BRIDGEWATER, Virginia -- #10 seed Ferrum College dropped a heartbreaker in a first-round game of the 2022 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women's Basketball Tournament, falling 53-51 to #7 Bridgewater College tonight at Nininger Hall.

RECORDS
Bridgewater (11-14)
Ferrum (5-21)

THE BASICS
The Panthers led 9-6 after Cameron Hawkins sank a pair of free throws at 3:26 of the first quarter. Rosemary Pierson's three-pointer a minute later knotted the score at 9-9 to end the first.

Hawkins would score eight of the Panthers 17 points in the second quarter, with Bridgewater taking a 29-26 lead at the break.

Ferrum opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run on buckets by Aisha Martin, Hawkins and Kayla Cabiness to put Ferrum on top 32-29. The Eagles responded with a 13-0 run to go back out in front 42-32, a lead they would never relinquish.

Bridgewater led 44-39 to start the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 50-41 on Jaden Allsberry's jumper at 5:39. Ferrum rallied with an 8-0 run, including a pair of Martin three-pointers and a Hawkins layup that made it a 50-49 game with 1:48 left to play.

Julie Williams sank two free throws with 24 seconds left in regulation to give the Eagles a 52-49 lead, but Cabiness converted a layup to trim the lead to 52-51 with 0:05 showing on the clock. Melanie Pick was fouled as Bridgewater inbounded the ball and made one of two free throws for the final count to wrap up the win.

KEY STATS
Bridgewater: Allsberry 14 pts, 8 reb; Erika Nettles 11 pts, 8 reb
Ferrum: Hawkins 19 pts, 9 reb; Martin 13 pts, 8 reb

UP NEXT
The loss closes out Ferrum's 2021-22 season. The Eagles advance to the ODAC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday, where they will face #2 seed Randolph-Macon College at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. The ODAC Tournament champion will collect the league's automatic qualifier into the the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships.