HARRISONBURG, VA --- In a clash between two teams tied for first in the ODAC, you would expect a lot: big runs, dramatic comebacks, clutch shots. Saturday's game between Eastern Mennonite and Virginia Wesleyan had all of those, although the final result left the home fans on the short end, as VWC took an 82-76 win from the Royals in Harrisonburg.
After giving up a big second-half lead, EMU scored the last five points in regulation to force overtime. The Marlins scored the first seven of OT but the home team couldn't muster another comeback as VWC took over sole possession of first in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
The first half of the game was a defensive slugfest. Eastern Mennonite led by as many as seven points, but the visitors got within two points at halftime on a desperation three pointer, 27-25.
Virginia Wesleyan used an 8-2 run early in the second to take the lead, and then the two settled into a highly efficient half of runs. Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) had seven and Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) added six during a 16-3 blaze, giving EMU a 47-36 edge with 14:29 left.
The Marlins chipped back to within five where the cushion stayed for nearly 10 minutes. Then the tone changed dramatically. Freshman Sarah Seipp (Gaithersburg, MD/Gaithersburg) took over offensively for VWC and the Royals got rattled, turning the ball over on four straight possessions.
In less than two minutes, a six-point EMU lead flipped to a four-point Virginia Wesleyan edge with 2:32 to go. As time ticked away, the Marlins made their free throws to increase to a 72-67 lead with 25 seconds to play.
Just as the outcome looked doubtful, Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) got fouled on a three pointer with 17 left. The cool sophomore drained all three attempts to cut the lead to two. Alisa Brown (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) then picked out a steal as the Marlins inbounded, and Rheinheimer quickly drove in along the right baseline and hit a game-tying jumper with 9.5 seconds showing.
Virginia Wesleyan called a timeout, but couldn't get a good look at the basket in the closing seconds thanks to EMU's stifling defense.
The home crowd was elated to earn overtime in the important game, but the steady Marlins had other thoughts. After each team missed a bucket, VWC rattled off seven straight to leap ahead 79-72 with 2:18 left.
The Royals continually worked the ball inside, but couldn't hit a bucket or draw fouls. Finally Sykes made a pair of free throws and after a VWC turnover, senior Marla Young (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial) nailed a jumper to trim the edge to three.
Just as EMU had hopes for another comeback, neither scored over their next two possessions. As the women were forced to foul, Seipp made three of four free throws over the final 24 seconds to seal the win for Virginia Wesleyan, 82-76.
"It was a weird game," said EMU Coach Kevin Griffin. "There were times where we could have put it away and times where we could have wilted. I think we played as hard as we could play, but when we needed a bucket in overtime we just couldn't get it."
Seipp was clutch for Virginia Wesleyan, scoring 18 of the Marlins' final 31 points. She finished with a game high 27 points. Kristen Blalock (Suffolk, VA/Portsmouth Christian) was good for 14 points and nine rebounds.
Yoders led four Royals in double figures with 15 points and six rebounds. Rheinheimer added 14 counters.
Sykes scored 12 with a team high seven rebounds and three steals. Brown scored 10 with two picks. Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) led all players with five assists.
As could be expected, most of the team stats were relatively even, with VWC shooting 43% to EMU's 42%. The Marlins had 16 turnovers while the women had 15. Virginia Wesleyan did have a 41-35 edge on the boards and connected on 21-of-26 free throws for 81%. The Royals were 18-for-27 from the stripe for 67%.
"They beat us at what we preach," Griffin explained. "They out-rebounded us and hit more free throws than us."
Eastern Mennonite had a 21-game home winning streak snapped with the loss, which dated back to early in the 2010-11 season. The Royals slide to 18-3 overall and 14-3 in the ODAC, while Virginia Wesleyan improves to 18-4 and 15-2, moving a full game ahead of EMU and Guilford in the ODAC standings. The Marlins would also hold a head-to-head tie breaker, having swept the season series with the women.
The Royals close the regular season with a busy week on the road, starting at Randolph on Tuesday. EMU also plays at Emory & Henry Friday and Guilford on Saturday.