Springfield, Mass. – January 9, 2024 – In front of 400 students from the Springfield Public School system, the Springfield College men's basketball team rolled past Babson College, 90-54, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest inside Blake Arena.

Springfield improved to 5-8 overall and to 2-2 in NEWMAC play, while Babson dropped to 6-8, 2-3.

In conjunction with the Division of Inclusion and Community Engagement, Springfield College hosted nearly 400 students representing four Springfield elementary schools during the Pride's men's basketball game today. Students from White Street Elementary School, Elias Brookings Elementary School, Indian Orchard Elementary School and Washington Elementary School had the opportunity to learn while watching the game and engaging in trivia, a math activity, and interactive promotions during the game.

The Pride earned its first win over Babson since February 22, 2020, snapping a four game skid against the Beavers and score 90 points as a team for the first time since February 18, 2023 in last year's season finale against Coast Guard on the road.

Springfield shot at a blistering 54.7-percent clip from the floor and a 52.6-percent average from behind the arc in the win. The Pride saw 13 different student-athletes score points today paced by 15 from both senior Zeke Blauner (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) and sophomore John Paulino (New Bedford, Mass.). Junior Curtiss Blische (Barkhamsted, Conn.) added 13 points and eight rebounds, while graduate student Joe Hoch (South Ozone Park, N.Y.) added nine points and four rebounds. First-year Jeremy Brown (Queensland, Australia) played 20 minutes off the bench and contributed seven points, three assists and a rebound for the Pride.

Springfield and Babson traded three point buckets for an even score at 7-7 just minutes into the game before Blauner buried a shot from behind the arc for a 10-7 edge, a lead the Pride wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the contest. With 11:45 to play in the first, Babson cut it to a one possession game, 16-14, on a layup from Tyler Lauder.

Springfield proceeded to rip off a 20-1 run over the next 6:31, which was guided by Blische, who tallied six points in the spurt. Six different student-athletes for Springfield found the bucket over the stretch, for a 21 point advantage at 36-15. A three point play paired with a jumper from Paulino gave Springfield a 41-19 advantage heading into the break.

The Pride shot at a 53.1-percent clip from the floor in the second half as well as 6-for-11 (54.5-percent) from behind the arc and 9-for-10 (90.0-percent) from the free throw line as Springfield tallied 49 points over the final 20 minutes of play en route to the 90-54 win. Paulino led Springfield with 11 second half points.

Springfield tallied its largest lead of the game of 43 points with 3:18 to play following a three point bucket from first-year Yuki Ishibashi (Chiba, Japan).

The Pride posted a 46-36 advantage on the glass and outscored Babson in the paint by a 46-26 margin.

Springfield returns to action on Thursday, January 11 with a NEWMAC home contest against Coast Guard at 12:00 pm in Blake Arena.

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