Babson Holds Off Worcester State's Second-Half Comeback

Babson 67, Worcester State 61

Box Score

Babson Park, MA --- The Babson College women's basketball team built an 18-point lead at the half and then withstood a late comeback attempt by Worcester State College as the Beavers held on for a 67-61 victory over the visiting Lancers in a non-conference tilt at Staake Gymnasium on Wednesday night. With the win, Babson improved to 5-3, while Worcester State dropped to 2-6.

First-year Nicole Wurdeman (Rowley, MA) led Babson with 24 points, nine rebounds, and three steals in the win, while fellow first-year Kathleen King (Framingham, MA) added 15 points and six boards. The Beavers also received six points from first-year Michelle Kenel (Rockaway Beach, NY), three assists from sophomore Renay Hamilton (Lynn, MA), and three steals from sophomore Amanda Grammel (Leominster, MA).

Worcester State was paced by sophomore Alexis George (Worcester, MA), who posted 20 points and eight rebounds, and junior Reily O'Keefe (Warren, MA), who added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Senior co-captain Erin McCullough (Harvard, MA) chipped in with eight points and six assists, and first-year Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, MA) contributed nine points on 7-of-8 shooting from the free throw line.

Both teams struggled to get anything going offensively early on, as the score was tied 7-7 at the 10-minute mark. Babson then surged in front with a pair of big runs, beginning with a 10-1 spurt that featured five points from Wurdeman and four more from senior co-captain Becky Pelletier (Harwinton, CT) that gave the hosts a 17-8 lead with 6:23 left. The Beavers still led by eight with four minutes remaining before closing the period with a 13-3 run to take a commanding 33-18 advantage into the break.

Babson continued to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the second half and still led by as many as eight, 61-53, with 3:26 remaining. Worcester State then scored five straight points to cut its deficit to just three with 2:14 on the clock, but the Beavers answered with six straight points of their own to close out the eventual 67-61 victory.


Release Courtesy of Babson College Sports Information