BABSON PARK, MA – Senior captain Zach Etten (Hollis, N.H.) scored nine points and recorded five steals to earn Most Valuable Player honors as the host Babson College Beavers defeated the Union College Dutchmen, 68-58, in the championship game of the sixth annual Babson Invitational Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Irving Oil on Sunday afternoon. With the win, Babson (3-0) secured its first BIT title since 2004.

 

Etten played all but three minutes in the contest, finishing with nine points, four rebounds, and a game-high five steals as he earned All-Tournament status and the MVP honor. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by first-year teammate Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, N.Y.), who finished with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the title game, as well as Union's Drew Desmarais, Framingham State College junior Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass.), and Salve Regina University senior Justin Woodworth (Ipswich, Mass.).

 

Also playing well in the victory for Babson were first-year Lambros Papalambros (Quincy, Mass.), who shot 4-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line for 14 points to go with six assists and four rebounds, and sophomore Shelton Ladson (New York, N.Y.), who tossed in 12 points and recorded three steals. The Beavers finished with 11 thefts in all as they forced 28 turnovers on defense.

 

Union was paced by Steve Madej, who shot 6-for-10 from the floor, including a 3-for-6 clip from long range, and 2-for-2 from the line for 17 points. Desmarais added 11 points and five rebounds, and Nick Ciresi chipped in with 10 points. Matt Covucci also played well in defeat for the Dutchmen, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds, and two steals.

 

Babson slowly took control at the end of a back-and-forth first half, closing the period with a 10-3 run that gave the hosts a 33-25 advantage at the break. Ladson carried the Beavers early with nine points and three steals in the opening stanza, while Ciresi netted eight points in the first half for Union.

 

Although Babson never relinquished the lead in the second half, Union stayed close behind five early points from Desmarais and a big three-pointer by Joey Lokitis that cut the Dutchmen's deficit to 38-36 with 13:26 left in the game. The Beavers would then erupt for a 10-2 run that was capped by a big three-point play by Etten to take a 48-38 lead with 10:00 minutes remaining.

 

Union made one final push over the next three minutes, as Madej netted seven points during a 12-4 run that brought the Dutchmen back to within two at 52-50 with 6:51 on the clock. However, the Beavers put the game away with 10 consecutive points over the next four and a half minutes – a barrage that was keyed by six straight points from Edwards, a huge three-point play in transition by first-year Matt Florio (Skillman, N.J.), and two points and three assists from Papalambros. That gave Babson a 62-50 cushion with 2:35 left, and Union never got closer than six the rest of the way as the Beavers came away with the 68-58 victory.

The Dutchmen are back in action Tuesday night at Lehman at 7 p.m.

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