D’Auria scored six points during an early 13-2 run that gave MIT an 18-8 advantage. Babson sophomore Greg Bush (East Islip, N.Y.) answered with four straight points as part of a 6-0 spurt that cut the Beavers’ deficit to four, but the Engineers pushed their lead back to 10 twice in the final two minutes of the period, including a 29-19 edge at the break.
After a cut forced him to miss the final eight minutes of the first half, D’Auria came out firing in the second stanza, scoring six straight points to give the Engineers their largest lead of the contest at 35-19. Babson refused to go quietly, however, going on a 12-3 run over the next three minutes to get to within seven, 38-31. Sophomore Chris Bilodeau (Hull, Mass.) keyed the Beavers’ comeback effort with five points and a steal during the barrage, while senior captain Brian Parsons (Queensbury, N.Y.) added four points.
Babson pulled to within six twice in the final seven minutes, including a 46-40 deficit following a Parsons free throw with just over five minutes remaining. However, the Engineers proved too strong in the closing moments, as they scored nine of the game’s final 10 points to seal the 55-41 victory.
In addition to his 20 points, which came via 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 clip from the line, D’Auria also led MIT with seven rebounds. Senior Danny Kanamori (Brookline, Mass.) added 12 points, three assists, and three steals, and first-year Jimmy Bartolotta (Littleton, Colo.) netted 10 points and grabbed five boards. Senior Gary Atkins (Florissant, Mo.) was hampered early by foul trouble, but still finished with six rebounds and a game-high four steals.
First-year Zach Etten (Hollis, N.H.) enjoyed another strong game for Babson, scoring nine points and pulling down a game-best 11 rebounds. Parsons also netted nine points, while Bilodeau finished with seven. The Beavers struggled from the field throughout the contest, hitting just 32.6 percent of their attempts. After allowing MIT to shoot at a 46.2 percent clip in the opening half, the Babson defense was much better in the second period, holding the Engineers to 27.8 percent shooting.