The Pride, which improved to 18-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference, won its fifth-straight contest and its eighth in nine outings. SC swept the season series with Babson for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
Junior forward Joel Aponte (Windsor, Conn.) registered 16 points and nine rebounds, and junior guard Derek Yvon (East Longmeadow, Mass.), who had 10 points, moved into 14th place on SC’s career scoring list with 1,351. Senior guard Jason O’Tash (Alfred, Maine) added 11 points, and sophomore point guard Anthony Pizzo (Clifton Park, N.Y.) had eight assists and only one turnover.
Babson (7-16, 1-9 NEWMAC) was led by senior guard C.J. Enere (Hyde Park, Mass.), who scored 14 points, and senior guard Dan Elliman (Tewksbury, Mass.) added 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Pride shot 54 percent (27-of-50) from the floor and overcame a 12-point first-half deficit. SC allowed the Beavers just 19 points and seven field goals in the second half.
The Pride used a decisive 13-3 run over the final 5:09 to win the game. With the score tied at 56-56, freshman guard Jamaal Gibbs (Norwalk, Conn.) hit two free throws to give SC a two-point edge. On the Beavers’ next possession, Pizzo stole the ball but missed a lay-up. DeCesar, however, tipped Pizzo’s miss in to give SC a 60-56 lead with 4:08 to play. After Babson freshman forward Greg Bush hit one-of-two free throws, Yvon scored six-straight points to stake the Pride to a 66-57 advantage with 1:31 remaining.