BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Bridgewater College held Hampden-Sydney to 38 percent shooting from the floor and forced 18 turnovers Saturday afternoon as the Eagles knocked off the 20th-ranked Tigers 65-57 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's basketball action at Nininger Hall.
Tigers' big man Khobi Williamson hit 7-of-11 shots and finished with 17 points. He was the only Hampden-Sydney player in double figures as the rest of the Tigers hit just 13-of-42 shots.
"I was really pleased with our consistent energy and communication at the defensive end," Eagles head coach Don Burgess said. "We had a defensive plan and the guys stuck to it. And, it helps when you make some shots. If you make some shots you have an opportunity to set your defense."
The Tigers got off to a quick start, taking a 5-0 lead. Leon Hargrove banked on a runner and Fletcher Lumpkin converted an offensive rebound into an easy bucket to make it 4-0. Williamson then hit 1-of-2 at the foul line to put the Tigers on top 5-0.
Ronnie Thomas scored four straight points for the Eagles before Williamson and Tavis Stapleton traded buckets as the Tigers stayed out front 7-6.
Bridgewater took its first lead on a 3-pointer by Zach Hunter and a jumper by Stapleton put the Eagles up, 11-7.
A 3-pointer by Michael Murray and a layup by Stephen Vassor put the Tigers up by one before a 3-pointer by Kenneth Waugh with 10:37 left gave Bridgewater a 14-12 lead.
A layup by Lumpkin tied the score, but a jumper by Aaron Adams with 9:59 left gave the Eagles a 16-14 lead and they never trailed again.
Bridgewater took its biggest lead of the first half when Matthew Hunter knocked down a short jumper to put the Eagles up 32-26 with 2:30 left.
The teams traded points and two free throws by the Tigers' Brandon LaRose with one tick left on the clock pulled the visitors to within four, 34-30, at the break
Bridgewater used a 5-0 spurt early in the second half to take a seven-point lead. Two buckets by Daniel McClain and 1-of-2 from the line by Romie Powell gave the Eagles a 41-34 lead.
After two foul shots by Sydney's Mitchell Owens, Stapleton knocked down a jumper and Zach Hunter scored in the lane to stretch the lead to nine, 45-36, with 14:58 left.
After a Tigers' turnover, Stapleton made 1-of-2 foul shots to push the margin to double figures for the first time, 46-36.
The Eagles expanded the lead to 12 on two occasions, but the Tigers remained within striking distance.
Bridgewater led 53-42 with 7:59 left, but a 13-5 run by the Tigers cut the lead to three, 58-55 with 3:26 remaining.
After a 3-pointer by Murray cut the Eagles lead to 58-55, Reddick scored on a jumper to push the lead to five, 60-55 with 2:29 remaining.
The teams traded empty possessions until two free throws by Williamson trimmed the margin back to three points with 53 seconds left.
Reddick then scored a big bucket for a five-point Eagles lead, and after Murray misfired from 3-point range, Aaron Adams hit two free throws, giving Bridgewater a 64-57 lead with 18 seconds left.
Stapleton led the Eagles with 15 points while Reddick and Thomas each added 11. Bridgewater made 24-of-49 shots from the field for 49 percent accuracy.
The Tigers held a big advantage on the boards, 42-29, with Williamson leading the way with 13. Powell and Reddick each grabbed six rebounds for the Eagles and McClain added five.
The Eagles also did a solid job of taking care of the basketball, turning the rock over just seven times.
The Eagles are now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ODAC. Hampden-Sydney is 4-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference.