When the two teams met in Yoder Arena on Nov. 29, Bridgewater took over early and took an easy 62-42 win from Eastern Mennonite. The Royals headed south to take on their rivals Tuesday night. A pair of dry spells was too much for the women to overcome as they dropped an 85-80 decision on the road.

The opening minutes of the game were full of missed shots and turnovers. Bridgewater's full court pressure finally pushed them to an 11-5 lead.

A Danielle Rittenhouse (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) three pointer got the women within three points, but the Eagles charged again to a 17-8 edge.

EMU's deficit grew to as many as 10 points before Shandell Taylor (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) hit a fastbreak layup, trimming the lead to 34-32 with 1:13 left in the half.

After an Eagle timeout, Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) capped a 9-0 run with a layup which tied the score for the first time since the opening five minutes of the game. BC regained the lead before halftime, 38-36.

Turnover woes again struck the women to start the second, as Bridgewater sprung to a 54-40 lead.

The Royals got within six on a few occasions, and Skylar Scott (Orange, Va./Orange County) finally trimmed the deficit to five at 76-71 with a pair of free throws with 1:41 to go.

EMU did just enough offensively to keep the game interesting, but the Eagles sealed it from the free throw line, making 9-of-12 down the stretch to hold on for the 85-80 win.

Although the women forced 26 BC turnovers, they committed 29 of their own. The Royals shot 45% from the floor while the Eagles hit 52% of their shots.

Rittenhouse led three EMU women in double figures as she put in 18 points. Ygarza finished with 17 points and a team high three assists. Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) canned four triples and finished with 16 points and three steals.

Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) led all players with nine rebounds as Eastern Mennonite had 38-34 edge in rebounding, including 17-10 in offensive boards.

Bridgewater's Jordan Burkholder led all players with 30 points including a 14-14 performance from the free throw line.

The loss drops EMU to 9-8 as the women have now lost three of four. The Royals are also 7-5 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The women play a pair this weekend, taking on Randolph in Lynchburg Friday night before hosting Lynchburg College Saturday at 4:00pm.