Bridgewater, Va. -- Junior forward Molly Shephard (Charlottesville, Va.) scored a game-high 24 points, seniors Olivia DeFrancesco (Greensboro, N.C.) and Caroline Naumann (Mechanicsville, Va.) each notched double-doubles, and the Lynchburg College women's basketball team earned a key Old Dominion Athletic Conference win over the host Bridgewater Eagles Saturday afternoon.

DeFrancesco went 4-for-5 from 3-point territory on her way to 19 points, and the senior point guard tallied a season-high 10 assists. It was her third-career double-figure assist total and just the ninth such game in Lynchburg history.

Naumann totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double in 13 games this season.

Senior forward Brittany Afolabi-Brown (Montgomery Village, Md.) added 13 points, five rebounds, five steals, three blocks, and three assists in the Hornets' win.

THE RUNDOWN

Final: Lynchburg 78, Bridgewater 70

Records: Lynchburg (11-2, 3-1 ODAC), Bridgewater (6-6, 2-2 ODAC)

Venue: Nininger Hall, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

- Despite the Eagles' 72.7-percent (8-for-11) shooting effort in the first period, Shephard kept LC in the game with eight points in the first 10 minutes.

- DeFrancesco helped Lynchburg pull away in the second, nailing a pair of triples to push the Hornets to a 41-35 halftime lead. She hit all four of her 3-point attempts in the first half and had six assists at intermission.

- Lynchburg extended the lead to 14 midway through the third, but the Eagles stormed back to tie the game at 60 with 7:00 to play. The game remained close until the waning minutes when, leading 72-70, LC finished the contest on a 6-0 run.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lynchburg returns home to Turner Gymnasium on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. tip with another ODAC rival, Roanoke College.

--LC--