Bridgewater, Va. – The Bridgewater College men’s basketball team’s season ended after a 94-90 loss to No. 13 Guildford on Feb. 24 in the ODAC Tournament Quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center.

In the very first play of the game, sophomore Aaron Oates nailed a three-pointer to set the Eagles up for an early lead. The Quakers responded in a big way, by going on a 15-0 run in the next four minutes of the game.

Sophomore Shod Smith broke the big run by hitting another shot from behind the arc, but Guilford responded, and with 12 minutes left in the half, GC was up 20-8. 

Graduate student Andy Pack was able to find a three-pointer, followed by another three points, and a running jumper to go along with his singular run. This brought the Eagles within five, with a scoreline of 21-16. 

Guilford added to their lead with a pair of free throws, but with a little over eight minutes left in the half, senior Liam Caswell cut the lead to four points with a triple off an assist from junior Alec Topper and upped the score to 23-19. Following a period of scoreless play by both sides, another Caswell three-pointer brought BC within two points at 24-22. 

Jordan Davis for Guilford hit a triple of his own to give the Quakers a five-point lead. As the first half was coming to a close, both teams traded baskets and Guilford ended the half with a slim 37-34 lead. 

“The first few minutes were a little shaky, but they looked really locked in at the end of the first half,” said sophomore spectator Keiman Dillon.

After going on an 11-3 run in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, the Eagles came out of the locker room on fire. After the timeout, Smith finessed past his defender for a layup to give the Eagles a seven-point lead. 

With little under three minutes remaining in regulation, the Quakers produced an 8-0 run to go back in front, making the score 48-47.

Guilford produced a seven-point lead, but a sophomore Landon Hawes three-pointer put the Eagles back within four. Bridgewater fought their way back, tying the game with a three-pointer from sophomore Mikey Alaya, making it a 58-58 game. 

“I felt really good about the game at this point like I felt we were in a really good position to win it,” said Caswell. 

Another run from the Quakers put them back on top by ten points but the resilient Eagles fought back and got within a basket from the nationally-ranked Quakers several times over the final two minutes of the game. 

The Quakers managed to hold onto the lead as time expired, ending the game 94-90, and ending the year for the Bridgewater Eagles.