NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Bridgewater College men's basketball slips past Westminster, 71-69 on the road in the season opener giving Bridgewater's first-year head coach Mike Maczko his first win with the program Friday night. 

The Basics 

Score: Bridgewater (BCE) 71, Westminster (WC) 69 

Records: BCE (1-0), WC (0-1) 

How It Happened 

• The Eagles got on the board first to start out the game with the help from the Goldsboro, N.C. native Jordan Cooper, who splashed a three-pointer. Both teams fought to settle in first, trading baskets early. Then, off the successful turn-around jumper from Aaron Oates, the Eagles began to hit stride never dropping the lead throughout the entire half. 

• BCE created a seven-point lead at 31-24, giving them its largest lead in the half with under two minutes to go.  

• Then, guard RK Law caught his defender off guard with the step-back jumper to close the first half, 33-27. 

• Cooper once again got things started for the Eagle's offense, this time in the second half off a smooth three-point bucket, giving them a commanding lead at 36-27. Soon after, Bridgewater began to pile on shots reaching its largest lead of the night with an 11-point scoring edge.  

• The lead would dwindle down as WC would slowly creep back into the game. The Titans kept fighting to then find themselves down by just one point at 59-58 with under eight minutes of play.  

• The Eagles would slowly build a lead back to give them a 10-point advantage; however, the Titans would not let go of the aggressive offense and went on another scoring surge. WC stripped the deficit to only one again with two minutes left on the game clock.  

• Cooper safely led the Eagles to victory, drawing a foul and sealing the game with a free throw to take the win at 71-69. 

Game Notes 

• Bridgewater outrebounded Westminster by 16 with 46 total rebounds including 15 offensive rebounds to Westminster's five.  

• The Eagles stayed aggressive in the paint with 36 points coming from the interior while BCE limited the Titans to 28 points in the paint. 

• Cooper led the way for the Crimson and Gold with an even 20 points, adding a team-high three assists to his stat sheet.  

• Oates carried out an impressive performance with a double-double dropping 18 points and grabbing 12 boards. The 6'5'' forward also tallied a steal and a block in the season opener. 

Up Next 

The Eagles are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9 in the same place at Westminster's home site in New Wilmington, Pa. Bridgewater will take on Thiel at noon.