BRIDGEWATER, Va. (BC Athletics) – The Bridgewater College women’s basketball team took down (RV) Shenandoah behind 25 points from Jay Garcia.
The Basics
Score: (RV) Bridgewater 63, (RV) Shenandoah 49
Records: (RV) Bridgewater 15-3 (8-1 ODAC), (RV) Shenandoah 14-4 (6-3 ODAC)
How It Happened
• Shenandoah got on the board with a layup on its first possession, but Jay Garcia made a pair at the charity stripe in response to tie the gme. Shenandoah replied with a layup during its next possession and did not look back as they rolled to a 10-0 scoring run over the next 5:58 as the Eagles missed its next six shots from the field. BC called a timeout in response down 12-2 and Abbie Baker answered the call with Bridgewater’s first bucket from the floor out of the stoppage. SU replied to extend the lead back out to double-figures, but a put-back by Baker helped the Eagles outscore Shenandoah 4-2 over the final 90 seconds to make it a 16-8 edge for the Hornets after the opening period.
• Jaiden Polston picked off a pass to open the second quarter and capped it off on the other end with a score. Shenandoah replied on a second-chance effort, but the Eagles’ defense went to work from there as they forced four turnovers defensively and Garcia led BC with four points on a 7-0 scoring run to bring the Eagles to within one, 18-17. Shenandoah ended a four-minute scoring drought with a third-chance effort, but a Polston score in response made it a one-point game. Shenandoah came up empty on its next trip and Polston capitalized on a dish from Garcia to give BC its first lead with under a minute to go in the half. Shenandoah got the last laugh in the half with a layup at the horn to give the visitors a 22-21 lead at the break.
• Shenandoah extened its lead to three with the first score of the second half, but Corcoran replied with a layup and BC kept rolling. A second-chance effort by Corcoran on BC’s next trip gave the Eagles the lead. Garcia followed with four points of her own to polish off an 8-0 Bridgewater run that put the Eagles ahead 29-24 with 6:59 to go in the third quarter. Shenandoah scored four points in a row to close the gap to just a point, but four more points from Corcoran expanded the lead back to five points at 33-28. Shenandoah got a score to limit the damage on the next trip, but four points in a row from Garcia stretched it further to a 37-30 edge for the Eagles. Shenandoah got scores on back-to-back trips to cut the lead down to a single possession at 37-34, but a Garcia three-pointer off the glass at the buzzer made it 40-34 for the Eagles heading to the fourth quarter.
• Shenandoah made a free throw to open the fourth quarter, but Garcia sank a pair at the free throw line for the Eagles in response. Shenandoah nailed a jumper to cut the lead back down to five points, but that would be the last time they would score for the next three minutes and change. BC rolled to a 12-0 scoring run with contributions from four players as a Garcia free throw made it 54-37 with just north of six minutes to play. An old-school three-point play ended the drought for Shenandoah, but a pair of makes at the charity stripe by Corcoran pushed the lead back to 16 points. Shenandoah slowly put together a 7-2 run to crawl back to within 11 with 1:06 to play and was forced to foul. Asia Williams made both shots at the charity stripe and key stops in the final minute and clutch makes at the charity stripe helped lock up the massive home victory.
Match Notes
• Garcia led the way with 25 points for the Eagles fueled by 12 makes at the charity stripe. Corcoran and Polston helped the cause with 13 and 12 points respectively. Garcia and Corcoran grabbed seven rebounds each, while Garcia and Williams each tossed three assists.
• Banks led Shenandoah with 19 points and five assists, but just five Hornets scored on the night.
• Shenandoah’s host start saw them shoot over 50% from the floor in the opening frame, but the BC defense regrouped as Shenandoah was under 40% shooting the next three periods and did not make a three-pointer the rest of the contest. BC also pulled away thanks to a 22-10 edge in points off turnovers.
Up Next
Bridgewater wraps a three-game homestand Friday night at 6 p.m. against Averett. That is also Senior Day for the women’s basketball team.
— BC Athletics —
