LYNCHBURG, Va. – Behind a career-high 31 points from junior Jessica Mullen, the Bridgewater Eagles (2-1, 1-0 ODAC) jumped out to an 18-point lead in the second half before holding off a late Lynchburg rally to earn a 74-68 victory in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opener at Turner Gymnasium.

The two teams traded scores early on before an 18-7 Bridgewater run put the Eagles ahead by a 20-9 with 15 minutes left in the first half.

Bridgewater extended its lead to as many as 18 midway through the opening half before hanging on to a 41-30 lead as the game headed to the intermission.

Lynchburg (0-4, 0-1 ODAC) worked the Eagles lead to single digits early in the final frame before an 8-2 Bridgewater run pushed the BC lead to 49-34 early in the second half.

The Eagles built their lead to as high as 18 points again in the second half on a Holly Morgan jumper with 11:15 to play to give Bridgewater a 60-42 lead before the Hornets made a push.

Lynchburg guard Shea Kelley answered Morgan's jumper with a three pointer to open a 12-4 run to chip the Bridgewater lead to a 64-54 margin with under five minutes to play.

Freshman Kelsey Taylor knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to a dozen before the Hornets used a 7-2 burst to cut the Eagles advantage to five at a 66-61 margin with two and change to play.

Bridgewater converted 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch to hold the Hornets off, earning a 74-68 victory in the conference opener.

Mullen's 31 led three players in double figures for the Eagles. Sophomore Holly Morgan chipped in 13 points and a game-high seven assists in the win while senior guard Jenny Logan knocked in 10 points and neared triple-double numbers with six assists and a half-dozen steals.

On the glass, sophomore Rebecca Reifsnider pulled down a team-high six boards as the Eagles were out rebounded by a 35-to-34 margin in the win.

Bridgewater outshot Lynchburg by a 46%-to-43% gap in the game.

The Hornets were paced by Katie Crump's 18-point effort. Crump paced three Hornets in double figures. Shannon Allan pulled down a team-high six rebounds and added 15 points in the loss.

Bridgewater forced 22 Lynchburg miscues on the evening which turned into a 26-14 discrepancy in points off of turnovers.

The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday when they host Eastern Mennonite. Action from Nininger Hall is set for 7:00 p.m.