BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater women's basketball team begins its quest for the program's fourth ODAC Championship as the Eagles tangle with Guilford on Friday at the Salem Civic Center.

The Eagles are fresh off of a scrappy win over Averett to close out the regular season. BC's Riley Corcoran and Jaden Alsberry were both named all-conference performers on Wednesday with Corcoran earning a spot on the second team and Alsberry ending up on the third team. 

BC faces a tough task as the Eagles face the chaotic defensive strategies of former Bridgewater head coach Sarah Matthews. The two sides have tangled twice this season with each squad winning on its home floor. 

Bridgewater head coach Stephanie Flamini has faced off against her former school three times since being named to the same position at BC and holds a 1-2 record against the Quakers. Flamini served as the head coach at Guilford for 17 years and tallied 284 career wins during that time span. Flamini currently ranks 143rd among all active coach across all divisions in all-time wins with 379.

When: Friday, February 23, 2024
Where: Salem, Va.
Stadium: Salem Civic Center
Tipoff: 3:00 pm
Series Record: 33-33
Live Video: https://odacsn.com/
Live Stats: https://odaconline.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Tickets: https://my.hometownticketing.com/agency/bfd3611d-59bb-4452-8f8d-a0be7a8d2086/events/836ff1a6-9ba3-4271-bfe9-f21bc5f6b03d
    $15 adults; $8 students (ages 5-18, ID may be required); can be purchased in advance 

TEAM BASKETBALL: The Eagles rank in the top 100 nationally averaging 22.6 bench points per game and have three players averaging 9.2 points per game or better and all three rank inside the top 25 in the conference in the category. Lynchburg and Shenandoah are the only other two schools with three players in the same scoring bracket this season.

ALL ODAC: Both Riley Corcoran and Jaden Alsberry were named to the ODAC all-conference list announced by the league office on Wednesday. Corcoran earned a spot on second team after being an anchor on both sides of the basketball for the Eagles. The sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C. led BC in scoring and has earned the reputation as one of the best defender's in the conference. Alsberry lands on the third team as one of the best post players in the league. Alsberry grabbed her 500th career rebound earlier this season and sits inside the top 50 nationally in blocks.

THE POST: BC's Jaden Alsberry, Jay Garcia and Abby Freeman are among the ODAC leaders in rebounding in league play this season. The trio all rank inside the top 10 in the league in the department during ODAC play led by Alsberry with 8.0 boards per conference contest. The Eagles rank fourth in the ODAC as unit in rebounding in ODAC play and have the second best rebounding margin in league competition at +6.3.

REGIONAL RANKINGS?: Bridgewater currently holds two wins over teams in the NCAA Regional Rankings released earlier this week including a 54-48 victory over Shenandoah last week. Overall BC holds a 2-4 record against teams in the regional rankings including tight losses to nationally ranked opponents No. 4 Christopher Newport and No. 21 Washington and Lee. The Eagles also led at the half before falling to No. 10 Catholic who leads Region V.

DEFENSIVE BASKETBALL: The Eagles rank among the national leaders in all things defense. BC holds the nation's 11th best scoring defense and ranks sixth in opponent field goal percentage. The ODAC boasts four teams allowing under 55.0 points per game in conference play led by BC at 49.7 points per game.

BRACKET PREVIEW: The top seed Washington and Lee will open the day session on Friday as the Generals take on Randolph. The WildCats utilized their 2-3 zone to work past Ferrum in Tuesday's opening-round game. The Generals swept the season series by an average of 14.5 points, but do not be surprised if the old mantra of beating a team three times in a season makes an appearance in Friday's opening contest. The night session opens at 6 p.m. as No. 2 seed Shenandoah takes on No. 7 seed Lynchburg in a clash of Hornets. Shenandoah won the only regular season meeting 69-59 last month. The hometown Maroons of Roanoke clash with No. 3 seed Randolph-Macon in Friday's night cap. The top six seeds in the women's tournament have been neck-and-neck throughout the season and this match up should be no different in the three-six match up. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Maroons in the Rail Yard City 47-41 in a defensive battle back in December. For the full BRACKET and TOURNAMENT website head to the links attached.