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It was the Adam Brazil show on Wednesday night, as the Hampden-Sydney senior scored a game-high 20 points to lead the No. 1 ranked Tigers to a 78-57 win over Bridgewater. Playing on the road, Hampden-Sydney took control early and never looked back. 

Brazil had help from fellow seniors Davidson Hubbard and Alex Elliott, who both scored 12 points, while fifth-year Ryan Clements added 10 for the visiting Tigers. With the win, the Tigers climb to 13-1 on the season, 5-1 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play. The Eagles dropped to 10-5 overall, 3-3 in the ODAC, and were led by Alex Topper with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

“You have to come to play in the ODAC, especially on the road,” said fifth-year head coach Caleb Kimbrough. “I thought we were connected and playing with joy today. We made a lot of mistakes, but I was proud of how quickly we got to the next play.”

Breaking down the game 

Hampden-Sydney opened the scoring with an offensive rebound basket from Clements just 32-seconds into the contest, and a three-point field goal by Brazil made it 5-2 at 15:35. It was tied at 5-5 when the Tigers used a quick 7-0 run to lead 12-5 with 13:33 on the clock, getting another basket from Brazil before Hubbard scored five, including a three-pointer. The visitors led 14-8 after a layup by Brazil at 11:59, but BC scored seven unanswered points to take its first and only lead at 15-14 with 9:47 left in the opening half.

The Eagles were within 20-19 before H-SC put together a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the half at 29-19 at 2:53, getting five quick points from Elliott, including a three-pointer, along with consecutive fast break layups from fifth-year Chase Turner (Virginia Beach) … as the Garnet & Grey closed the opening 20 minutes with a 13-6 run to lead 33-25 at the intermission.

H-SC led 39-30 early in the second half after a steal and layup by senior team captain Josiah Hardy, but five quick points from BC made it 39-35 with a timeout called at 15:30. Brazil responded with another three-pointer and a layup to push the margin to 44-35 with 14:32 on the clock, and the Tigers led 49-36 at 13:24 after another three-pointer from Brazil along with a steal and layup by Turner to close a quick 10-1 run.

The visitors extended the outburst to 21-6 to lead 60-41 with 10:09 remaining, getting points from Elliott, junior Ayman McGowan, Clements and Hardy-the run finished off with a steal by Hubbard and slam dunk by Clements. The Eagles managed to get within 61-49 at 7:21, but the Garnet & Grey closed the contest by outscoring the home team 17-8, taking their largest lead at 76-54 with 3:20 remaining courtesy of a slam dunk by Hubbard … toward the final margin of victory.

Adam Brazil leads all scorers

Brazil led H-SC with his game-high 20 points and four three-pointers. Elliott and Hubbard each finished with their respective 12 points for the Tigers, with Hubbard adding eight rebounds and Elliott adding four rebounds. Clements contributed 10 points, six rebounds, a game-high five assists and two steals. Hardy and Turner each had nine points, with Hardy adding five rebounds, and Turner adding five rebounds and three assists.

McGowan finished with six points, including his first collegiate slam dunk. H-SC shot 55% (34-62) from the field, including 33% (7-21) on three-pointers, and 60% (3-5) at the free throw line. The Tigers enjoyed a 48-20 advantage in points scored in the paint, and limited their seventh opponent to under 60 points scored in a game this season.

Topper led BC with his 12 points and game-high 10 rebounds. Will Dunlap added 11 points for the Eagles. Jordan Cooper finished with 10 points and game-highs of five assists and four steals. BC shot 35% (20-57) from the field, including 30% (9-30) on three-pointers, and 73% (8-11) at the line.

What’s next on the schedule? 

Adam Brazil and the Hampden-Sydney Tigers will return home to play ODAC opponent Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium at Kirby Field House. The EMU contest marks the third consecutive Saturday afternoon home game on the Hill, and as a reminder, it’s free admission for all regular season home contests.