NORTON, MA- Freshman Russell Braithwaite's (Brooklyn, NY/Saint Mark's School) driving lay-up with 0.9 seconds remaining lifted Babson College past Wheaton College, 74-73 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Saturday in Emerson Gymnasium. The Lyons, now 5-9 overall and 1-3 in the league, have suffered each of its past eight losses to the Beavers by 10 points or less. Babson is 7-8 and 1-3.

Sophomore Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, RI/Bishop Hendricken) turned in his second straight 20-point game for the Lyons, netting a career-high 22, including 17 in the second half, while senior Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, MA/Worcester Academy) added 11 points, freshman Scott Faucher (Lebanon, NH/Kimball Union Academy) turned in seven, and sophomore Shawn Daily (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Saint Michael Academy) totaled six points and six boards.

Junior reserve Dana Mauro (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) led Babson with 19 points, 13 of which came after halftime, and seven rebounds, while freshman Alex Rudolph (Bal Harbour, FL/Miami Country Day School) tallied 18 points. Sophomore Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, NY/East Hampton School) scored 10 off the bench.

During a second half that saw the Lyons shoot 62.1 percent and Babson knock down 57.1 percent of its attempts, Wheaton began the period on a 20-7 run, wiping out a 37-26 halftime hole to go ahead for the first time at 46-44 with 14:51 to go, as the inbounds pass following sophomore Bruno Naylor's (Los Angeles, CA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) tying bucket was stolen by Degnan, whose reverse lay-up put the hosts up.

In the second half alone, the teams played through 12 lead changes and nine ties, including nine swaps and eight knots in a 14:44 span during which neither team led by more than three points. After Beaver sophomore Kris Noonan's (Boothbay Harbor, ME/Boothbay Region) bucket provided a 66-all deadlock with 2:33 remaining, Degnan dropped in a go-ahead lay-up 12 ticks later and canned a three at 1:40 to make it 71-66. However, Mauro and Rudolph scored the next two baskets, with Rudolph cutting the Babson deficit to one with 35 seconds left. Junior Matt Zoia's (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) driving lay-up briefly gave the Beavers a one-point edge at 7.7 ticks, but Degnan knocked down two freebies with 6.7 seconds to go to give Wheaton the lead, setting the stage for Braithwaite's winning hoop.

After a 2-of-10 start, Babson hit consecutive tries to grab an 11-3 advantage at 13:56 of the opening stanza, as the Lyons had attempted only three field goals by that point and turned in a 1-of-4 showing at the charity stripe. Wheaton came as close as 13-7 on junior Ryan Sasso's (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) contested jumper in the lane with 13:16 remaining, but the Beavers pushed their lead out to 20-9 on Rudolph's three-pointer at 10:17.

Three Lyons scored during an ensuing 6-0 run, with Stehle's lay-up at 7:13 bringing the hosts within 20-15. After a pair of Degnan freebies again had Wheaton down five, at 26-21 with 3:57 left, Babson went on a 9-2 run to forge ahead 35-23 on Mauro's offensive board and putback at 1:06.

Wheaton caps a five-game run where four contests occur at home by squaring off with the United States Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.