RALEIGH, N.C. -- Aaron Oates scored a career high 27 points to lead the Bridgewater College men's basketball team to an 85-81 overtime victory at William Peace in nonconference action on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Basics
 
Final Score: Bridgewater 85, William Peace 81
Records: Bridgewater 4-5, William Peace 4-4
 
How It Happened

• The Pacers got on the board first less than 30 seconds into the game, but Shod Smith notched the game at 2-2 after a layup in transition. Landon Hawes scored to give the Eagles a 6-4 lead with 17:09 left in the first half before a four-minute scoring drought in the game. 
• A layup by Timothy Pettiford gave WPU a 10-7 lead with 13:40 left in the first half before Aaron Oates cut the lead down to a point and then blocked the next shot on the other end leading to two points from Smith from the charity stripe, 11-10. 
• Each side alternated leads with neither team able to gain more than a three-point advantage until a quick 8-2 run by the home side pushed the Pacers up six points with seven minutes to go in the half. Back-to-back jumpers by Alec Topper cut the deficit down to two points, but William Peace again was able to pull ahead by as much as eight points before leading 36-31 at the break.
• After the recess, Oates got things started by hitting a three-pointer and Smith followed with a layup to cut the lead to just one point. A few possessions later, another three from Oates tied the game at 42-42 with 16:41 left in regulation 
• A Smith triple and a layup from Hawes gave the Eagles the lead once again and opened up a seven-point advantage off an Oates dunk with under 12 minutes to go. BC held onto the lead for nearly five minutes but a quick WPU run capped by a Malachi Borders trey put the home side back in front, 60-57, with eight minutes left on the clock. 
• Each team traded baskets with the Eagles holding onto a five-point lead that quickly vanished in the final minutes of regulation as the contest headed to overtime at 72-72. 
• Much like a majority of the contest, the overtime period featured back-and-forth action with each side swapping the lead in the early going. 
• Bridgewater garnered a five-point edge after a pair of free throws by Hawes, 82-77, with just over 90 seconds left in the extra frame as the Pacers sent Topper and Hawes to the line down the stretch as the Eagles held on for an 85-81 victory. 

Match Notes

• Oates tallied a game-high and career-best 27 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the field in 30 minutes of play. He also registered three rebounds, a block and a pair of steals.
• Hawes also reached the 20-point plateau as he finished with 22 points in 34 minutes off the bench. Hawes led the Eagles with eight rebounds and also tacked on four assists in the win.
• Smith played 40 minutes and knocked down six of his 10 shots from the floor for 18 points and added on five rebounds, a game-high six assists and a game high six steals, as well.
• For the Pacers, Timothy Pettiford led the way with 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting and completed the double-double with 13 boards to lead the game. Also in double figures was Tyler Parton with 18 points and Malachi Borders with 16 points. Beau Bryant nearly registered a double-double of his own with 12 points and nine rebounds to go along with five assists, a block and a steal.
• William Peace outrebounded Bridgewater by a 35-25 margin, while BC was the better shooting team finishing at a 55.2% clip (32-58) compared to the Pacers at 42.9% (30-70).
• In a back-and-forth contest, the lead changed hands 11 times and the game was tied a dozen times. Bridgewater was able to use its depth to outlast William Peace with 30 points coming off the bench and also scored 50 points in the paint. 

Up Next

Bridgewater rests for the Christmas holiday but is back at it before the end of the year with a pair of home contests to close out 2022. The Eagles host Wilson on Dec. 29 at 5 pm before taking on St. Mary's (Md.) in Nininger Hall on Dec. 30 at 7 pm. Admission to both contests is waived and fans are asked to bring canned good to help benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Rockingham County youth basketball players are also invited to the contest with an opportunity to take the court at halftime.