Babson Too Much For Basketball, 55-40

Game Statistics

BABSON PARK, Mass. (Feb. 21, 2009) – The Babson College women’s basketball team downed New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Mount Holyoke College 55-40 this afternoon at Staake Gymnasium. With their second straight win over the Lyons, the Beavers locked up the second seed in next week’s NEWMAC Tournament. They will take on a yet to be determined opponent on their home court.

Mount Holyoke closed out its regular season with an overall record of 7-18 and a league mark of 4-9. The Lyons will enter the NEWMAC Tournament as the eighth seed. They will travel to top seeded WPI on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

First year forwards Kathleen King and Nicole Wurdeman combined for 28 points and 18 rebounds to pace Babson. King netted 15 points to go with nine boards and four steals, while Wurdeman added 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Classmate Michelle Kenel added nine points on 4-of-6 shooting off the bench for the Beavers, while sophomore guard Becky Bowman contributed eight points and three assists.

Mount Holyoke was paced by senior guard Katie Austen\, who finished with 13 points, four rebounds and six assists in her final regular season game. Junior guard Erin Cain added 15 points and nine rebounds. The Lyons struggled from the field, shooting just 29.6% (16-54) while also committing 23 turnovers. They posted a 37-35 edge on the glass.

Fueled by eight points from Wurdeman and seven more from King, Babson opened the game with a 17-2 run. The Beavers held Mount Holyoke scoreless for a span of 9:12 during the run. Over the final ten minutes of the opening frame, the Lyons slowly chipped away at the lead. They trailed 28-18 at the break. Wurdeman led all scorers with 11 points in the first half. Cain and Austen had nine and eight, respectively, for the guests.

Babson (17-8, 10-3 NEWMAC) pushed its advantage to as many as 14 points early in the second half and still led 34-22 with just under 17 minutes remaining in regulation. Mount Holyoke then used a 9-2 run to slice the margin to 36-31. Austen capped off the rally with a three pointer at the 12:47 mark.

From there, it was all Beavers. The hosts responded with a 9-2 spurt of its own to push the lead to 45-33 with 7:46 to go. Their 55-38 cushion in the waning minutes was their largest of the day. King and sophomore guard Becky Bowman recorded eight points apiece in the second period.