VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – No. 8 Virginia Wesleyan took full-advantage of a cold-shooting, turnover plagued first-half by Bridgewater College to lead by 21 points at the break and the Marlins went on to defeat the Eagles, 77-59, Wednesday night in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's basketball action.

Bridgewater (10-10, 5-6 in the ODAC) made just seven shots in the first half, connecting on just 26 percent of its 26 attempts. The Eagles compounded the problem by turning the ball over 12 times in the first 20 minutes.

Virginia Wesleyan (17-3, 9-2 in the ODAC) didn't shoot lights out, making 37.8 percent of its first-half attempts, but the Marlins did take care of the basketball with just one turnover in the first half.

The Marlins led by double digits before five minutes had expired. Virginia Wesleyan scored the game's first seven points before Ed Reddick broke the ice for the Eagles with a layup at the 17:41 mark. A layup by Greg Montgomery and a jumper by Cameron Owens put the Marlins on top by nine before a jumper by Khory Moore made the score 13-2 with 15:35 left in the first half.

Brandon Mitchell tacked on a layup to push the Marlins lead to 15-2 before Marcus Curry knocked down a jumper for the Eagles. Breven Lyons then connected from 3-point range and Montgomery scored on a layup to push the Marlins lead to 20-4 just past the midway point of the first half.

The Marlins' biggest lead of the half was 23 points when Moore made a layup with 35 seconds left. Reddick scored on a jumper in the closing seconds of the half, making the halftime score 35-14.

After tallying just 14 points in the first half, the Eagles scored 45 points after the break. The Marlins, however, kept pace and scored 42 second-half points to finish off the 77-59 victory.

Reddick had another solid effort as he led the Eagles with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Zach Hunter was the only other Bridgewater player in double figures as he scored 11 points.

Montgomery led the Marlins with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Moore scored 20 points and Owens added 12.

Bridgewater returns to action Saturday afternoon when it travels to Hampden-Sydney. Game time is 2:00 p.m.