Springfield improved to 11-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference, while Babson slipped to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in the NEWMAC.
After taking a 42-36 advantage at halftime, the Pride held a five-point lead, 48-43, with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Springfield junior Joel Aponte (Windsor, Conn.) then converted an offensive rebound and put-back followed by a three-pointer to spark a 9-0 run that extended the visitors’ lead to 14 at 59-45. The Pride eventually pushed their advantage to as many as 17 at 64-47 when Yvon converted a conventional three-point play with 9:27 left in the contest.
Babson slowly chipped away at the Springfield lead over the next four minutes, getting to within nine, 68-59, on a three-pointer by sophomore Brandon Eigenberg (Franklin, Mass.) with just over five minutes remaining. Yvon then nailed two free throws to push the Pride’s lead back to 11 with 4:33on the clock, but the Beavers followed with a 12-1 run to tie the game at 71-71. Senior CJ Enere (Hyde Park, Mass.)hit two straight lay-ups during the spurt to pull Babson to within six, and senior tri-captain Phil Riffe (Newton, Mass.)cut it to four, 71-67, with two free throws with 1:38left.
After Enere hit the second of two free throws to cut Babson’s deficit to three with 51.9 seconds on the clock, senior tri-captain Brooks Brown (Cleveland, Ohio)came up with a huge steal to give the ball back to the Beavers with 24 seconds remaining. Following a time out, Brown knocked down a huge three-pointer from well beyond the arc on the right side, tying the game at 71-71 with 14 seconds left. However, Yvon drew a foul with 7.0 showing on the clock and put Springfieldback in front with two straight free throws. Junior Mike DeCesar (Acton, Mass.)then clinched the game with a steal at midcourt, and Yvon sank two more freebies with 0.1 seconds remaining to give Springfieldthe 75-71 victory.
Yvon led all players with 21 points, hitting 6-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the line. DeCesar added 14 points in the win, while Aponte recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Pride shot 54.2 percent from the field (26-for-48), including an impressive 76.9 percent clip (10-for-13) from three-point range.