No. 2 Marlins Pull Away for 80-67 Victory over NCWC
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The No. 2 ranked Virginia Wesleyan College men's basketball team went on a 19-6 run down the stretch Sunday afternoon to pull away from North Carolina Wesleyan for a 80-67 victory in non-conference action.
Virginia Wesleyan held a 43-38 halftime edge, despite leading by as many as 16 in the opening period.
Corey White, Jr. scored the first points out of the break on a layup, but the Battling Bishops responded with a 10-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 46-45, when Brandon Brown capped the spurt with a layup with 17:33 remaining.
The Marlins fought back for the lead, but N.C. Wesleyan kept the contest within one possession. The two squads tied it up on three separate occasions, the latest coming at 54-all with 9:15 remaining on a John Edwards layup for NCWC.
That is when the Marlins ran out to a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes to take a 73-60 lead with 1:54 remaining. Nick Doyle started the spurt with a three-pointer followed by a pair of free throws by Keijon Honore.
A pair of free throws by NCWC's Marcus Williams cut the Marlin lead back to 61-58, but the VWC defense would only allow one made field goal during the run.
Three trifectas by Justin Watson capped off the run, turning a 64-58 lead into a 73-60 Marlin edge. The Battling Bishops were forced to foul from that point on, resulting in the final seven Marlins' points.
Brown led N.C. Wesleyan (2-3) with 17 points and five rebounds while D.J. Weaver finished with 14 points as Shannon Huff contributed eight points, eight boards, and five steals.
Khory Moore led the Marlins with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for the team's first double-double of the season to go along with four steals. Watson finished with 15 points, followed by Doyle's 13 and Tim Jones, who posted 11 points.
Virginia Wesleyan (4-2/1-0 ODAC) travels to Washington and Lee University (3-2/0-0) on Saturday for an Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest.