BABSON PARK, Mass. -- First-year Joey Flannery scored 20 points and Babson opened the game on a 24-4 run en route to a 71-62 victory against WPI in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium.
With its third consecutive victory Babson is now 16-5 overall and 7-3 in the league, while WPI, which has dropped two consecutive games, falls to 18-3 overall and 8-2 in the NEWMAC.
Senior Kenny Ross added 13 points, a game-high seven assists and four rebounds for the Beavers. Juniors David Mack and John Wickey each chipped in with 10 points, while classmate Eric Dean had eight points in his return to the lineup. Wickey also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
Junior Domenick Mastascusa posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Engineers, going 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. Senior Ryan Kolb and junior Sam Longwell each had 12 points, and sophomore Zach Karalis dished out a team-high four assists.
No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan 80, Elmhurst 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Six players scored in double figures as Illinois Wesleyan put away a stubborn Elmhurst team 80-68 at the Shirk Center on Saturday.
The Titans improved to 18-3 and 8-2 in the in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, one-half game behind 9-2 Wheaton, and the Bluejays fell to 5-5 in conference play and are 13-8 overall.
The game was tied at 17-17 with 7:11 to play in the first half before a three-minute stretch that saw Illinois Wesleyan go on a 16-0 run to claim a 33-17 advantage with 4:04 left. IWU led by 15 at 40-25 heading into the locker room.
Despite falling behind by as many as 22 at 56-34 with 12:19 left in the game, the Bluejays refused to go away, closing to within eight points at 61-53 with 7:25 to play but could get no closer.
No. 6 Wesley 66, Christopher Newport 63
DOVER, Del. -- Wesley bounced back after dropping Thursday's game with a thrilling 66-63 victory against Christopher Newport in Capital Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines improve to 18-2 overall and 10-2 in the CAC while the Captains now stand at 14-7 on the year and 6-6 in league play.
Sophomore Anthony Bowers, who scored just nine points on the day, tallied the team's final seven points and hit a pivotal 3-pointer from way downtown with the shot clock expiring to give Wesley a 64-60 lead with 1:12 left in regulation.
Christopher Newport's Mike Cherry, who tallied a game-high 24 points, responded with one of his five triples on the day, cutting the deficit to a single point with 38 ticks left. Bowers was then fouled with 17 seconds remaining in the game, hit both free throws and the Captains attempt for a tie came up short.
Trailing by as many as 11 points with 11:17 left in the first half, Wesley fought back tooth-and-nail to get back into the game and faced just a 37-35 deficit at the break. The Wolverines got their first lead of the game with just more than 10 minutes left in regulation as Quincy Pettiford's 3-pointer capped off a 7-0 run, giving Wesley a 52-49 lead.
No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater 77, Wisconsin-Superior 44
SUPERIOR, Wis. -- Wisconsin-Whitewater went on the road to defeat Wisconsin-Superior 77-44 on Saturday afternoon in Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
The UW-W defense held Superior to 34.8 percent (16-for-46) from the field and caused 19 turnovers. Whitewater's offense capitalized on the turnovers, scoring 24 points on their following possessions.
On the offensive side of the ball, Eric Bryson led all scorers with 18 points, going 6-for-7 from the field and 5-for-6 behind the arc. KJ Evans racked up 16 points and seven rebounds for the Warhawks. Quardell Young assisted on nine baskets and Reggie Hearn and Cody Odegaard cleaned up on the glass with a combined 15 rebounds. As a team, UW-W shot 45.3 percent (19-for64) from the field and 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from long range.
No. 9 Amherst 81, Wesleyan 56
AMHERST, Mass. -- Leading from end-to-end, Amherst extended its win streak to four with a decisive 81-56 victory against NESCAC rival Wesleyan at LeFrak Gymnasium.
Winners of 13 of their past 14 outings, the Jeffs (20-3, 8-1 NESCAC) have now picked up victories in each of the past four meetings against their Little Three rivals, dropping the Cardinals to 10-12 on the season and 3-5 in NESCAC play.
Aaron Toomey helped pave the way with a game-high 24 points, hitting seven of his 12 shot attempts, including a 4 of 9 showing from 3 and 6 of 6 clip at the charity stripe. Tom Killian finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four steals, while David Kalema tallied 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
No. 10 Williams 93, Tufts 70
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mas. -- Williams gave its seniors a senior day to remember Saturday afternoon against the Tufts Jumbos (11-11, 2-6 NESCAC) with a 93-70 victory.
Leading the way for the Ephs was Duncan Robinson with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and added six assists in a double-double performance. Michael Mayer also had a double-double tonight with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Daniel Wohl added 13 points for the Ephs, who shot 53.1 percent from the field
Kwame Firempong led Tufts with 23 points. Stephen Haladyna added 20 for the Jumbos, who were 34.6 percent from the floor on the night.
