Tag Archives: Will Bayliss

Feb 22 2012

Mass College Hoops Recap: Babson 62, Wheaton 58

By Matt Noonan 

BABSON PARK, MA – With 6.4 seconds remaining in the second half, as well as a two-point advantage, Babson College junior Alex Rudolph marched to the free throw line, and sank two of the biggest shots in his collegiate career, which helped the Beavers prevail against Wheaton College in the NEWMAC quarterfinals, 62-58.

“I’m not going to lie to you and say there wasn’t pressure, but you fight your whole life, your whole career, you work to get to moments like that and I’m just glad I hit them,” said Rudolph, who turned in 19 points, and six rebounds.

Babson College head coach Stephen Brennan, who’s patrolled the Beavers sideline for the past 17 years, was quite shocked that this particular contest was won by Rudolph’s two free throws, especially since his squad struggled from the charity stripe, and connected on 11-of-24 attempts.

“We didn’t really talk much about the free throws, but [Alex] has been playing with great confidence. He was player of the week [in] the NEWMAC last week, and he’s just stepped up his competitive level to a new one,” said Brennan.

Brennan continued by saying, “It was great that he was willing to step up and make those because we had some other guys who didn’t.”

Rudolph jumpstarted Babson’s offense with a jump shot before sophomore Matt Palazini sank a three-pointer, and freshman David Mack recorded a layup to give the Beavers a comfortable, 8-0 advantage.

Wheaton junior Cliften Desravines, (14 points, nine rebounds, four blocks) eventually got the Lyons on the board with two made free throws at 13:16, which ended a scoring drought of seven consecutive missed shots. Desravines then added a layup before senior Brendan Degnan, (13 points) sank two back-to-back free throws, which cut the deficit to 12-6.

“I just thought that at least at that point, we could have very easily been down 13 or 14 or 15 [points], so our defense really helped us stay close, and I thought Cliff gave us a big lift off the bench to get us some baskets, to get us going a little bit midway in the first half,” said Wheaton head coach Brian Walmsley.

“I thought Desravines played much better than he’s ever played against us,” said Brennan. “He did a good job spinning and finishing over our big guys.”

The Lyons then added a few more points from the free throw line before freshman John Wickey and Randolph sank back-to-back trifectas late in the first frame, which gave Babson a 30-24 lead at intermission.

“We just came out with a lot of intensity [in the first half],” said Rudolph. “Coach was preaching ‘energy’ before the game, and we just tried to come out, play as hard as we could on defense.”

Wickey and junior Marcus McDermott ballooned Babson’s lead to 34-26 before Wheaton’s defense ramped up its pressure and helped the offense come within three-points of the Beavers, as freshman Eddie Capstick connected from beyond the arc at 13:30, which made the score, 41-38.

Babson’s offense then exploded with a triple and two layups from sophomore Connor Boyen before Wheaton senior Anthony Weeks, (12 points) responded with two critical free throws that started a rally for the Lyons.

Degnan added a pair at the free throw line before Desravines and sophomore Will Bayliss made a few layups, which was followed by an enormous three-pointer from Weeks, as well as few free throws, too.

“We know Babson is a tremendous defensive team, and it was going to be a struggle to score against them, but our guys kept fighting and fighting,” said Walmsley, who was proud of his team’s second half play.

McDermott halted the Lyons comeback with a three-pointer, which was followed up with two made free throws by Mack to make it 60-53.

Babson’s lead was soon erased by a trifecta and two free throws from Degnan, which brought Wheaton within two-points. Yet, Weeks fouled Rudolph on the ensuing possession to stop the clock, but that didn’t stop Rudolph from making two free throws that secured the win for the Green and White.

“It got a little close for my liking, but it was a good team effort, [and] we had a lot of guys step up off the bench,” said Brennan.

The Beavers will look to keep their March Madness hopes alive when they travel to Cambridge on Saturday to face the top-ranked MIT Engineers at 1:00pm.

“MIT’s obviously a great team, but we thought we really had them in our last game at MIT, and we’re excited to get another shot at them,” said Rudolph

Jan 21 2012

Massachusetts College Basketball: Saturday Roundup

Photo Credit: Images.Picturehunt.com

By NoontimeSports.com

Here are some headlines, news and scores from Saturday’s Massachusetts Division III hoops contests.

Men’s Basketball

WPI 80, MIT 68 – MIT’s 16-game winning streak came to an end, as WPI held the Engineers to 27 points in the second half. Jamie Shannon scored 17 points for WPI, while Mitchell Kates paced MIT with 22 points, and seven assists.

Framingham State 73, Westfield State 69 – Both the Owls and Rams combined for 65 fouls, and 80 free throws before Framingham State earned their first conference win of the season.

Babson 52, Wheaton 45 – The Beavers picked up their second consecutive victory, as they defeated the Lyons to earn their second conference win, too. David Mack led Babson with 14 points, while Will Bayliss notched 12 points for Wheaton.

Amherst 82, Colby 64 – David Waller registered 18 points and three assists, as the Lord Jeffs defeated the Mules in Maine.

Women’s Basketball

Amherst 51, Colby 50 – Trailing the Mules at halftime, 28-25, the Lord Jeffs stormed back, and somehow managed to pick up their 17th win of the season, as well as fifth conference victory, too. Megan Robertson paced Amherst with 18 points, while Caroline Stedman tallied 14 points and two rebounds. Rachael Mack led Colby with 14 points, as well as recorded five rebounds, two blocks and one assist.

Babson 96, Coast Guard 47 – Erin Young sank eight trifectas off the bench, as well as tallied a career high 28 points in 21 minutes, which helped the Beavers, earn their 55th straight conference clash against the Bears in Connecticuit.

Tufts 51, Conn. College 21 – The Jumbos held the Camels to 11 points in the first half, and 10 in the second, as Tufts handed Connecticut College their third loss of the season. The Camels finished the game 6 of 47 from the field, and 8 of 14 from the free throw line.

Smith 61, MIT 36 – The Pioneers registered 40 points in 20 minutes, which gave Smith a commanding lead, which they never relinquished. Ellie Giles led Smith with 10 points, as well as recorded eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and four steals.

Nov 16 2011

Massachusetts College Basketball — Tuesday Night Stars

By NoontimeSports.com 

Day one of the Division III College Basketball season is in the books, but on Tuesday, there were certainly some spectacular performances across the state of Massachusetts.

Here are some of the players that we’ll be watching this season, and could certainly earn our weekly honors too.

Men’s Basketball:

Kyle Pierce (Wheelock College) – Against Wentworth Institute of Technology, the senior Wildcat led his team with 15 points, and seven rebounds, as well as converted seven free throw shots too. Pierce was a major component of John Preziosa’s offense last season, and is expected to be a major factor in the team’s upcoming contests.

Brendan Degnan (Wheaton College) – The senior guard was a major reason why the Lyons earned an important opening night victory against Salve Regina, as Degnan led the young squad with 27 points, and matched teammate Will Bayliss with six rebounds.

Noel Hollingsworth (MIT) – The Captain did his job quite well on Tuesday, as he finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks against Curry College. Hollingsworth was also a major threat down low, as he recorded eight offensive boards, which provided numerous second chances and scoring opportunities for the Engineers.

Frank Stephenson (Worcester State) – Playing the full 40 minutes, Stephenson didn’t miss a beat, as he finished the game with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Lancers first loss of the season to Nichols College.

Isiah Benjamin (Mount Ida) – The Mustangs cruised to a 99-68 victory over Lesley on Tuesday, and a major reason was because of Benjamin’s play, who finished with 24 points, five assists, two steals, and one block.

Women’s Basketball:

Nicki Wurdeman (Babson College) – The Pre-Season All-American delivered on Tuesday, as she led the Beavers with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

Sarah Collins (Babson College) – Collins converted 8-of-12 of her shots, and finished the contest against Salem State with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Kelly Slattery (Springfield College) – The Pride kicked-off their season with a win, and a major reason, Kelly Slattery, who finished the contest with 24 points, and two rebounds.

Rosa Drummond (Smith College) – The sophomore led the Pioneers with 15 points and eight rebounds, as well as registered one assist and one block. She also recorded three steals in Smith’s first win of the season against Westfield State.