In a frenetically paced first half, both teams struggled from the floor against tremendous defensive pressure. WPI shot just 32.1 percent (9-for-28), while Babson connected on only 26.7 percent (8-for-30) of its attempts. The Engineers eventually took a 28-22 lead into the break, thanks to a 6-0 run to close out the half that was highlighted by a three-pointer from junior Mike Prestileo (South Windsor, Conn.).
Babson stayed close early in the second half, pulling to within three on three different occasions in the first five minutes of play. WPI finally got some breathing room with an 8-2 run that pushed its lead to 42-33 with 11 minutes to go, and later enjoyed its largest lead of the contest (56-46) with 5:22 on the clock.
The visitors still held a comfortable lead at 67-59 after junior Brett Dickson (Bedford, N.H.) hit a pair of free throws with 38 seconds remaining, but Babson senior Brooks Brown (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) gave the Beavers hope with a clutch three-pointer from deep in the left corner with 31.9 seconds left to play. However, that would be as close as Babson would get the rest of the way, as WPI hit five of its final six fouls shots to clinch the 72-64 victory.
Prestileo led WPI with 20 points, while sophomore Ryan Cain (Webster, Mass.) added 17 points while hitting 9-of-10 from the free throw line. First-year Antoine Coleman (Everett, Mass.) added a solid performance in the paint for the Engineers, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and blocking three shots.
Babson was led by senior CJ Enere (Hyde Park, Mass.), who scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, and first-year Greg Bush (East Islip, N.Y.), who scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Senior tri-captain Dan Elliman (Tewksbury, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds, while Enere and first-year David Votta (Roswell, Ga.) dished out a game-high five assists apiece.
WPI-MBB vs BABSON COLLEGE 01/29/05 2:00 PM at Babson College, Babson Park, MA At Babson College, Babson Park, MA WPI-MBB 72, BABSON COLLEGE 64 WPI-MBB (16-1, 7-0 NEWMAC) Mike Prestileo 5-15 5-6 20; Ryan Cain 4-9 9-10 17; Brett Dickson 2-3 5-6 9; James Marois 1-4 4-4 7; Scott Misiaszek 3-3 0-1 6; Antoine Coleman 2-6 1-3 5; Ryan Flynn 2-2 1-4 5; Brian Steele 0-2 3-4 3; Steve Furber 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 19-48 28-38 72. BABSON COLLEGE (7-11, 1-4 NEWMAC) CJ Enere 7-13 3-4 18; Greg Bush 5-12 5-8 15; Dan Elliman 4-9 2-2 11; Geoff Ponitz 3-8 0-1 6; Phil Riffe 2-12 1-2 5; David Votta 1-4 2-2 4; Brooks Brown 1-5 0-0 3; Kyle McDonald 0-3 2-2 2. Totals 23-66 15-21 64. WPI-MBB....................... 28 44 - 72 BABSON COLLEGE................ 22 42 - 64 3-point goals-WPI-MBB 6-14 (Mike Prestileo 5-8; James Marois 1-3; Steve Furber 0-1; Ryan Cain 0-2), BABSON COLLEGE 3-20 (Dan Elliman 1-4; Brooks Brown 1-4; CJ Enere 1-1; Phil Riffe 0-9; David Votta 0-2). Fouled out--WPI-MBB-None, BABSON COLLEGE-None. Rebounds-WPI-MBB 40 (Antoine Coleman 8), BABSON COLLEGE 40 (Brooks Brown 7; Greg Bush 7). Assists-WPI-MBB 7 (Brett Dickson 3), BABSON COLLEGE 13 (David Votta 5; CJ Enere 5). Total fouls-WPI-MBB 20, BABSON COLLEGE 27. A-250