KEENE, N.H. – Babson College (1-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (1-1), 81-64, in a non-conference women's basketball contest in the Keene State College Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night.

FIRST GLANCE:

Juniors Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) and Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) netted 13 points apiece while classmates Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) and Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) both added 10 in a loss at the hands of the Beavers, who advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament Sweet 16 last winter.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

In the first half, the Monks and Beavers posting shooting percentages that would be indicative of the halftime score, as St. Joe's was just 3-30 (10%) from the floor – including a 0-10 performance from three-point distance – while Babson posted a 48.3% (14-29) clip from the field and carried a comfortable 35-14 cushion into intermission.

In the end, the Beavers essentially sealed the Monks' fate by winning the second quarter by a 17-3 score.

Though ultimately unable to overcome the slow start, Saint Joseph's fared considerably better after the break with a 54.8% (17-31) field goal rate and outscored Babson by a 50-46 margin in the third and fourth frames combined.

Trailing 63-35 with nine minutes left in the fourth, the Monks mounted a 17-4 run to cut the Beavers' advantage down to 15 points (67-52) with 5:15 remaining, but the effort proved to be too late, as Babson regrouped following a timeout and did not allow St. Joe's to climb back into contention.

Babson junior forward Payton Ouimette (Medfield, Mass.) led all players with a double-double performance of 19 points and 11 rebounds.

TEAM STATS:

The Beavers held the lead in rebounds (40-37), assists (19-8), points off turnovers (18-13), and bench points (28_16) while the Monks held a 14-13 edge in second-chance points.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 1-2 in the history of the matchup with Babson College, a team the Monks had not faced, before tonight's contest, since the 2000-01 season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will face tourney-host Keene State in a consolation game at 1:00 PM while Babson takes on Framingham State in the invitational championship at 3:00 PM.

#GOMONKS 

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.