Box Score BABSON PARK, Mass. – Nationally-ranked Babson College rebounded from a sluggish first half to post a 78-55 comeback victory over visiting Smith College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball matchup on Saturday afternoon. With their 37th straight conference win, the Beavers, ranked fifth in the country by both D3hoops.com and USA Today/ESPN, remain unbeaten at 18-0 overall and 12-0 in the NEWMAC. The loss dropped the Pioneers' record to 9-9 overall and 6-6 in league play.
 
Junior Nicki Wurdeman continued her exceptional play of late, scoring 23 of her game-high 27 points in the second half. The All-American forward hit 9-of-19 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the line while also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out four assists. Sophomore Sarah Collins joined her teammate with a double-double, finishing with 14 points, 16 rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists, and three steals. Senior Damisi Adewumi gave the Beavers a huge performance off the bench, scoring 13 points and pulling down five caroms, and sophomore Allanah Wynn returned after missing the last three games with an injury to knock down two key three-pointers.
 
Smith was led in defeat by brilliant performances from sophomore Lizzy BelBruno (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) and first-year Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth). BelBruno shot 9-for-16 from the field and 4-for-5 from the line for a career-high 24 points, while Drummond hit 7-of-15, including 4-of-6 from long range, and both of her free throws for 20 points. Drummond also led the Pioneers with eight rebounds, four blocked shots, and three steals. Smith shot 41.2 percent (21-51) as a team, marking just the second time this season and the first time since December 19 that a Babson opponent shot 40.0 percent or higher.
 
Babson led 8-7 after a Collins jumper with 15:25 remaining in the first half, but the Pioneers used suffocating defensive pressure to hold the Beavers without a point for the next five minutes of the contest. Meanwhile, the visitors rattled off seven straight at the other end to build a 14-8 advantage with just under 11 minutes to go in the period.
 
After back-to-back buckets by Collins pulled the Beavers to within two at 14-12, Drummond scored six straight points to ignite a 12-4 run that pushed Smith's lead all the way to 10 at 26-16 with five minutes left. The Pioneers would still lead by 10 with as little as 3:17 remaining in the half, after another trifecta by Drummond made it 29-19.
 
The Beavers' comeback began with less than three minutes left, as Adewumi hit two free throws and then a lay-up to make it 29-23 with 2:05 remaining. A Wynn free throw and a lay-up by senior captain Becky Bowman cut Babson's deficit to three at 29-26 with 23 ticks on the clock, setting up a furious finish to the period. Smith junior Ellie Giles (Charlottesville, Va./St. Annes Belfield) snapped the Beavers' run of seven straight points with a tough bucket in the paint with five seconds left in the half, but Wynn grabbed the inbounds pass and sprinted up court to drain a long-range three at the buzzer to make it a two-point game, 31-29, heading into the break.
 
Babson threatened to pull away early in the second half, scoring nine straight points out of the gate, including five by Wurdeman, to move in front, 38-33. However, Smith battled back behind BelBruno, who hit two straight shots in the lane and a free throw to pull her team even at 38-38 with 16:19 left in the game.
 
The two teams were tied again at 46-46 after a Drummond three-pointer with 13:40 to go, but Babson finally delivered the finishing blow with a 21-4 run over the next six and a half minutes. The surge began with 12 straight Beaver points, including five from Adewumi and another three from Wynn, and concluded with a torrid one-minute, six-second stretch in which Wurdeman knocked down three of her four three-pointers. That gave the hosts a 67-50 lead with seven minutes to go, and Smith would not threaten again as Babson came away with the hard-fought 78-55 victory.

The Beavers return to action with their final non-conference game of the regular season on Sunday, as they travel to Salem State for a 4 p.m. showdown with the Vikings. Meanwhile, Smith is off until Wednesday, when the Pioneers host NEWMAC rival Mount Holyoke at 7 p.m.

(Release courtesy Babson Sports Information)