After taking a 35-32 advantage into the break, Babson began the second half with a 14-6 run to build its largest lead of the game at 49-38 with 14:38 remaining. The Beavers still led by 11 at 53-42 when Emerson exploded for a 13-2 run of its own to get back into the contest. First-year Will Dawkins (Springfield, Mass.), junior Steve Georgoulis (New York, N.Y.), and junior Alfredo Tovar (Los Angeles, Calif.) each scored four points during the stretch, which pulled the Lions even at 55-55 with 6:23 left to play.
With the game still tied at 60-60, Dawkins drained a huge three pointer that sparked a 7-2 Emerson run, giving the Lions a 67-62 advantage with 2:48 remaining. After first-year Greg Bush (East Islip, N.Y.) hit one of two free throws to pull Babson back to within four, senior CJ Enere (Hyde Park, Mass.) hit a driving lay-up to cut the Beavers deficit to 67-65 with just under two minutes left in regulation.
Babson would tie the contest once again with 55.3 seconds remaining, as senior tri-captain Dan Elliman (Tewskbury, Mass.) scored on a clutch turnaround in the post to even the game, 67-67. After Emerson missed a three-point attempt on its next possession, Brown put Babson in front to stay when he drove the lane and scored in traffic, putting his team ahead, 69-67 with 22.3 seconds left. Dawkins then saw his floater in the lane rim out, and Enere collected the defensive rebound. The Lions immediately fouled the senior guard, who put the contest out of reach with two free throws with 1.6 seconds on the clock, sealing the 71-67 victory.
Enere led the Beavers with 14 points, five assists, and four steals, while Bush also scored 14 points while shooting 6-for-8 from the field. Brown finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Elliman added eight points and four boards. With three players in foul trouble, senior reserve forward Geoff Ponitz (Oakland, Maine) gave Babson some huge minutes off the bench, scoring six points and pulling down five rebounds, including a key defensive board in the final minute.
Georgoulis shot 8-for-15 from the field for a game-high 20 points, while senior Graham Stephen (Bedford, Mass.) finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Dawkins and Tovar each chipped in with 11 points for the Lions, who lost despite shooting a solid 49.0 percent (25-for-51) from the floor.