STAUNTON, Va. - Bridgewater College men's basketball fell short to Mary Baldwin on the road Saturday afternoon by a score of 64-61. 

The Bridgewater College Eagles (BCE) fall to 4-4 overall this season, as the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels (MBU) move to 4-4 overall. 

How It Happened 

In the final game before the holiday break, the Eagles started out slow, gaining little traction in early play. Mary Baldwin took the early lead through the first media timeout at 16 minutes with an 8-2 advantage. 

BCE ignited a short burst of energy to tie it at eight apiece off strong takes to the rim by Maleek Richardson. MBU shortly responded with a quick burst to maintain a seven-point lead four minutes later. Boxouts were set late and delayed help defense allowed the Fighting Squirrels to find some breathing room in offensive set plays. The Eagles struggled to sink a shot from distance with a 0-5 three-point percentage in the early going. Halfway through the first 20 minutes, MBU held control of the lead drawing fouls with strong attacks. The Eagles were down by eight at 27-19.  

With under four minutes to go, MBU carried its largest lead of the half into the final minutes up to an 11-point edge, at 30-19. The Fighting Squirrels held the lead in the half with a 34-26 score.  

MBU got off to a steady pace once more in the final 20 minutes of action. The Eagles stayed within reach. BCE cut it to five at 14 minutes to go. However, MBU pushed forward and nailed a pair of quick transition points.  

Jahmir Brown forced inside to drop the deficit to four, but the Fighting Squirrels rushed quickly down the floor in transition to continue surging ahead. With under four minutes to go, Brown nailed the game-tying bucket in the paint off a strong drive, at 57 apiece.  

Sequences soon ensued with back-and-forth makes as the Eagles advanced ahead with the lead and then was followed by an MBU make to take the lead right back. Under a minute to go, MBU had a one-point edge. The Eagles attempted the go-ahead basket, but with many tip-in tries later, no shot went through. MBU claimed the win in nail-biting fashion for a 64-61 final score. 

Game Notes 

• The three-point percentages dropped in this contest, but Bridgewater was able to bounce its field goal percentage higher than MBU's at a 45.8% clip, to 38.7% for MBU, respectively. 

• Jahmir Brown posted another 20-point performance in the close defeat. 

• The Eagles swiped eight steals on the day. 

Up Next 

The Eagles will return to action on Dec. 28-29 at the Medgar Evers Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y.