NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team shook off the rust from a 25-day layoff to post a 59-51 victory over Babson College on Saturday afternoon at Luce Field House.
Mia Xerras (Charlotte, N.C.) scored 15 of her game-high 21 points in the second half and shot 7-for-11 from the floor to pace the Camels.
Sydney Marshall (Enfield, Conn.) added 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks as Conn nabbed its first win over the Beavers since 2017.
Babson led for a long stretch in the first half and took its largest lead at 15-8 with 2:46 remaining in the opening quarter. A three-pointer by
Avery Burns (Orleans, Mass.) and a layup by Marshall helped trim the deficit to 17-13 heading into the second period.
Conn's defense limited the Beavers to 3-for-15 shooting in the second quarter. In the final minute of the half, a three by
Catherine Cole (Lebanon, N.H.) briefly gave the Camels a two-point lead, but Babson's Allessia Carlo evened the score at 28-28 before the break.
The lead changed hands nine times in a tightly-contested third quarter in which neither side led by more than three. Xerras, who accounted for nine of Conn's 16 points in the stanza, supplied back-to-back buckets in the final minute to stake the Camels to a 44-41 advantage.
Burns and Xerras each splashed threes early in the fourth as Conn built the margin to seven. Babson eventually got the deficit down to three, but
Sofia Tavarez (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) drove the lane for a layup that sparked a 7-0 run for the hosts. The Beavers shot 1-for-7 in the final 4:30 of the contest, with the lone field goal coming once they trailed by double digits.
The Camels shot 8-for-20 from beyond the arc. Xerras finished with four triples while Burns chipped in two. Conn also won the battle on the boards (51-40) as Cole and
Hayle Thompson (Maynard, Mass.) corralled eight rebounds apiece.
Emily Flynn scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Babson (7-5 overall). Rylie Rosenberg also finished in double figures with 11 points.
Conn (7-4 overall) will next host Clark University on Tuesday, January 6 at 2:00 p.m.
