#17 Babson Overwhelms Men's Basketball

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball team fell to visiting 17^th-ranked Babson College, 86-57, as the Beavers led wire-to-wire in a non-conference matchup at Picknelly Arena Saturday afternoon.

Knotted 2-2 in the opening minute, the Beavers gained an early 11-4 advantage over the next three minutes, behind five points from sophomore forward Joey Flannery (Acton, Mass.). A layup from Elms junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor Conn.) cut the Blazers deficit to its thinnest margin of the contest, 11-8, with 16:26 on the clock. Babson pushed their lead into the double-digits with an 18-8 run over the next ten minutes, powered by five points from senior forward Eric Dean (Gilford, N.H.), making it a 29-16 game. The Blazers pulled within ten points, 32-22, but the Beavers closed the first half on a 12-5 run to take a 44-27 lead into halftime.

Babson continued their offensive momentum in the second frame, opening the half with a 12-3 in the first five minutes, capped off by a thunderous two-handed slam by Flannery to give the Beavers a 56-30 lead with 15:16 to play. A layup from Babson sophomore forward Charlie Rice (Barnstable, Mass.) gave the Beavers the largest lead of the contest, 68-35, with 10:52 on the clock. The Blazers outscored Babson, 22-18, over the final ten minutes as the Beavers captured their ninth straight victory, 86-57.

The Blazers were led offensively by Buchanon with a team-high 16 points, along with a pair of steals. Senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) added 11 points and four rebounds, while freshman forward Chris Ceus (Lake Worth, Fla.) had six points and two rebounds off the bench. Freshman guard Keeshaun King (Jacksonville, Fla.) and sophomore forward Joshua Brunson (Springfield, Mass.) each added five points in the loss.

The Beavers had three players in double figures, led by a game-high 19 points from Flannery. Flannery added a game-high nine rebounds with five assists and two steals, while Dean tallied 16 points. Senior forward John Wickey (Manchester, N.H.) had 16 points and five boards, and freshman forward Bradley Jacks (Fort Washington, Md.) chipped in six points and six rebounds.

The Beavers edged the Blazers in rebounding, 38-29, during the contest. Elms shot 35.5% (22-of-62) from the floor, including 28.6% (4-of-14) from three-point range, and 56.3% (9-of-16) from the free throw line. Babson connected on 64.7% (33-of-51) of their field goals, including 33.3% (4-of-12) three-pointers, and 61.5% (16-of-26) from the charity stripe. 

The Blazers drop to 3-7 on the season, while the Beavers improve to 10-1 overall. Elms will return to action when they host Wheelock in a New England Collegiate Conference matchup at Picknelly Arena on Saturday, January 10^th at 1:00 p.m. Babson will travel to Emerson College Wednesday evening for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. 

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