BABSON PARK, Mass.-  The New England College men's basketball team comes up short in their season opener at Babson College 80-69, Saturday evening at Staake Gymnasium.

Following the game, the Pilgrims fall to 0-1, while the Beavers move to 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Pilgrims were able to get on the board first as Calvin Cheek stole the ball 10 seconds in and was able to hit a layup for the early lead. Babson was able to respond with a three about a minute later in what started a back and forth in a tightly contested first half. Neither team was able to pull away as they continued to trade baskets leading to a tie at 24-24 with nine minutes to play in the half. The Beavers were able to gain some momentum as they pushed out to a 10-point lead at 37-27 with just under three minutes to play in the half. New England College was able to cut the deficit to seven for a score of 41-35 in favor of Babson heading into the break. Jamal Allen led all scorers in the first half with 15 points as he went 3-5 from three and Colin Bradanese led the way for the Beavers with 12 points.

The Pilgrims were able to make a couple of baskets early but Babson was able to hold strong and reclaim that 10-point lead at 51-41 with 13 minutes remaining in the game. The Beavers were able to keep pressing as they were able to extend their lead as they took a 20-9 run to start the second half for a 61-45 lead with just under 10 minutes to play. With the deficit, New England College started to increase their pressure as they got a couple of steals, and hit a three on three straight possessions, with two coming from Cheek, and one from Allen to cut the lead to 67-58 with five minutes to go. Despite the effort, Babson was able to withstand the rush and held onto their lead as they were able to claim an 80-69 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

-Jamal Allen led all scorers with 25 points as he went 4-8 from beyond the arc.

-Calvin Cheek had a near triple-double, as the senior poured in 21 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and had eight steals.

-Devon Okowuga collected eight points and corralled nine rebounds in his first collegiate game.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Pilgrims get set for their home opener tomorrow as they host Babson College in a rematch at 4:00 pm.