BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Shenandoah University women's basketball team opened up ODAC play Friday night with a 66-65 last-second loss at Bridgewater College. 

The Hornets (1-2, 0-1 ODAC) and the Eagles (2-0, 2-0) battled back and forth the entire contest but saw a seven-point lead in the fourth slowly dwindle. A last-second driving Taylor Stafford lay-up through the center of the key gave BC the 66-65 edge. 

Sarah Sondrol, who led SU with 24 points, had an opportunity with one second remaining go off the backboard to allow Bridgewater to escape with the victory.

THE RUNDOWN

1st Quarter

SU and BC were evenly matched throughout the first and traded the lead a handful of times. The Hornets led 12-10 after Sondrol's first bucket of the night at the 2:28 mark off of a Diandra Mundle assist. Just before the break, Mary Ruth Shifflett drained a '3' from the corner to give the Eagles a 17-14 advantage going into the second. The buzzer-beater was one of three 3-point buckets on 12 attempts in the first. 

2nd Quarter

The Hornets clawed their way back, taking the lead with 4:52 remaining in the half by as many as three points on two different occasions.  SU was held scoreless for the last 1:22 while an Ahlia Moore '3' gave the Eagles a 31-29 edge just before halftime. 

3rd Quarter

Shenandoah had their most productive quarter after the break, shooting 9-15 from the field for 60%. The Hornets dominated the boards and controlled the ball for most of the quarter. The hosts did lead by six with 7:26 on the clock but SU ended the quarter up four points thanks to a Sondrol stickback of a Madisen Kimble miss to make 49-45 heading into the final stanza. 

4th Quarter

The Eagles' full-court pressure forced seven SU turnovers in the final quarter. Shenandoah's defense held up for a majority of the last 15 minutes, holding BC to 33.3% from the field and 0 of 7 behind the arc. Unfortunately for the Hornet faithful, the last offensive possession did not result in any points to keep the lead and Taylor Stafford's drive to the lane gave the Eagles the win. 

QUOTABLE

"This was the most intense third game of the season I have ever been a part of. Bridgewater forced us to play their pace, we turned the ball over far too much and they were able to capitalize on our mistakes. We will get better from tonight's game here. That being said, I am really excited about the fire of this group." -Head Coach Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft

STATS OF THE DAY 

• Sarah Sondrol led all scorers with 24 points, she ended the game on an 8-of-10 streak after starting cold going 1-for-5. 

• Sierra St. Cyr and Olivia Weinel owned the boards tonight with 10 and nine rebounds, respectively. 

• 46 of Shenandoah's points came from the paint, 15 from the second chance and 31 from the bench. 

UP NEXT

The Hornets travel to Lynchburg on Wednesday, February 3 for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game was originally scheduled for this coming Sunday but impending weekend weather pushed the game back three days. 

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