Bridgewater, Va.- The Bridgewater men’s basketball team hosted the number two Division III team in the country, Randolph Macon, Saturday evening in a packed Nininger Hall. The Yellow Jackets beat the Eagles 83-67, dropping them back to .500 in ODAC play this season.

It was senior Andy Pack and sophomore Shod Smith who led the Eagles with 14 points in Saturday’s contest. Pack and senior Liam Caswell were honored before the game as the lone seniors on the team.

“My college career has been full of ups and downs, but my friendships with my teammates are the most important thing to me,” said Pack.

The Eagles scored the first two points of the game before the Jackets went on a 19-2 run to take a 19-4 lead. Down big to the number two team, the Eagles easily could have let the game get out of hand, but they were able to fight and cut the lead to five by halftime.

Sophomore Aaron Oates had a productive first half helping the Eagles get back into the game. Oates and fellow sophomore Landon Hawes hit two big three-pointers to make it a five-point game.

“They are just really good,” said Hawes. “We were able to show some fight throughout the game which will be key heading into the final stretch of the season.”

The Yellow Jackets showed their talent when they came out from halftime going on a 16-4 run to jump out to a 17-point lead. The Eagles fought back and were able to get the score to a seven-point game with plenty of time remaining.

The Eagles, however, were not able to get over the hump. Randolph-Macon’s ball movement and timely shooting helped propel them to victory Saturday. The Jackets also out-rebounded the Eagles 42-29.

Junior Alec Topper who played 38 minutes in the contest, led the Eagles on the glass with nine rebounds. Topper also added eleven points, leaving him just one rebound shy of a double-double.  

Pack transferred to Bridgewater from Elon in 2020.  Since being at Bridgewater, the Greensboro, Nc. native has played in 47 games, starting in 44.  He averages 11.8 points per game during his time as an Eagle.

Caswell has played in 87 games as an Eagle, with Saturday being his sixtieth start.  He is averaging 6.3 points per game during his time at Bridgewater.  

The Eagles play their final home game on Wednesday, Feb. 8 where they host Washington & Lee. They will finish the regular season with three road games before the start of the ODAC tournament on Feb. 21.