2007-08 campaign with an overall mark of 5-19 and a Conference record of 2-11.

Four players reached double digits in the scoring column for Babson, which shot a sizzling 60.8% (31-51) from the field and 66.7% (6-9) from three-point range. Senior forward Nicole McManus (Baldwinsville, N.Y./JC Bridlbough) collected 16 points, seven boards and three blocks, while classmate Caitlin Fenn (Niantic, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) added 14 points and four assists. Fenn was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. First year guard Rebecca Bowman (Melrose, Mass./Arlington Catholic) chipped in with 13 points off the bench.

Leading the way for Mount Holyoke was senior forward Marisa Barone (Ludlow, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy). Playing in her final collegiate game, she piled up game-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and fourth of her career. First year guard Amber Sinicrope (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) netted ten points, and sophomore forward Jess Olson (Gilbert, Ariz./Highland) contributed eight. Junior guard Katie Austen (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) registered six assists for the Lyons.

Babson jumped out to a 20-10 edge just over 12 minutes into the contest, but the Lyons rallied for the next seven points to slice the deficit to 20-17 at the 6:26 mark. The Beavers responded with an 11-0 run of their own to stretch their cushion to 31-17. They took a 37-27 edge into the locker room. McManus led all scorers with 12 points at the break. Barone had ten points for the hosts.

The guests pulled away early in the second half, scoring the first six points of the stanza to expand their margin to 43-27 with 18:35 remaining in regulation. They cruised from there, leading by as many as 21 points (51-30) down the stretch.

Babson (12-13, 7-6 NEWMAC) has qualified for the NEWMAC Tournament and will compete in a quarterfinal round game on Wednesday. Opponent, location and tip-off time have yet to be determined.

Game Statistics
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