01/07/2009
Babson Sinks Women's Basketball in Late Rally, 72-68

BABSON PARK, Mass. -- The Babson College women's basketball team came from behind to defeat visiting Clark University 72-68 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both teams at Staake Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Babson first-years Kathleen King (Framingham, Mass.) and Nicole Wurdeman (Rowley, Mass.) led the way once again for the Beavers, combining for 27 rebounds and 33 points. With the win, the Beavers improve to 7-4 (1-0 NEWMAC), while the Cougars are now 4-7 (0-1 NEWMAC).

Wurdeman scored 10 of her 19 points in the second half and tallied 17 rebounds and three steals, while King added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Beavers. It was Wurdeman's fifth double-double of the season, while King notched her fourth. Sophomore Renay Hamilton (Lynn, Mass.) tossed in a season-high 10 points, sophomore Becky Bowman (Melrose, Mass.) chipped in with 11, and junior Sarah Hughes (Wellesley, Mass.) finished a sensational performance off the bench with eight points and six boards in just 19 minutes of play.

For the Cougars, four players reached double digits in the loss. Kate Minister (Manchester, U.K.) led the way with 15 points and five rebounds and Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, Mass.) followed with 12 points and six rebounds. Sarah Roderigue (Oakland, Maine) ended the contest with 11 points and Ivori Aiken (Harlem, N.Y.) added 10.

Clark took the lead early and remained ahead until a layup by Hamilton put the Beavers up 20-18 with ten minutes left in the first half. The lead changed once again with just over a minute to play after the Cougars netted six unanswered points to take a 33-29 lead into the break.

In a second half that featured four ties and six lead changes, Bowman knocked down a three-point basket just 14 seconds into the period and Wurdeman added another 51 seconds later to put Babson back on top, 35-33. Clark regained the lead with an 8-2 run soon after, and the Cougars later went up by as many as eight points after an Aiken jumper made it 60-52 with just under nine minutes to play.

Still trailing by as many as seven with 6:24 left, Babson finished the game with a furious 14-3 run, including 13 unanswered points, to claim the victory. Wurdeman scored four of the first seven points of the barrage, including the game-tying lay-up with 4:29 left, and Bowman, Hughes, and sophomore Amanda Grammel (Leominster, Mass.) each hit two free throws apiece to give the hosts a 71-65 lead with 31 seconds remaining. Minister gave the Cougars fresh life when she drained a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to pull her team to within three, but Bowman later blocked the potential game-tying three with just over a second remaining. Wurdeman then knocked down one of two free throws with 0.3 seconds on the clock, and Clark was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer as Babson held on for the 72-68 win.

Both teams continue NEWMAC play on Saturday, when the Beavers will host visiting Wheaton College and the Cougars will travel to Mount Holyoke. Both games begin at 2 pm.

Courtesy of Babson College Sports Information