BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Bridgewater College men's basketball team used a strong second half to take down Greensboro 58-53 on Wednesday night.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Bridgewater 58, Greensboro 53
Records: Bridgewater 9-2, Greensboro 3-5

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Pride got on the board first thanks to a make at the charity stripe but on the next possession Jordan Cooper nailed a three pointer to give BC an early edge. Greensboro responded with a three-point make of its own to wrestle the lead back in the early going. BC strung together back-to-back makes from Cooper and Aaron Oates to sprint ahead 7-4, but again the Pride answered with a make at the line and a layup in transition to knot it back up and eventually step back in front at 9-7. The Pride stretched the run out to 8-0 before Cooper threw it down in transition to end a four-minute scoring drought for the Eagles.
• Both sides started to trade makes but Greensboro slowly stretched its advantage out to 19-11 with eight minutes to go in the opening frame. The Eagles responded out of a timeout as Steve Burgess drilled a three pointer and RK Law knocked down a mid-range jumper to reel it back into a one possession contest. BC got the lead down to two after an Oates jumper but again Greensboro answered the call with a trade of makes and an eventually long ball to put the home side up by five. Greensboro extended the lead to 27-20 with 15 seconds to go, but an Oates and-one pulled BC back to 27-23 at the horn.
• Greensboro hopped in the score book first in the second half, but an Alec Topper long-range jumper pulled the Eagles back to within three. Consecutive makes by the home side extended the advantage before Oates threw it down. The Oates dunk Sparked the BC offense as Topper drained a three pointer and an Oates layup the next trip tied the game at 33-33. Javion Majette answered the call for Greensboro to give the Pride the lead back but that was short lived as Landon Hawes drove through the lane to knot it back up. Both sides went dry for nearly two minutes before Cooper found Topper at the key hole to give BC a 37-35 advantage with 12 minutes to go. A steal by Cooper on the next GC possession led to an Oates bucket to extend the lead and swing the momentum.
• The Pride was not going away. Out of a timeout, a make from Isaiah Pruett got GC back going again. A Topper second-chance effort kept BC going but again Greensboro answered with a three-point make to get it back to a one-point game. The Eagles responded with a Topper layup and later Topper found Cooper on the wing to make it 46-40 for the visitors. Greensboro slowly pulled back to within two and this time Oates drained a long ball to keep BC going. Once more GC weathered the storm and got to within one at 53-52 with 2:38 to go. On cue Topper found Oates open from long range and BC stepped out in front by two possessions. Greensboro earned a trip to the line with 33 seconds left on the clock with a chance to get back to within two. Pruett made the front end and missed the second. A Pride offensive board kept hope alive and Pruett went for a layup but was swatted away by Cooper. Greensboro got the rebound but turned it over as Oates came up with the loose ball and a pair of free throws from Topper at the end sealed the deal.

MATCH NOTES

• Oates recorded his second consecutive 20-point game with a game-high 23 points.
• BC had a well-rounded night as Oates, Topper and Cooper each had a pair of assists, multiple steals and double figures in scoring. Six different Eagles registered a block.
• Despite the first half success from long range, Greensboro was limited to just 1-of-8 from three-point land in the second half while BC drained five three pointers in the same span.
• Greensboro did a good job of containing the Eagles on the glass as the Pride dominated the rebounding total 41-24.

UP NEXT
Bridgewater continues its stay in the Tar Heel Sate with a clash with Elon in an exhibition on Friday at 7 p.m.