Bridgewater, Va. – The Eagles men’s basketball team fell short to the Washington and Lee Generals 66-84 on Feb. 8, but the impact of the community was a strong win. 

After the events of last week, a packed-in crowd, the men’s Eagles, and even the Generals took to the courts in their #BCStrong t-shirts. Nine hundred and twenty-six BC students and community members stomped the bleachers as cheers shook the stadium when the campus officers were recognized. 

“The crowd is a big support group,” said first-year spectator Taylor Settle. “Being back is difficult, but events like this have made it easier.”

When the game started, the Eagles lost the jump ball and fell back 6-0. Sophomore Alec Topper scored the first basket with a three point jump shot, making the score 6-3. 

The Eagles continued to keep the score close for a little while with numerous back-to-back rebounds from Topper.

The score was 20-11 halfway through the first half and chants of “defense” rocked the stadium as first-year Aaron Oates had an incredible block. 

“They (the Generals) are a fast-paced team, but we never really gave up. We kept fighting,” said junior Liam Caswell.

The Eagles proved this to be true with an impressive steal by first-year Shod Smith as he ran down the court for an easy layup. Topper also flaunted his skills with a dunk with 40 seconds left on the clock – leaving the halftime score 26-43 in favor of the Generals. 

The second half started off right for the Eagles as senior Andy Pack scored 30 seconds into the period. Pack followed this by sinking a three another 30 seconds later. Smith was on a roll by scoring twice back to back – the first from a defensive rebound and the second from a steal. 

As a team, the Eagles scored 11 points in just three minutes, but the Generals shut down their momentum with two back-to-back time-outs. 

“We came out and started strong in the second half,” said Caswell. “The whistles may not have gone our way, but we kept pushing.” 

Halfway through the second half, the score was 47-65, as junior Zach Hatter jumped sideways for a layup that bounced in the net just as he hit the ground. 

With five minutes left in the game, and a score of 59-76, the crowd erupted with continuous screams of “defense!” With just 25 seconds left to play, first-year Will Dunlap swished a three-point jump shot. The clock ran out with a final score of 66-84 Generals. 

“At the beginning of the second half, they were fighting on defense, knocking away balls, and scoring points, but W&L came out and took control again,” said third-year fan Vinny Leo. 

Even though the final score was not in favor of the Eagles, the impact and support from the community in the stadium will be remembered. 

“I thought they did a fantastic job under incredible circumstances. I was really impressed. They did a fantastic job helping us move forward,” said Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Leslie Frere.