WINCHESTER, Va. - Bridgewater College men's basketball took another setback Wednesday night falling to Shenandoah on the road by a final score of 69-60. 

Bridgewater College Eagles (BCE) have dropped to 6-12 overall and 2-7 in conference action, and the Shenandoah University Hornets (SUH) have moved to 10-9 overall and 3-6 in the ODAC. 

How It Happened 

The Eagles held close with the Hornets in the first 20 minutes of play, while earning leads through effective ball movement and play sequencing. Both sides continued trading shots and quick transition points. At the eight-minute mark, Maleek Richardson drove hard to the rim for a chance at the line, as he cashed in the and-one exchange for the first lead of the game. 

The lead switched back to SUH four minutes later with a three-point advantage at 21-18. Jahmir Brown then answered back with a three. Kyren Smith soon after powered the offense from behind the arc to reclaim the lead.  

With under four minutes to go in the first half, both sides kept pushing for controlled momentum, and more lead changes soon followed. BCE held at 27-23 until the Hornets pushed forward again to put up back-to-back threes. Then, with the score knotted at 29 apiece, SUH took the early edge heading into the second half with a 32-29 advantage.   

Aggressive action occurred in the second half, with early fouls and forced turnovers. The Eagles pushed the pace to tie it up again. Then, Smith splashed another three from the quick dish by Mi'Kis Engram. Minutes later, SUH began to find the space to break away from BCE using short scoring runs to their advantage.  

The Hornets worked to an eight-point gain halfway through the final 20 minutes as BCE trailed, 50-42. The Eagles lost control of possession to give the Hornets an added cushion. The Hornets took advantage of drawing fouls and knocking in shots from the charity stripe. BCE struggled to climb back and hit a cold shooting run for four minutes.  

In the final minutes, SUH held firm control while the Eagles were minimizing open looks. After the push to a double-digit lead; the Hornets controlled the pace of play the rest of the way. Brown exerted final efforts to drop the deficit to single digits under a minute to go; however, in the end, the Hornets took charge and closed out successfully for the final score, 69-60.   

Game Notes 

• Bridgewater struggled knocking in shots, posting 32.3% from the field while Shenandoah nearly shot at 50% with a 46.7% advantage. 

• The Eagles improved from the free throw line in this contest, making 10 of 11 shots.  

• Kyren Smith dropped a career-high and tied for the game-high with 27 points. 

Up Next 

The Eagles are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 31 at home as they face Lynchburg at 2 p.m.