SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke capped a late second-half run with a Nicci Moats (Blue Ridge, VA, Lord Botetourt) layup with 0.9 seconds remaining to defeat Bridgewater, 65-63 in an exciting ODAC contest at the Bast Center Tuesday evening. The win propels the Maroons to 5-3, 4-0 in the ODAC while the Eagles, who lost their first game of the season, dropped to 8-1, 4-1 in conference play.

 

Both teams shot well from the free-throw line, with Bridgewater at 88.2% (15-17) and Roanoke hitting 12-of-15 (80%). The Eagles shot 40% from the field while the Maroons were at 43.6%. But the difference came from beyond the arc, as Roanoke was 55.6% (5-9) while BC went 4-of-16 from three-point range.

 

It was a coaches nightmare, as there were 56 turnovers in the game against two of the top teams in the ODAC. Bridgewater outrebounded Roanoke, 35-31.

 

With Roanoke up, 13-10 midway through the first half, Bridgewater ended the stanza on a 24-9 run to take a 34-22 halftime lead.

 

The Eagles built their lead to as high as 16 points before Jordan Burkholder picked up her fourth foul with 18 minutes left in the game. Bridgewater kept Roanoke at bay, not letting them get within single digits for long.

 

Down 55-41 with 8:37 to play, Roanoke mounted a furious comeback, going on a 12-2 run over the next five-minutes to make it a four-point game.

 

Down six with 2:17 to go, Rebecca Bays (Roanoke, VA, William Byrd) hit a three-pointer from the wing to cut their deficit in half followed by a Jordan Gholson (Louisa, VA, Louisa County) layup to make it, 61-60 with :57-seconds on the clock.

 

Kendra Porter (Jamestown, NC, Dudley) went to the line, made the first and grabbed her own rebound off the second attempt to keep them alive. Moats made the go-ahead layup to grab Roanoke's first lead since midway through the first half, 63-61, with 26-seconds left.

 

Mullen hit a layup at the other end to tie the score with 11-seconds remaining. Moats capped a thrilling comeback finish for the Maroons with a layup to keep Roanoke undefeated in the ODAC.

 

Moats led the Maroons with a career-best 21 points along with 11 rebounds to give her a double-double. She added four blocked shots and four steals. Moats is now eighth on the career blocked shots list with 73, just three shy of sixth in that category. Bays finished with 12 points and two steals while Gholson had 11 points and five rebounds. Porter totaled seven counters, four assists and four steals.

 

Mullen led Bridgewater with a career-best 30 points and three steals. She shot a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line, 7-of-14 from the floor. Sarah Boeren came off the bench to finish with seven points and four rebounds. Burkholder, the ODAC leading-scorer, was held to four points, but produced five rebounds while leading the Eagles with five assists and four steals.

 

The women return to action on Friday, Jan. 7 as they travel to Lexington, VA to play against Washington and Lee in a pivotal conference match-up. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Warner Center.