Bridgewater Second Half Run Spoils Randolph Women Upset Bid in 76-65 Loss Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater (Va.) (11-8/8-4 ODAC) | 35 | 41 | 76 |
| Randolph (3-17/1-11 ODAC) | 30 | 35 | 65 |
| Lynchburg, VA/RAD Center | |||
| Bridgewater (Va.) | Randolph |
|---|---|
| Pts: MULLEN, Jessica - 18 | Pts: Abigail Bullins - 20 |
| Reb: THORNE, Shannan - 10 | Reb: 2 Players (#25, #33 - 9) |
| Ast: BURKHOLDER, Cassidy - 5 | Ast: Emilee Dunton - 9 |
| Team Statistics | Bridgewater (Va.) | Randolph |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 38.3% (23-60 ) | 34.8% (24-69 ) |
| Rebounds | 52 | 43 |
| Assists | 15 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 20 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 14 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 36 |
LYNCHBURG, VA – The WildCats battled back to tie an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) game with Bridgewater College at 44 with 13 minutes to play in the contest, but BC went on a subsequent 18-6 run to pull away in taking a 76-65 decision over Randolph College Saturday.
The host WildCats (3-17/1-11 ODAC) led 14-13 with 14:51 left in the first period, as Megan Russell (Pinnacle, NC/West Stokes) nailed a jumper to put the hosts ahead. Bridgewater (11-8/8-4 ODAC) responded with a 13-1 spurt to take and 11-point lead at 25-15. The WildCats surged back thanks to 11 straight points from Abigail Bullins (Asheboro, NC/Asheboro) to trail by just five at the half, 35-30.
After the break, Randolph chased a nine-point deficit with 15:27 to play, but an 8-0 run by the hosts knotted the score at 44. Bridgewater responded with back-to-back threes from Holly Morgan and Jessi Strom to regain the lead, and would build it up to as much as 17 down the stretch, earning an 11-point ODAC victory.
First-year Abigail Bullins was fantastic for the WildCats, making eight-of-15 from the field including draining four-of-eight from deep for a game-high 20 points. This was the second 20-point contest of her career, as Bullins posted 22 points last week against Southern Virginia University.
Russell ended the game just short of her first double-double of the season, as the 6-1 center chalked up 10 points and nine rebounds. Fellow sophomore Allie Druffel (Centreville, VA/Westfield) contributed eight points and nine rebounds, while Brianna Lowry (Herndon, VA/Herndon) posted eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
Junior Emilee Dunton (Forest, VA/Brookville) had a game and season-high nine assists as well for Randolph, which is the most assists in a game for Randolph since Jenn Baptist set the school record back in 1998 with 11 against Randolph-Macon College. The WildCats were 24-of-69 (34.8 percent) from the floor, making a solid 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the charity stripe.
The WildCats turned the ball over just 10 times on the afternoon, and had a positive assists to turnover ratio of 15:10. Bria Carlisle (Chesterfield, VA/Clover Hill) and Jensen Hoover (Woodstock, VA/Central) each had six points as well for the WildCats.
Bridgewater put four players in double-figures, led by the 18 points and five rebounds from Jessica Mullen. Morgan chalked up a 16-point, eight rebound performance, while Cassidy Burkholder had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Jessi Strom added 11 points, and Shannan Thorne had a game-best 10 boards.
BC knocked down 43.5 percent from downtown (10-23) Saturday, doubling their output from deep of the last three games played in the RAD Center over the last three years (5-43). The Eagles also made 20 of their 29 free throws on the night, as well as winning the rebounding battle 52-43.
The WildCats will look to get back into the win column with a road league contest at Virginia Wesleyan College Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in Virginia Beach, VA.
--RANDOLPH--
