Competing in its second NCAA Tournament in three years, Babson led by as many as 12 in the first half, as the Beavers forced 17 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Endicott (23-5), which last appeared the national tourney back in 2000, then ended the period with a 5-0 spurt and trailed by only seven at 37-30 heading into the break.
Spurred on by a large and boisterous crowd, the host Gulls continued their momentum in the first four minutes of the second half, outscoring Babson 10-2 to grab a 40-39 lead. However, junior guard Phil Riffe drained a huge three-pointer from the right side to silence the crowd and put the Beavers back on top, 42-40. That would spark an 11-0 Babson run which gave the visitors a 50-40 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining. Junior guard CJ Enere scored four points during the spurt, including two on a breakaway lay-up off a steal and assist from junior forward Brooks Brown.
Following two free throws by Endicott, senior co-captain Luke Weber knocked down a big three-pointer to increase Babson's lead to 11 at 53-42. However the Gulls mounted another comeback run, scoring eight of the game's next 10 points to get to within five, 55-50, with 6:12 left in regulation.
With the crowd back in the game, Babson remained unphased over the next few minutes, using patience and excellent ball movement to generate open looks. Junior Dan Elliman capitalized on one of those looks with five minutes remaining, as he came off a screen and sank a short jumper in the lane, pushing the Beavers' lead back to seven at 57-50.
Endicott once again got to within five when guard Jeremy Currier drew a foul under the basket and hit both free throws with 3:33 on the clock. However, after the two teams traded empty possessions, Babson senior co-captain Jeff Hines hit one of his biggest shots of the season, as he drained an open jumper from well behind the three-point line, giving his team a 60-52 advantage with 2:19 on the clock. Unable to convert at the other end, Endicott was forced to foul several times in the last two minutes, and Enere iced the 66-56 win by hitting all six of his free throws down the stretch.
Enere and Hines both turned in monster performances for Babson, combining for 34 of the team's 66 points. Enere netted 20 while hitting 7-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the line, while Hines shot 6-for-12 from the field for 14 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals. Despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble, Weber and sophomore forward Brian Parsons still combined for 17 points and eight rebounds, while Elliman added a game-high four steals. Brown, junior forward Geoff Ponitz, and first-year point guard Brandon Eigenberg also gave Babson excellent minutes off the bench in the victory.
First-year Nemanja Marinkovic led all players with 24 points for Endicott, hitting 10 of 12 from the field and four of six from the foul line. Center James Leveque added nine points and 13 rebounds, while guard Josh Oxton also scored nine points in the loss. Despite falling in their first-ever NCAA Tournament home game, the Gulls still turned in a superb season, finishing with a program-record 23 wins.