By Christian Sherman

BRIDGEWATER, Va. - Bridgewater hung tough against the third-ranked team in the country in a 69-82 loss Wednesday night to the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets.

The Eagles kept pace in the second half, matching Randolph-Macon 37-37 in the period, but were unable to overcome a 14-point first half deficit.

Davrion Grier led the Eagles with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Newly-inserted starter Cameron Williams provided a spark for the Eagles, adding a career-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The two also led the Eagles in assists, dishing three each.

Miles Mallory led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 19 points on 9- of-12 shooting. Josh Talbert added 18 points on just nine shots, converting six. The Yellow Jackets proved the deeper team with four players scoring in double digits to the Eagles' two, and nine players recording at least a point to the Eagles' seven.

The Eagles ran out to a 9-4 lead early behind a tough finish through contact by Williams and two Murray layups. The Yellow Jackets battled back however with runs of 20-9 and then 15-4 to gain a 37-22 advantage before the half's close.

Still, the Eagles came out hot in the second half behind hustle from Jalil Langston. After failing to convert on a step-back jumper that brought his defender to the ground, the freshmen hauled in two offensive rebounds and recorded a layup of his own in the half's opening minutes. Langston recorded the Eagles' only dunk later in the period.  

Down 20 most of the second half, a layup and four consecutives threes powered a 15-4 Eagles run that brought the home team within 11 points with 4:13 to go. Despite the momentum, Yellow Jacket free throw shooting iced the game down the stretch. Needing possessions, the Eagles resorted to fouling in the game's final minutes, but the Jackets proved capable of converting at the stripe.

Randolph-Macon (20-1, 12-0 in the ODAC) dominated from behind the arc, shooting 45 percent from deep to the Eagles' 30 percent mark. The Jacket who hit the most threes, Corey Bays, connected on 3, one less than Grier, the game's leader. Macon gained the advantage in having five players record a triple to Bridgewater's three. The Jackets also greatly outpaced the Eagles in passing, tallying 22 assists to the Eagles' 10. Buzz Anthony and Terry Woods led the Jackets in assists with six and five, respectively.

The Eagles drew "Oohs and Ahhs" from the crowd on several occasions but struggled to capitalize. In one incident, Davrion Greer pump faked a three, took one dribble, and rose up for a dunk over a Jacket defender, but was fouled at the rim. In another, a hesitation move from Cam Williams caused his defender to jump, allowing Williams to blow right by, but he too was fouled on the layup attempt. William's athleticism was on display most of the night, running fast breaks, attacking the basket, and drawing fouls.

Bridgewater (6-15, 2-10 in the ODAC)  will be back in action Saturday afternoon when the Eagles host Emory & Henry (5-16, 2-10 in the ODAC).