Salem, VA (02/23/02) – Top-seeded Guilford successfully defended its Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women's Basketball Tournament title with a 73-51 win over number-two Bridgewater in Saturday's final at the Salem Civic Center.

The Quakers improved to a school-record 24-3 and received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. The NCAA tournament pairings will be announced Sunday (2/24) at 9:30 p.m (ET). Bridgewater (22-5) awaits a possible at-large selection to the national playoffs.

An 18-4 Guilford run that spanned both halves broke open an even game and gave the Quakers a 14-point edge early in the second period. After Bridgewater's Marie Bolton (Leesburg, VA/Loudon County) forced the game's fifth and final tie (25-25) with 3:07 left in the first half, Guilford closed the period on an 8-0 run for a 33-25 halftime lead. Sophomore forward A.J. Robertson (Eden, NC/Morehead) started the spurt with back-to-back baskets.

Guilford senior Erin Beacham (Atlanta, GA/Lovett School) made a lay-up, followed by back-to-back three-point plays in a 68-second span early in the second half. Her eight straight points capped a 10-4 run that opened a 43-29 Quakers' lead with 16:40 remaining. Bridgewater pulled no closer than 10 points for the rest of the game.

"We changed offenses in the second half and started using more on-ball screens, which set up some good looks," Beacham said.

Beacham, who added eight rebounds, averaged 18.3 points and 9.3 caroms in three games and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award.

"It's unreal," she said. "Words can't express what a feeling this is and how good it feels to go out this way in your senior year."

Guilford outrebounded the Eagles, 55-33, and averaged over 20 boards per game more than the opposition in the tournament. The Quakers' 19 offensive rebounds led to 14 points.

"They absolutely killed us on the boards," Bridgewater head coach Jean Willi said. "There is no question that that was the difference in the game."

"We've been trying to get the team to board all season long," Guilford head coach Barb Bausch said. "We've been working on it in practice and it really paid off here."

ODAC Rookie of the Year Courtney Hill (Kannapolis, NC/North Rowan), who joined Beacham on the all-tournament team, notched her second double-double for Guilford with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Kelly Burger (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) added 12 points off the bench, including eight in the first half.

Bridgewater senior Lindsey Coleman (Buena Vista, VA/Parry McCluer) led all scorers with 19 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Sarah Hagood (Shawsville, VA/Shawsville) added 11 points, six boards and two blocks. The Eagles shot 27.4 percent from the floor, including 26.2 percent in the second half.

"Defensively they played very well," Willi said. "It was the same thing that happened against Eastern Mennonite in the first round. We became too passive and weren't able to get good shots."

Hagood and Bolton represented Bridgewater on the ODAC All-Tournament Team and were joined by Emory & Henry senior Kelly Smith (Duffield, VA/Rye Cove).

Guilford becomes first school other than 13-time league champion Roanoke to win consecutive ODAC Tournament titles and the first since the Maroons won the 1997 and 1998 events.