Bridgewater, Va. – BC men’s basketball started their 2021 season with a 2-1 split. After having their game against Averett cancelled, the Eagles hosted ODAC favorite Randolph Macon on Wednesday, Jan. 20. 

The Eagles fell 74-56 to the Yellow Jackets, but bounced back with an 81-65 home victory over Shenandoah on Saturday, Jan. 23. On Monday, Jan. 25, BC took a close game over Mary Baldwin, 70-63 at home.

The Eagles were led by junior guard Andy Pack, who had 49 total points (14, 18, 17) and 15 rebounds (6, 6, 3) in the first three games.

 Pack was helped by junior guard David Oliveras, who had 3, 10 and 17 points in each game. The three games were the first at BC for Oliveras.

BC never led in the first half against Randolph Macon, but down 30-22 with 3:55 remaining, the Eagles went on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 32 — thanks to four points from freshman forward Alec Topper and a three from senior guard Chandler Murray. 

Guard Buzz Anthony hit a three for RMC at the buzzer to take the lead at the half. The Yellow Jackets opened the second half on a 19-2 run and the Eagles could not fight back.

The Eagles jumped out to a 21-7 lead against Shenandoah in Saturday’s first half — thanks in part to two three’s from Murray and five points from Pack. The Hornets would go on a 19-9 run to cut the score to 30-26, but they would get no closer for the rest of the game.

Monday’s game was a tight-knit contest, with the largest lead being 23-15 BC with 6:49 left in the first half. Following a 10-3 run for the Fighting Squirrels, the score at the half was 26-25 Eagles. 

With more back-and-forth action in the second half, Mary Baldwin was ahead 58-57 after a free throw by Quentin Hart with 5:10 remaining. 

However, Jahlil Langston would tie the game with a free throw, and back-to-back threes from Topper, followed by back-to-back layups by Oliveras, would seal the win. The Eagles were helped by 30 points off the bench, while the Fighting Squirrels had zero bench points.

The Eagles will hope to continue their winning ways on Thursday, Jan. 28, when they host Randolph at 7 p.m.

BC women’s basketball had home games versus Mid Atlantic Christian and Guilford cancelled, but were able to hold off Lynchburg 70-68 on the road on Saturday, Jan. 23rd to open the season. 

The Hornets battled hard, outdoing the Eagles in field goal percentage (54.2%-39.7%), rebounds (32-26), assists (17-6) and points in the paint (42-30). 

Most importantly, the Hornets also had more turnovers than BC (27-21), which allowed the Eagles to score a decisive 21 points off turnovers — compared to eight by Lynchburg. 

The Eagles were led by senior guard Ahlia Moone, who had a game-high and career-high of 30 points, along with a team-high four steals. Freshman guard Jada Gross, came off the bench to score 11 points with three three-pointers in her first collegiate game.

Lynchburg got to work quickly, going ahead 20-10 with 8:54 left in the first half. However, the Eagles would go on a 15-0 run in the next 3:19 to take a 25-20 lead and would lead the rest of the game. 

The Eagles led by as much as 55-40 with 3:46 left in the third quarter, but the Hornets were not done yet — they would close the game on a 28-15 run, cutting the lead to one three times. 

With the Eagles up 66-65, freshman forward Jaden Alsberry hit a three-point dagger with 2:04 remaining to put the game out of reach. The Hornets had their chances, but missed four of their last six free throws — including two by junior guard Lizzie Davis that could have tied the game in the last three seconds.

The Eagles will hope to stay undefeated on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., when they host Southern Virginia.