BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Bridgewater College squandered a 15-­point, first-half lead, but the Eagles outscored Averett 27-16 over the final nine minutes to take a 71-61 non-conference victory in men's basketball action Tuesday evening.

The victory was the sixth straight for the Eagles as they improved to 6-2 on the season. Averett dropped to 5-3.

The Eagles got off to a quick start, outscoring the Cougars 14-4 in the first seven minutes.

A layup by Aaron Adams and a dunk by Kyle Welty gave the hosts a quick 4-0 lead. Charles Bryant worked inside to put Averett on the board, but a layup by Ed Reddick and a jumper by Welty made the score 8-2. Bradley Robinson worked the paint for two before Reddick reeled off six unanswered points to push the lead to double figures, 14-4.

Bryant scored again for the Cougars, but Zach Hunter and Benaiah Wise drained back-to-back 3-pointer for a 20-6 Bridgewater lead with 11:32 left in the first half.

The Eagles took their biggest lead, 22-7 on another Reddick bucket and the lead remained in double figures until a layup by James Contreras, Jr., pulled the Cougars to within nine, 28-19, with 5:48 left in the half.

Averett continued to whittle away at the deficit and at the break, the Eagles lead was down to five points, 32-27.

The Eagles were still on top by five, 42-37, with 14:03 left in the game, but the Cougars hit the Eagles with an 8-2 spurt to take their first and only lead of the contest.

A 3-pointer by Averett's Trevor West made it a two-point game before a bucket by Reddick pushed the lead to four. A three-point play by Robinson and a layup by Contreras gave Averett a one-point lead, 45-44, with 9:41 left to play.

Bridgewater responded with an-15-3 run to regain control. A 3-pointer by Zach Hunter gave the Eagles the lead and a three-point play by Reddick pushed the advantage to five, 50-45. A baseline jumper by Reddick put the hosts on top 52-45 with 7:37 remaining.

A jumper by Bryant pulled the Cougars to within five, but a layup by Keonte Dennis and a free throw by Adams put the Eagles lead at 55-47. West made 1-of-2 at the line for Averett before a 15-footer by Dennis and two foul shots by Matthew Hunter pushed the Eagles' lead back to double digits, 59-48, with 5:22 left in the game.

Reddick, fresh off being named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week, had another huge night on the hardwood with 28 points and six rebounds. Reddick made 12-of-14 shots from the field. Aaron Adams added 13 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Bryant led three Averett players in double figures with 17 points. Contreras scored 15 and West finished with 12.

Bridgewater made 28-of-54 shots for 51.9 percent while the Cougars shots 32.8 percent from the field, making 23-of-70 shot attempts. The battled of the boards was dead even with each team grabbing 40 rebounds.

The Eagles return to action Saturday and Sunday at the Daytona Beach Shootout. Bridgewater meets Oneonta State on Saturday and faces Dubuque on Sunday.