BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Bridgewater College men's basketball team gave No. 8 Randolph-Macon all it could handle before falling 70-64 on Wednesday evening.

THE BASICS
Final Score: No. 8 Randolph-Macon 70; Bridgewater 64
Records: Bridgewater 14-7 (7-5 ODAC); No. 8 Randolph-Macon 17-3 (9-2 ODAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Randolph-Macon opened the game on a 5-0 run before a layup from Jordan Cooper and a three-pointer from Aaron Oates tied the game back up. RMC replied with a 6-0 scoring spree and held BC scoreless for over three minutes when Khalil Ward knocked down a pair at the line. The two sides traded scores before another Oates deep ball brought the Eagles back into one possession at 15-12 with 9:13 to go in the half.
• The Yellow Jackets followed the pressure with an 8-0 behind two makes from long range. Cooper ended the drought with a pair at the line as the two sides traded buckets again with the lead fluctuating around double digits. A RK Law three-pointer brought BC back to within nine at 28-19 before RMC had an answer again with a Lance Johnson three-pointer and a score on the next offensive trip to put the visitors ahead 33-19. Woody Machado made a pair from the charity stripe and Randolph-Macon answered with a make on the other end to make it 35-21 heading to the intermission.
• Johnson drained a three-pointer to open the second half and push the Yellow Jackets to a 17-point edge before five-straight points from Cooper got the Eagles going. RMC scored in transition, but five straight points from Oates and a bucket from Machado through contact got BC back to within eight on the back of a 7-1 run. RMC replied with a score going the other way, but Oates found Cooper for the BC rebuttal. RMC pulled back in front by 11 behind consecutive makes, but Topper had the answer for BC going the other way to make it 48-39 with 10 minutes to play.
• Once more, the two teams traded buckets before consecutive Randolph-Macon scores pushed the advantage back out to 13 with 7:30 to go. Cooper stepped up and drained a three-pointer, but RMC replied with a deep make of its own to push the lead back out. Topper found Oates in long range and the junior buried the three-pointer to make it a 10-point game again. Landon Hawes came up with a big steal as he deflected a pass that ended up in the hands of Cooper who threw it down to get the crowd back in the game. The Yellow Jackets weathered the storm and got a key make from Daniel Mbangue before Topper dished the ball to Cooper who nailed another deep three-pointer. Again, needing a bucket Randolph-Macon got one with a deep ball from Keishawn Pulley Jr. to push the lead back out to 10 at 64-54 with under four minutes to play.
• Trailing by 10, Cooper and Topper answered the call. Both started with a make at the line and completed a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Cooper old-school three-point play to make it 64-61 with 1:24 to play. With their backs to the wall the Yellow Jackets got the make they needed yet again to go ahead by five with under a minute to go. BC went down the floor and missed a three-pointer, but Ward scrapped for an offensive rebound to keep the possession alive.  RMC forced a BC miss and the Eagles had to foul. Jabril Robinson went to the line and missed the front end of a one-and-one to give BC life. Bridgewater looked to go down the floor quick, but again RMC forced a turnover and was instantly fouled. The Yellow Jackets got two makes at the line with 14 seconds on the lock to make it 68-61. Bridgewater drove down the floor and Cooper found Oates for a deep ball to keep the game alive at a four-point deficit with seven seconds to play. The Eagles could not force the turnover needed and RMC made a pair at the line to ice the game away.

MATCH NOTES

• Cooper and Oates led the Eagles with 23 points and three assists each.
• Pulley Jr. and Mbangue led RMC with 17 and 13 points apiece. Mbangue's six rebounds and seven assists anchored a well-rounded effort.
• The Eagles made noise thanks to a massive second half. BC outscored RMC 43-35 in the second half thanks to a 55.2% effort from the floor during the final 20 minutes.
• The difference came in the points inside and points off turnovers. The Yellow Jackets held a 34-22 advantage on points in the paint and a 22-5 edge when it came to points scored off turnovers.

UP NEXT
Bridgewater takes the weekend off before renewing the Route 42 Rivalry with EMU on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.