Babson Park, Mass. – February 18, 2012 – Senior Kelly Murphy tallied a team-best 14 points, but the Babson College women’s basketball team proved to be too tough on Saturday afternoon as they outlasted Springfield College, 61-39, in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play. With the win, the 17th-ranked Beavers (23-2 overall, 18-0 NEWMAC) completed their third consecutive sweep of the conference, as they extended their regular season league winning streak to 55 games and their overall streak against NEWMAC foes to 63 contests.

As the top seed, Babson will now receive a bye in the opening round of next weekÂ's conference tournament and will host the NEWMAC Semifinals and Finals on Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, Springfield (12-13 overall, 8-10 NEWMAC) will be seeded fifth and will play at Wellesley in the opening round on Wednesday. The official bracket, along with game times, will be released by the league office later today.

Three different players recorded double-doubles for Babson on Saturday, led by senior tri-captain Kathleen KingÂ's 19 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Sarah Collins added 16 points, 13 boards, seven blocked shots, and four steals in the win, while senior tri-captain Nicki Wurdeman finished with 13 points, 11 caroms, and three blocks.

Besides Murphy, Springfield received nine points, five rebounds, and four steals from senior Andrea Butler. Sophomore Tamara Tribble came off the bench with six points and six boards for the Pride, who shot just 23.3 percent (14-60) from the field in the loss.

Babson never trailed in the contest, opening with a 10-2 run that was fueled by seven early points from King. Butler responded with five points during a 7-2 Springfield burst that cut the visitorsÂ' deficit to three, 12-9, with 14:33 left in the half, but the Beavers put the contest out of reach with a 13-2 eruption over the next four and a half minutes to go up 25-11 midway through the period. The hosts eventually took a 34-17 lead into the break and then pushed the advantage to as many as 24 in the second half en route to the 61-39 victory.