Saunders' Big Day Leads UMW Men Past Bridgewater, 80-65, in Hyatt Place Tipoff

Saunders' Big Day Leads UMW Men Past Bridgewater, 80-65, in Hyatt Place Tipoff

Senior guard Anias Saunders scored 27 points on 9-11 shooting from the floor in leading the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team to an 80-65 victory over Bridgewater College on Saturday at Ron Rosner Arena in the Hyatt Place Tipoff Classic. The Eagles improve to 3-2 on the season.

UMW started shooting well from the field for the second straight day, extending a 6-5 early advantage with a 13-0 run, highlighted by three three pointers from Saunders. Bridgewatercut the deficit to ten at 31-21 with 6:59 before intermission, and cut further, to five, at 42-37, on a layup at the first half buzzer.

Mary Washington responded in the second, building its lead back to double figures on a pair of Colin Coyne free throws just 1:32 into the second. A 16-4 UMW run followed, capped by a pair of Saunders threes, to give UMW a 64-42 lead. An Emmanuel Aghayere layup with 11:49 left gave the home team a 25-point cushion, at 67-42. Bridgewater got hot from long range late, and came as close as 13, but would draw no closer.

Saunders led all scorers with 27 points on 9-11 shooting, including 6-8 three pointers,and also added eight rebounds and four assists. Da'Shawn Cook had 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and Daniel Peterson grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench.

UMW shot 51.9% from the floor (28-54), making 12-28 three pointers, and 12-22 free throws. Bridgewater shot 22-58 (37.9%), making 8-35 three point attempts, and 13-15 free throws. UMW controlled the board with a 42-23 rebounding lead.

The Eagles will be back in action on Friday when they host the University of Lynchburg at 7 p.m.