BRIDGEWATER, Va. – On Thursday, Jan. 29, Bridgewater women’s basketball upheld their number two ranking in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) after a comeback performance against Shenandoah.
“Because they knew the pressure was high, that’s why we came out slow,” Head Coach Stephanie Flamini said.
According to WA SportsMed, high-stress situations can lead to reduced mental clarity. This can hinder an athlete’s performance due to poor decision-making, slower reaction time and an increased likelihood of errors.
Shenandoah went on a 10-0 scoring run over the course of five minutes, while Bridgewater failed to put a single point on the board.
“Their defense was always usually really good,” Flamini said. “I thought they tried to clog the paint and didn’t let us get any good shots in the beginning.”
Sophomore guard Angelina Yann said the Hornets scouted the Eagles very effectively and learned how to shut down their strengths.
“We had to adjust who was gonna play who,” Flamini said. “The matchups are difficult in some respect for us, but, so we were constantly making sure, trying different things out to see what worked, and when it worked, we stuck with it.”
Flamini said that her “big three players,” Jaidan Polston, Jay Garcia and Riley Corcoran, came up big and “took the game over” when the team needed it most.
According to Bridgewater College Athletics, Jay Garcia totaled 25 points, Riley Corcoran tallied 13 and Jaidan Polston earned 12, establishing their spots as game leaders for the night.
Junior fan Kevin Sandoval said the team chemistry was high and he noticed the team managed to face adversity and overcome the first half.
“And second half, they came out like a new team and like, blew them out,” Sandoval said.
The Eagles went on a 12-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter, widening the score gap with six minutes to go.
“As a team, our goal overall like, beat Shenandoah because this was such an intense game that we wanted to win,” Yann said. “They are ranked, and we wanted to knock them out, and we want to just keep climbing our way up to hopefully make it to the NCAA tournament.”
The final score of the game was 63-49. The win against the Hornets puts the Eagles’ record at 15-3.
“So we’ll see how the next seven games go, but I feel different about this team right now, and if they keep winning, they’re gonna keep being more and more confident,” Flamini said. “And they’ve listened, they’re good kids, I love coaching them, so, I want the world for them.”
