DANVILLE, Va. – The Bridgewater College women's basketball team rallied to take down Averett 82-72 on Saturday in overtime behind a historic game from Riley Corcoran.
 

The Basics

Score: (RV) Bridgewater 82, Averett 72

Records: (RV) Bridgewater 7-1 (2-0 ODAC), Averett 1-6 (0-2 ODAC)

How It Happened

• Corcoran opened the game with a layup 17 seconds in on a dish from Jaiden Polston. The Eagles raced out to a 10-0 lead to open the game, led by six from the senior. Averett got on the board just past the three-minute mark with a layup, but a Jay Garcia turnaround jumper found nylon, and the Eagles were clicking again. Contributions from Corcoran, Abbie Baker, and a pair of free throws by Autumn Gentry capped off a 14-0 BC scoring run that put the visitors up 24-2 with 1:39 to go in the opening frame. AU ended a six-minute scoring drought with 35 seconds to go in the stanza to make it 24-4 heading to the second quarter.

• The Cougars offense came alive to open the second quarter. Averett opened the period with a make from beyond the arc and added in two more long-range buckets on the way to a 15-0 run to start the frame and cut the BC advantage to just five points at 24-19. Gentry ended the nearly six-minute scoring drought for BC with a second-chance bucket on a dish from Baker, but Averett got right back to work as a 7-0 Cougar run drew the home side even at 26-26 with 3:26 remaining in the half. A Corcoran score gave BC the lead back, but AU had a response. The teams traded scores before the Bridgewater offense started to find its footing once again. Another Corcoran bucket in the lane sparked a 10-0 BC run to close the half, including a Gentry three-pointer at the buzzer off a helper from Savannah Wilson to make it 40-30 for the Eagles at the half. 

• Averett opened the second half with a 5-1 scoring run to draw to within two possessions, but the Eagles' offense had a quick reply as Corcoran, Polston and Aylin Humpherys combined for an 8-0 Bridgewater run in just under two minutes of game time to stretch the gap to 49-35. A fourth-chance effort on the offensive end ended the drought for Averett, but three makes at the charity stripe by the Eagles made it a 15-point game once again. AU had a reply once again as Giggetts drilled a three-pointer to spark a 10-2 Averett run to bring the cougars back to within two scores once again. Corcoran sank a pair at the free-throw line in the closing seconds of the period to make it a 58-47 BC advantage heading to the fourth.

• Garcia finished at the cup to get the scoring started in the fourth quarter, but Averett kept its momentum rolling as the Cougars broke off another 10-1 scoring run where they dominated the glass and held BC without a field goal. Garcia looked to right the ship as she scored at the cup through contact and completed the old-school three-point play to make it 64-57 with 4:47 to play in regulation. AU answered the call again as another make from deep cut the lead to just four points, and a pair of transition layups tied the game. AU was fouled on the game-tying score, and the and-one free throw was good to give Averett its first lead of the afternoon at 65-64 with 3:34 to play. Bridgewater called a timeout and regrouped as a third-chance effort by Corcoran gave the Eagles the lead back. Averett capitalized on an offensive foul, and a layup by Mizell gave the Cougars the lead by a point with 1:41 on the clock. Both sides had a chance in the closing minutes, but Garcia was sent to the free-throw line with 33 seconds to go for the Eagles. She missed the front end but drained the second to tie the game. Averett missed a potential game-winner with five seconds to go, but a shot clock violation on the rebound gave BC the ball back with an opportunity. Gentry's jumper at the horn was no good, and the extra period was required. 
• Averett got on the board first to start overtime, but a putback by Polston evened the game. Polston picked off a pass on the other end and went coast-to-coast to give the Eagles the lead with 3:18 to play. Three points by Garcia and a Corcoran layup capped off a 9-0 BC run and gave them a seven-point lead with two minutes to play. Averett made a pair of free throws, but a Gentry bucket on a dish from Corcoran stretched the gap back to seven points. AU made one-of-two at the line with 1:18 to play and Corcoran made the front end of a trip to the line herself, but missed the second. Polston came up with the board, and Asia Williams was fouled. She made one of her attempts and Averett came up empty going the other way. Williams was hacked once more with 33 seconds to go, and she sank both free throw attempts to ice the game away. 

Match Notes,

• Corcoran tallied a career-high 30 points for BC's first 30-point game since 2021. Garcia tossed in 15 points, while Polston added nine points, 13 rebounds, five steals and five assists. Gentry also contributed 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

• Giggetts led a scrappy effort by the Cougars with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Averett did their damage primarily from long range, thanks to eight makes from deep at a 42.1% clip. 

• Entering Saturday, Bridgewater had outscored opponents by 7.3 points on average, but was outscored 20-9 in the fourth period by Averett. BC shot 41.9% from the floor compared to 31.3% for AU, bt the difference ws in the extra frame as Bridgewater was 71.4% from the field, while Averett was just 1-of-7.

Up Next

Bridgewater takes a break for exams and is back in action in 10 days at Mary Washington on Dec. 17 at 4 p.m.