Babson 79, WPI 69 

Babson Park, MA --- The Babson College men's basketball team handed visiting WPI just its second loss of the season on Saturday, as the Beavers recorded a huge 79-69 victory in a matchup of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rivals. With the win, Babson improved to 13-8 overall and 6-2 in the conference, while the Engineers, ranked 15th in the nation by D3Hoops.com, fell to 17-2 overall and 8-1 in the NEWMAC. 

Senior co-captain Brandon Eigenberg (Milford, CT) and junior Kyle McDonald (Wethersfield, CT) each finished with a career-high 19 points in the win for Babson. Sophomore Zach Etten (Hollis, NH) added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while juniors Greg Bush (East Islip, NY) and Chris Bradley (Mount Vernon, NY) combined for nine points and 11 boards.

Senior Ryan Cain (Webster, MA) led all players with 22 points for WPI, while junior Jim Marois (Worcester, MA) netted a season-high 17 points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Junior center Ryan Bourque (Nashua, NH) also played well for the Engineers, netting 12 points and blocking a game-high six shots, and sophomore Adam Lirette (Dover, NH) tossed in 11 points. 

Babson jumped out to an early 9-2 lead behind four early points from McDonald, but WPI came back to tie the contest at 13-13 with 13:42 left in the opening half. The game was still knotted, 22-22, when Babson went on a 10-0 run to open up a 32-22 advantage with 3:28 remaining. Junior Tony Collier (Colchester, VT) scored five straight points during that spurt for the Beavers, who took an eventual 39-32 lead into the break.  

WPI came out firing in the opening minutes of the second half, using a 13-4 run to take its only lead of the game, 45-43, with 14:55 left. The two teams then stayed close until the seven minute mark, when Eigenberg scored eight straight points as part of a 9-1 run that gave Babson a 67-58 cushion with 3:22 remaining in regulation.  

The Engineers continued to battle back, getting to within four on a spectacular scoop shot by Cain with 2:24 left, but the Beavers answered with a big hook shot by Bradley and two free throws by Etten to push their lead to 71-63 with 1:48 on the clock.  

WPI again cut its deficit to four on a lay-up by Cain and two free throws from sophomore Jerome Kirkland (Boston, MA) in the final minute, but Eigenberg converted a breakaway lay-up to put Babson up, 73-67, with 48 seconds remaining. The Beavers then got the ball back when Bradley took a charge in the lane, and Etten knocked down two more foul shots to finish off the 79-69 victory. 

GAME NOTES: McDonald's career-high 19 points came in just his second start of the season. The junior forward shot 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line... Eigenberg's 19 points came on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and a 6-for-6 clip from the line... Sophomore Brian MacDonald (Beverly, MA) made his first start of the season for Babson and knocked down a pair of three-pointers... The defeat snapped a 14-game winning streak for WPI, whose last loss came to Salem State back on November 26... Babson outrebounded WPI, 39-29, while forcing 23 turnovers... The Engineers forced 17 turnovers and blocked 10 shots... WPI returns to action with a home game against UMass-Boston on Thursday night at 7 p.m., while Babson will travel to Wheaton for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the Lyons on Wednesday night.

Release Courtesy Babson Sports Information