BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Bridgewater College snapped its losing streak in a big way Wednesday night with a resounding 79-54 victory over rival Eastern Mennonite in ODAC men's basketball action at Nininger Hall.

Bridgewater (6-16, 3-10 in the ODAC) entered the game carrying the weight of a 12-game losing streak, but the Eagles controlled the tempo from the opening tip and led from the 16:15 mark of the first half until the final buzzer.

Eastern Mennonite (9-13, 3-10 in the ODAC) entered the game averaging 81.2 points per game and the Royals were making 10 3-point shots per contest.

Wednesday night, the Royals made just 1-of-19 attempts from 3-point range and the Eagles' defense limited the Royals to a season-low 54 points – the first time this season EMU was held below the 60-point mark.

The score was tied three times in the first three minutes. Zach Kopp worked the paint to put the Eagles on the board first, but Darryl Christian hit two foul shots to tie the score. Bridgewater's Kevin Saylor and EMU's RaShawn Latimer traded layups before an inside bucket by Efe Balfour put the Eagles on top 6-4.

Mark Loving tied the score with a layup but another bucket by Balfour put the Eagles up 8-6 with 16:15 left in the first half and they led the rest of the way.

After a free throw by Paul Brown, Kopp and Bryce Boggs added hoops for a 13-6 Bridgewater lead. The Eagles advantage fluctuated between four and seven points until back-to-back buckets by freshmen Essex Thompson and Davrion Grier pushed the margin to double digits for the first time, 27-17, with 5:37 left in the first half.

The teams traded points until a free throw by Grier and a driving layup by Saylor made the score 36-23 with 1:58 on the clock.

Darius Johnson powered inside and converted a three-point play to pull the Royals back to within 10, but a free throw by Saylor and a 3-pointer by Brown with 27 seconds remaining sent the Eagles to the locker room with a 40-24 halftime lead.

Bridgewater hit the Royals with a 10-0 spurt to open up the second half as the lead ballooned to 24 points. Boggs sandwiched a pair of driving layups around a Saylor 3-pointer to put the Eagles up 47-26. Boggs added a baseline jumper and Keonte Dennis made 1-of-2 free throws, making the score 50-26 with 17:05 left in the game.

The margin swelled to 27 points when Dennis connected on a 3-pointer for a 57-30 margin with 14:35 remaining.

The Royals then put together their only run of the second half as a 12-1 spurt trimmed the 27-point margin to 16 points, 58-42, with 10:37 still left to play.

The visitors would get no closer and when Boggs knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner with 7:16 remaining the lead was back up to 20 points, 67-47.

The Eagles had their best-shooting night of the season, hitting 30-of-56 shots for 53.6 percent. Bridgewater also owned the glass, outrebounding the Royals by a 45-29 margin. Balfour led the Eagles with 10 boards and Boggs added six rebounds.

Balfour posted a double-double as he scored 13 points to go along with his 10 rebounds. Boggs also scored 13 points while Dennis added 11 points and Saylor finished with 10.

The Bridgewater bench came up big, contributing 37 points and 14 rebounds. In addition to Dennis' 11 points and five rebounds, Grier scored nine points and pulled down five boards while Thompson netted seven points and Brown added six.

The Royals did not have a player reach double figures as Isaiah Harris-Winn led the team with nine points.

The Eagles return to action Saturday when they make the long road trip to Emory & Henry College. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.