Spencer leads all scorers with 25 and shares game-high rebound honors with seven

BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Jack Coolahan (Newtown, Pa.) scored a season-high 22 points to lead three players in double figures as Babson College defeated visiting Salve Regina University, 92-68, in non-conference men's basketball on Saturday afternoon inside Staake Gymnasium.

With the win, Babson stays unbeaten and improves to 4-0, while Salve Regina drops to 0-2 on the year.

Coolahan finished 9-of-13 from the floor and also blocked a career-high five shots, while senior Frank Oftring (North Attleboro, Mass.) added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Beavers. Sophomore Colin Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) went 7-of-8 from the floor on the way to scoring a career-high 14 points, and junior Crew Ainge (Wellesley, Mass.) tied for game-high honors with seven boards.

Sophomore Mikey Spencer (Abington, Mass.) led all scorers with 25 points and tied for game-high honors with seven boards to pace the Seahawks. Junior Kevin Kelly (Valhalla, N.Y.) chipped in with 14 points, six boards and three assists in the loss.

Salve Regina trailed by just two with under nine minutes to play in the opening half before the Green and White closed the stanza with an 18-8 spurt. Coolahan scored five straight points and sophomore James Welch (Needham, Mass.) buried a triple to extend the Babson lead to 37-27 at the 6:20 mark. Kelly closed the margin to six just over three minutes later, but Coolahan responded with eight straight points in the span of three possessions to give Babson a 47-35 edge going to the locker room.

The Seahawks got as close as 11 six times over the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Beavers pulled away with a 15-4 run. Bradanese contributed a pair of hoops, Oftring and Ainge produced old-fashioned three-point plays, and Welch drilled another three-pointer to help push the lead to 78-56 with 6:55 remaining.

Babson shot 67.9 percent in the first half and 61 percent for the game while recording a season-high 24 assists on its 36 made field goals. The Green and White also outscored Salve Regina 55-36 in the paint and turned 14 turnovers by the visitors into 23 points.

The Seahawks shot just 39.4 percent from the floor and went 7-of-20 (35 percent) from beyond the arc.

Babson returns to action next Sunday when it travels Bates at 2 p.m. Salve Regina hosts Stevenson in its home opener on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

GAME NOTES

• The Beavers are 10-2 all-time against Salve Regina and have won six consecutive meetings between the schools.
• The Green and White has scored at least 90 points in four consecutive games for the first time since 1996, when it put up 106, 100, 99 and 104 in consecutive outings.
• Babson has led by at least 12 points at halftime in each of its first four contests.
• The Beavers have won by an average of 28.3 points during their 4-0 start.