THE MATCHUP: Mount Holyoke closes out its 2010-11 campaign versus national power Babson College Saturday afternoon (1:00 p.m.) at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium. In 33 previous meetings between the NEWMAC foes, the Beavers own a 25-8 advantage. They cruised to their fifth straight win over the Lyons on January 8, winning by a score of 76-33. With a win today, Babson would finish off its second straight perfect season in league play. Including tournament play, they have racked up 42 straight wins against NEWMAC foes.
Game Program | Senior Day Insert
PINK ZONE: Mount Holyoke has partnered with the WBCA to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer through the Pink Zone initiative. Pink Zone is a global, unified effort for the WBCA nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Since its inception in 2007, the program has raised nearly $3.3 million. Members of the Mount Holyoke team will be sporting pink shooting shirts and shoelaces at today's game. Proceeds from admissions fees to the contest will be donated to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Pink ribbons will be available for purchase, with the proceeds going to the fund as well. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and contribute to research initiatives. Click here to find out more.
THE LYONS: Mount Holyoke (7-16, 5-12 NEWMAC) has collected five wins in its last 10 outings. The Lyons picked up a thrilling 44-39 victory over MIT on Saturday. Trailing by 17 points with just over 13 minutes to go, they staged a furious comeback to seal their fifth NEWMAC triumph of the season. Guard Angelica Pascual has drained 40 three-pointers en route to a points per game average of 13.2. She has pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game to go with 35 assists and 30 steals. Her 37 points against Agnes Scott College were a program record. Mount Holyoke has also received a boost from forward Tricia Chase, who has amassed 8.5 points and 6.8 boards per outing. Guard Christine Chancy has delivered 7.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest to go with 50 assists. The Lyons have collected 329 offensive boards this winter.
THE BEAVERS: Babson (24-0, 17-0 NEWMAC) has been perfect in 24 games thus far this season. The Beavers, who have outscored their opponents by more than 25 points per game, enter today's contest as the fifth ranked team in the nation. Their big three of Nicole Wurdeman, Sarah Collins and Kathleen King have combined to average 47.9 points and 27.3 rebounds per outing. Wurdeman has led the way with 18.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The reigning NEWMAC Player of the Year has knocked down 27 shots from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Collins has posted 15.4 points and 9.3 boards per game while piling up 86 blocked shots. She is shooting 53.4% from the field. King has also been effective down low for Babson. The forward has recorded 14.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. Her 74 assists are good for second on the team.
NEXT UP: This will be Mount Holyoke's final game of the season. Babson has clinched the top seed and homecourt advantage in next week's NEWMAC Tournament. The Beavers have earned a quarterfinal round bye. After hosting both semifinal round contests on Saturday, the two time reigning champions will host the title game on Sunday.
