SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Babson College rallied from an early first half deficit to post a 77-51 victory over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Beavers move to 12-5 overall and 8-1 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 5-12 and 2-6 in the NEWMAC.

The Beavers were paced in the game by junior forward Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's), who put up 12 points and 10 rebounds with an assist. Sophomore guard Giovanna Pickering (Hull, Mass./Phillips Andover Academy) added 10 points with four boards, two assists and a steal, while classmate and fellow guard Taylor Russell (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) notched 11 points, eight caroms, two assists and a game-best two steals.

For the Lyons, senior forward Amber Legare (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive) recorded game-highs in both points and rebounds with 29 and 13, respectively. She shot 10-for-19 from the floor while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Junior guard Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School) added 11 points, while senior forward Nicole DeMarchena (Miami, Fla./Amherst Regional) came in off the bench to post a game-best two blocks and two steals.

Mount Holyoke opened the game with momentum, building up an early five-point lead (7-2) behind three straight buckets – including a trey – from Legare. A free throw by Graber at the 15:27 mark started a 9-0 run for the visitors, who took a 17-13 lead with 11:55 to play in the opening half.

Babson continued to build its advantage as the clock continued to wind down, jumping out to a 27-17 lead on a pair of free throw makes by junior guard Marissa Cicchetti (Mansfield, Mass./Bishop Feehan) at the 5:39 mark. The Lyons cut the deficit to seven on a three-pointer from senior guard Kate Karraker (Morgantown, W.V./Taft School), but buckets from Graber and Russell, along with a four-point play from junior guard Kristen Ferola (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) sent the visitors into the locker room with a 37-25 point lead.

The Beavers carried that momentum into the second half as a 10-0 run, including back-to-back three's from senior guard Erin Young (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and Ferola, made it a 57-32 game with 13:10 to play. A pair of free throw makes from Legare, coupled with a trey from Green, cut the deficit to 20 (59-36) for the Lyons, but the Beavers continued to press.

Another short run, backed by shots from Russell and first year forward Brenna LeGacy (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan), pushed the lead to 68-41 with 4:27 to go and the Beavers held strong down the stretch despite five points from Legare, who posted 16 points in the second stanza.

For the game, the Beavers posted a 46.8% (29-62) from the floor, in addition to a 73.7% (14-19) mark from the free throw line. Mount Holyoke shot 32.8% (19-58) from the floor, but had the game's better mark from the charity stripe, shooting 75.0% (9-12).

Both teams return to the court on Wednesday as Mount Holyoke heads to Smith College (7pm), while Babson hosts MIT (7:30pm).