STAUNTON, Va. – The Bridgewater College women's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with a dominant 73-43 victory over Mary Baldwin.
The Basics
Score: Bridgewater 743 Mary Baldwin 43
Records: Bridgewater 1-0, Mary Baldwin 0-1
How It Happened
- Bridgewater got on the board on its first trip down the floor. Jasmine Griffin connected with Jaiden Polston for the mid-range bucket to make it an early 2-0 lead. BC stretched the lead to 7-0 with scores from Polston, Mikayla Coleman and a free throw by Griffin before Mary Baldwin got on the scoreboard. MBU drilled a three-pointer and scored in transition after a BC turnover to cut the lead to a bucket, but Coleman hit a three-pointer and Brooklyn Cavanaugh scored in the lane to swell the lead again. The Fighting Squirrel ended the short run with a three-point bucket, but another Cavanaugh layup sparked a 10-2 BC run to finish the opening quarter. Five different Eagles scored during the final four minutes of the first quarter to make it a 22-10 BC lead after the opening 10 minutes.
- BC continued to score with ease to open the second frame. Buckets by Savannah Wilson and Polston stretched the lead to 26-10, before another MBU three-pointer stopped the run. BC slowly pulled away with an 8-3 scoring run from four different players. Mary Baldwin knocked down another three-pointer to get to within 15 points, but three points from Emma Randall and a make from long range by Coleman made it 40-20 in favor of the Eagles at the intermission.
- Asia Williams was fouled on her way to the hoop on BC's first possession of the second half. She knocked down one of two at the stripe, and MBU did the same on the other end. A second-chance effort by Polston sparked a 6-2 run the by the Eagles before Mary Baldwin finally made a field goal with three minutes to go in the third period. The teams combined for just 10 points over the opening seven minutes of the half, but combined for 20 fast points as each side scored 10 points each over the final 2:15 of the frame. BC led 57-35 heading t the final 10 minutes.
- Polston made a pair of free throws to open the fourth quarter after she was fouled on a second-chance effort. Trinity Hedrick knocked down a jumper, while Polston finished in the lane and Riley Coombs drilled a three-pointer to cap off a 9-0 BC run before Mary Baldwin got on the board. Over two minutes in, MBU stopped the scoreless drought with a layup. Mary Baldwin followed with another score, as Madison Gaso capitalized after a series of BC offensive rebounds to get the Eagles back on the board. MBU drilled a three-pointer after a pair of makes at the free-throw line by Peyton Brady, but that would be the home team's final bucket of the day. The Eagles' defense held MBU without a make from the field over the final 4:51 to hold on to the season-opening victory.
Match Notes,
- Polston opened the season with a double-double as she tallied game highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Coleman scored 10 points in her Bridgewater debut, while Griffin grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Seventeen different Eagles scored in the win, while all players that saw action either grabbed a rebound or made a field goal.
- Logan Bouknight led MBU with 13 points. Three Mary Baldwin players grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
- BC dominated on the glass with a 72-35 advantage in rebounds. That's the most rebounds in a game for the Eagles since Nov. 11, 2023 vs. Rutgers-Newark in a dominant win at home. BC also held MBU to just 23.8% from the field.
Up Next
Bridgewater continues a four-game road swing to open the season as it heads to Stevenson on Tuesday night.
