VIRGINIA BEACH -- Taylor Wong will remember her first three-point basket as a member of the Virginia Wesleyan College women's basketball team for a very long time.
Wong (Virginia Beach/Princess Anne), a rookie who transferred to Virginia Wesleyan from Randolph-Macon College earlier this season, attempted and hit her first triple in the waning seconds of Saturday's impressive 76-47 Old Dominion Athletic Conference victory over the Maroons of Roanoke College.
Not only was it Wong's first of the season, it was also the 14th of the game for Virginia Wesleyan, which set a program record with the long-distance dominance. The Marlins (8-6, 4-2) set it up with nine triples in the first half and tacked on the remainder thereafter, with a three-pointer by rookie Kelly Jones (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) for the 13th of the game, tying the VWC record set in 2005 against Guilford College and tied in 2006 against the former Randolph-Macon Woman's College.
Eight different Marlins hit at least one three-pointer in the contest at the Jane P. Batten Student Center, led by senior Rachael Miller (Sterling/Park View), sophomore Sarah Seipp (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) and Jones with three each.
When Roanoke (5-10, 1-5) pushed Virginia Wesleyan (8-6, 4-2) to the perimeter, the Marlins responded with the fiery three-point display. VWC hit 7-of-12 triples in the first 10 minutes, with six Marlins hitting from long distance.
Virginia Wesleyan finished the game attempting 27 triples and hitting 14, while Roanoke launched 14 and missed the mark on all 14.
Sophomore Brittany Glasco (Fredericksburg/Massaponax), who led all scoring with 15 points, gave Virginia Wesleyan a 2-0 lead on a jumper in the opening seconds and the Marlins led thereafter. VWC opened with a 9-0 run and led 27-12 10 minutes into the contest.
Roanoke hit 7-of-10 free throws in the half to help its cause, but the Maroons could not find the offensive answers for Virginia Wesleyan's balance inside and outside. VWC led 47-25 at halftime, after Jones nailed a triple to end first-half scoring.
The Marlins opened the second half the same way they closed the first, with a triple, this time with junior Symonne Newsome (Reistertown, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) knocking it. Roanoke never got closer than 21 points the rest of the way.
While Glasco's 15 points led VWC scoring, the Marlins also received 12 points from Seipp, 11 from Jones, and nine from Miller. Glasco also dished out a game-high six assists and recorded four steals. Junior Katie Tassa (Bristow/Manassas Osbourn Park) led VWC rebounding with eight as the Marlins won the battle on the boards 42-39.
Paxton Gwin (Buxton, N.C./Cape Hatteras) led Roanoke with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Tatum McKee (Cornelius, N.C./North Mecklenburg) followed with nine points.
Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Sunday, Jan. 13, stepping out of league action to host Stevenson University in a non-conference game starting at 4 p.m. at the Batten Center. The Mustangs enter the game with a 5-6 record following a 57-55 overtime loss to Lycoming College on Saturday.
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