BRIDGEWATER, Va. - Bridgewater College ran its winning streak to eight in a row Wednesday night as the Eagles stretched the lead late to battle past rival Eastern Mennonite, 70-57, in ODAC action.

With the victory, the Eagles kept pace with Washington and Lee at the top of the ODAC standings as both teams are 10-2 in conference play. Emory & Henry did not play Wednesday and is 9-2 in ODAC games.

The visiting Royals went toe-to-tie with the Eagles in the first half. 

Bridgewater used an early 8-2 spurt to take a 13-6 lead. Ahlia Moone drove inside for a layup and Erika Nettles added 1-of-2 at the foul line to cap the run. The Royals closed to within 13-11 before a jumper by Nina Novosel pushed the lead to four. Chrissy Delawder hit two foul shots for the Royals as the first quarter ended with the Eagles on top, 15-13.

Two free throws by Moone put the Eagles up 20-15 early in the second quarter before Delawder scored five straight points to pull the Royals even at 20-20.

The score was tied three times before a 3-pointer by Emily McCombs at the 2:24 mark put EMU out front, 29-28. Layups by Delawder and Chloe Roach stretched the EMU lead to five before Moone converted a three-point play in the closing seconds of the quarter to pull the Eagles within two, 33-31, at the half.

Bridgewater used a 7-0 flurry early in the third quarter to take the lead for good. Jasmyn Pierce tied the score at 34-34 with a 3-pointer and the Eagles freshman added a layup for a 36-34 Eagles lead. Madison Baum scored on a layup in traffic, making the score 38-34 at the six-minute mark of the third quarter.

Three times, the Royals trimmed the deficit to one point, but they were unable to overtake the Eagles. Leading 48-47, the Eagles scored the final four points of the quarter on a layup by Claire Mocarski and two foul shots by Moone to lead 52-47 entering the final quarter of action.

The Eagles opened up some breathing room early in the final quarter as a 5-0 spurt stretched a 54-50 cushion to nine points. Novosel knocked down a 15-footer and Pierce converted a three-point play to give the Eagles a 59-50 advantage with 6:08 left in the game.

After a three-point play by Tiffany Carey pulled the Royals to within six, the Eagles rattled off seven straight points to push the lead to double figures. Nettles scored inside and Mary Ruth Shifflett knocked down a 3-ball, making the score 64-53. Nettles then added a baseline jumper, giving Bridgewater its largest lead of the game, 66-53, with just 3:32 left to play.

Pierce set a new career-high in points for the second straight game as she led the Eagles with 16 points. Baum scored 15 points and Moone, despite a tough night shooting the basketball, posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Delawder paced the Royals with 14 points.

Bridgewater dominated the boards by a 60-41 margin. In addition to Moone's 10 boards, Shifflett pulled down nine rebounds and Diamond Huskey grabbed seven.

The Eagles return to action Saturday when they host Randolph College. The contest is the team's annual Play4Kay game and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to support the Eagles in the fight against breast cancer.