Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg women's basketball team battled against Bridgewater, but a fourth-quarter run allowed the Eagles to separate as the Hornets fell, 76-61, on Wednesday night in Turner Gymnasium.

The Hornets (8-6, 1-4 ODAC) trailed by seven heading into the final 10-minute stretch. With a six-point lead at the 6:18-mark, the RV Eagles (12-2, 5-0) sparked a rally of nine straight points, five of which came from Jay Garcia, to take a 13-point advantage. The Hornets trailed by nine-or-more points for the remainder of the affair.

Lynchburg trailed 22-13 after the opening quarter but responded with its best stretch of the night in the second period. The Hornets outscored Bridgewater 21-15 in the quarter, shooting .667 percent from the field, to pull within 37-34 at the halftime break. A 10-point scoring run late in the second quarter brought Lynchburg back into the game, tying the score at 34 apiece with 1:31 to go in the first half. The rally was highlighted by three-point baskets from Audra Petty and Aly Schaffer.

Bridgewater regained momentum in the third quarter, holding Lynchburg to 14 points while extending its lead to 55-48 heading into the final 10 minutes. Lynchburg cut the deficit to as few as three points late in the third quarter but was unable to close the gap further. Bridgewater pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Hornets 21-13 to secure the win.

Kate Littlejohn led Lynchburg with 15 points, while Petty tallied 12 points and added nine rebounds and two assists. Bree Spainhour and Jacquelyn Jakubecy each scored 10 points, with Jakubecy going a perfect six-for-six at the free throw line. Brooke Cason contributed five points and a team-high five assists, while Schaffer added nine points off the bench on three-of-five from 3-point range.

Lynchburg shot .429 percent from the field and .471 percent from three-point range but was outscored 44-20 in the paint. Bridgewater finished with a .517 shooting percentage and was led offensively by Garcia with 24 points. Riley Corcoran added 18 points and Jaiden Polston netted 13 points to round out Eagles performers that scored double-figures.

The Hornets return to action this weekend at Shenandoah on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m.

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