DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- Sophomore
Samantha Smith's (Greenfield, Mass.) lay-in with 1.2 seconds remaining lifted Babson to a 66-64 non-league college women's basketball victory over UMass Dartmouth Wednesday evening at the Tripp Athletic Center.
A game that saw 11 ties and 13 lead changes provided last second heroics for the visiting Beavers (3-0), as Smith took a skip pass over the top from freshman
Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) on the deciding bucket. The squads combined for five lead changes in the fourth quarter alone, as Babson built a 62-58 cushion on a conventional three-point play by sophomore
Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) with 3:08 to go before junior
Jordan Moretti (Johnston, R.I.) singlehandedly evened matters for the host Corsairs (1-3) with a lay-in and a pair of free throws that came with 1:42 to play.
Walsh's left-handed lay-in on the ensuing play staked the visitors to a 64-62 edge with 65 seconds remaining, and after the teams traded possessions, Moretti was fouled on a drive to the hoop with 2.2 seconds to play and sank both free throw attempts to forge the final tie of the night and set up Smith's game-winner. UMass Dartmouth advanced the ball to half court on the final possession, but a three-point attempt was off the mark as the horn sounded.
The hosts grabbed a five-point advantage (19-14) before the Beavers used a 24-13 second quarter outburst to take a 38-32 edge at the break. The Corsairs battled back to gain a three-point lead (54-51) heading into the final 10 minutes of action thanks to a combined 10 points from junior
Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) and freshman
Kaylin Zalewski (Johnston, R.I.), setting up the frantic fourth quarter finish between the two squads.
Walsh led all scorers with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the triumph for Babson, which received 14 points, seven assists and six boards from Bauman along with 10 points and eight caroms from senior
Nicole Hiller (Rocky Hill, Conn.). Smith finished with eight points and 10 rebounds for the Beavers, who shot just 32 percent (26-80) from the field overall but connected for nine three-pointers and converted 15 offensive rebounds into 16 second chance points.
Moretti notched a double-double effort of 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in the setback for UMass Dartmouth, which received eight points and nine boards from Carreiro as well as eight points and five caroms each from Zalewski, senior
Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.) and junior
Jessica Carroll (Deep River, Conn.). Junior
Caroline Wilson (Forestdale, Mass.) also scored eight points for the Corsairs, who shot 32 percent from the floor and held a 55-46 advantage on the glass for the contest.
UMass Dartmouth hosts Castleton in a Little East Conference outing on Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center that tips-off at 4:00 pm, while Babson entertains Bryant & Stratton in a non-league matchup on Saturday afternoon in Babson Park, Mass. that tips-off at 1:00 pm.
