BRIDGEWATER, Va. (BC Athletics) – Bridgewater College men’s basketball stormed by in a strong second half to upend the Methodist Monarchs in Bridgewater’s second and final game in the Carlyle Whitelow Classic with a final score of 66-51 at home Sunday afternoon.

Bridgewater (BCE) extends their record to 3-2 overall this season, while Methodist (MU) has now dropped to 2-3 overall.

How It Happened
The Sunday afternoon tilt against the Monarchs brought a lot of excitement after the Eagles secured their first home victory Saturday with a new-look squad.
Mason Ramey’s double-double and Bradley Owens’ three-point shooting performance helped carry the Eagles despite a tight first half. MU took control of the first 18 minutes of play with smart transition action. The Eagles were able to diminish any long scoring runs from the Monarchs, which helped keep the deficit to just five points. With the final two minutes in the first half, Bradley Owens splashed a three to take the lead at 27-24. Ramey then added two points with a bucket in the paint. The first half went to BCE, with the score at 29-26.
In the second half, the Crimson & Gold ramped up the action, boosting the lead to a healthy 11-point advantage with two quick threes from Owens. Jahmir Brown also found success with strong takes to the rim, adding to the lead of 14 points in four minutes of action.
Owens extended the scoring run to 18 with solid makes at the charity stripe. Ramey then helped push the lead to a commanding 20-point burst under six minutes left on the game clock. Carter Palmer soon after helped keep the Monarchs out of reach with a three pointer and later Mous Diop put up two free throws to help secure the victory, with a 66-51 final score.

Game Notes
• Mason Ramey shined on both ends of the floor, with a strong stat line of 20 points, 10 boards, two blocks, one steal, and 50% shooting going 8/16 on the day.
• Despite the 16 turnovers from BCE, the Eagles found ways to grab the win, including 10 second-chance points compared to Methodist’s one point in second chance opportunities.
• Bradley Owens poured on a season-high total of 13 points, along with five rebounds and one dish.
• After a rough shooting performance in the first half, with a 34.62% percentage from the field and a 1/10 clip from three, the Eagles turned it around in the second half with an improved 13-31 (41.94%) from field goal range and a 5-9 clip (55.56%) from distance.

Up Next
The Eagles are back in action for a midweek matchup against ODAC rival Shenandoah on Dec. 3 at home beginning at 5 p.m.

— BC Athletics —