HARRISONBURG, Va. - It was a battle to the very end. 

EMU and Bridgewater squared off for round two of the Poultry Road Rivalry Wednesday night, honoring the Royals three seniors prior to tipoff. The two teams traded blows, but a 12-0 BC run in the games final four minutes was the difference as the Eagles picked up an 80-65 win. 

Records: EMU 5-18, 1-13 ODAC | Bridgewater 15-7, 8-5 ODAC

Highlights

First Half
Bridgewater jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead but back-to-back threes from Aviwe Mahlong and Daijordan Brown tied the game at eight apiece. Julien Hagerman's three a minute and a half later, gave EMU their first lead at 11-10 and set the pace for the night. The teams went back and forth, tying at 17, before BC went on a 6-0 run to lead 23-17, just under the 10 minute mark of the first half. They were able to extend their lead to as many as 11 but EMU was able to chip away, cutting it to six late. An Eagle jumper in the final seconds gave Bridgewater a 42-34 lead at the break. 

Second Half
The Royals cut the lead to two to start the second half, using a three from Marcos Pradales and three free throw from Hagerman. At the 14:43 mark, Hagerman's three tied things at 45, but BC answered with seven straight for a 52-45 advantage. The Royals rallied with points from Isaiah Carr, Brown and Jazen Walker to tie the game and later, a Jalen Jones layup gave EMU a 55-53 lead. There was a scoring flurry over the next few minutes that saw three ties and two lead changes. But after Zach Bailey's three with 4:39 left pulled EMU with one, BC outscored the Royals 15-1 to finish out the game. 

Statistical Leaders
Points: Hagerman (18), Brown (16)
Rebounds: Bailey (6)
Assists: Brown (5)

What's Next
This was the Royals home finale, but EMU has two games left in the season. They'll head to Lexington on Saturday to take on Washington and Lee. Tipoff is set for 2 pm. 

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