Babson Park, Mass. – Despite career-highs from both Gwyneth Ivory (Ashland, Mass.) and Olivia Lyons (Belmont, Mass.), Babson College took control from the opening tip en route to an 87-46 win over Clark University in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's basketball action on Saturday.

Giovanna Pickering finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals, and Erin Young knocked down four three-pointers to become the program's all-time leader as the Beavers swept the season series and won for the 13th time in the last 14 meeting between the two teams.

With its eighth straight win, Babson (14-5, 10-1) clinched a spot in next month's conference tournament, while the Scarlet and White Clark have lost the most games in a row (11) in program history and now sit at 3-15 overall and 1-9 in the NEWMAC.

Kristen Ferola scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Young finished with 12 points, and junior Marissa Cicchetti added 11 points and three assists in the win as 12 different players scored for the Beavers.

Lyons scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Cougars. Aretha Sullivan (Worcester, Mass.) finished with 11 points and a game-high nine boards, and Ivory added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with five rebounds.

The Green and White started fast, making 12 of its first 17 shots and scoring 18 points off Clark turnovers to build a 29-11 lead with 10:36 to go in the opening half. Pickering and Linnett Graber (Roseland, N.J.) combined for 15 points during the run, while Cicchetti and Ferola added five points apiece for the Beavers.

Babson took its biggest lead of the stanza at 38-16 on a three-pointer by Young at the 4:04 mark. Lyons followed with a jumper, and junior Brooke Brennan (Weston, Mass.) buried a trey to pull the Cougars back within 17, but a hoop by Ferola and two late free throws by Pickering pushed the Beavers' advantage to 45-24 at the break. The Green and White shot 50 percent over the opening 20 minutes and turned 21 Clark turnovers into 29 points.

Babson wasted little time putting the game away as it ripped off a 21-6 run over the first few minutes of the second half. Cicchetti followed layups by Graber and sophomore Jennifer Narlee (Medfield, Mass.) with a three-pointer to make it 56-28. Another trey from Cicchetti, and five straight points from Ferola gave the Beavers a 66-30 lead with 14:07 to play.

The Beavers shot 47 percent (31-of-66) from the field, including an 8-of-16 effort from beyond the arc. The Green and White also finished with a season-high 49 points off turnovers, and got 43 points from its bench.

The Cougars shot just 26.9 percent (14-of-52) on the afternoon, but did hold a 39-35 advantage on the glass.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. as Babson travels to Wellesley, while Clark hosts WPI.