Bates 69, Babson 58
at Wellesley, Mass.

BATES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DOWNS SECOND RANKED TEAM OF THE WEEK, 69-58, OVER BABSON

(Taken from a Babson College press release)

WELLESLEY, Mass. - The Bates College women's basketball team picked up its second win over a New England top-10 team, defeating No. 1 Babson, 69-58, on the road today. Senior co-captain Kate McLaughlin (Laconia, N.H.) scored seven of her team-high 22 points in the final three minutes to guide the Bobcats to the win over Babson, who was also ranked 19th in the most recent D3Hoops.com national poll. The Bobcats defeated Colby, ranked fourth in New England, earlier in the week.

Bates (7-4) took a 36-28 advantage into the break, thanks to 12 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting from sophomore Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine). The Bobcats then extended the lead to as many as 12 in the second half before Babson (9-3) made a late run behind the three-point shooting of sophomore Joanna Maher (North Easton, Mass.). Maher knocked down her third three-ball of the contest with just under three minutes to go in the second half to pull the Beavers to within three at 60-57.

That would be as close as Babson would get, however, as McLaughlin took over in the closing minutes. The senior forward sank a short turnaround jumper with 2:40 left on the clock to increase the Bobcats' lead to five, and, after a Maher free throw at the other end, hit a lay-up with 2:06 remaining to give her team a 64-58 advantage. Following another basket by Flaherty, McLaughlin put the finishing touches on the 69-58 victory with a three-point conversion off a fast-break lay-up and a foul with 20 seconds left to play.

In addition to her 22 points, McLaughlin also pulled down seven rebounds in the winning effort. Senior co-captain Katy Dutille (Lebanon, N.H.) chipped in with 10 points and seven boards, while Flaherty finished a terrific all-around game with 14 points, seven assists and six steals.

For Babson, junior Meredith Eddy (North Andover, Mass.) led the way with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Maher also finished in double-digits with 10 points, while sophomore center Ingrid Miller (East Lyme, Conn.) added six points and 11 rebounds.

Box score available