HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- A major early season road test for Virginia Wesleyan College's men's basketball team produced a major victory for the Marlins.
Balance, depth, and tempo were all keys to an impressive 100-80 victory over the host Tigers of Hampden-Sydney College on Wednesday in a showdown between the last team undefeated teams in Old Dominion Athletic Conference competition.
Sophomore D.J. Woodmore (Virginia Beach/Landstown) scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, and senior Donald Vaughn (Woodbridge, Va./Dumfries Potomac) added 17 points and 16 rebounds to help No. 2-ranked Virginia Wesleyan win its 10th consecutive game. The Marlins snapped H-SC's six-game winning streak and pinned the first home-court loss of the season on the Tigers.
Virginia Wesleyan (10-1, 5-0) controlled tempo most of the game with heads-up passing that helped create offensive opportunities. Hampden-Sydney (9-3, 3-1) gained control of momentum briefly in the second half, but could not gain much ground on the Marlins. H-SC never got closer than eight points in the second half.
Senior Art Crew (Williamsburg, Va./Lafayette) scored to give Virginia Wesleyan a 10-8 lead with 14:12 on the clock in the first half. The Marlins held the advantage thereafter in a tight game and led 29-26 after Ben Jessee (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) nailed a triple for the Tigers with 6:34 remaining in the first half.
The final minutes of the half were dominated by VWC however, as the Marlins produced a decisive 19-8 run to enter halftime with a 48-34 lead. Seven VWC players scored in the run, led by Crew with five points and Vaughn with four.
VWC resumed the pace in the second half, opening scoring with a Woodmore triple to open up a 51-34 lead. But, Harrison George (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville), Khobi Williamson (Norfolk, Va./Maury), and Ru White (Chesterfield, Va./L.C. Bird) came on strong for Hampen-Sydney in a 9-0 run that pulled the host team within a 51-43 score with 18:05 on the clock.
Virginia Wesleyan had the answer several minutes later though, a 9-0 run that pushed the Marlins into a 64-49 lead. Seniors Ali Brown (Hampton, Va./Kecoughtan) and Rakeem Davis (Chesapeake, Va./Deep Creek), and Woodmore, all came through with key scoring in the run that repadded the VWC lead.
The Marlins never looked back after that, pushing out to a 23-point lead on a Crew layup with 3:18 on the clock. VWC head coach Dave Macedo utilized a deep bench once again and the pace continued. Rookie Breven Lyons (Newport News, Va./Warick) knocked down his first intercollegiate basket with 1:00 showing, a triple that gave VWC its second consecutive 100 point game.
Virginia Wesleyan has averaged 97.1 points per game in its last six outings, while giving up 71.3 points per contest.
Nine Marlin scored overall, including junior Chris Astorga (Suffolk, Va./Virginia Beach Cape Henry) and Crew, who finished with 16 and 11 points, respectively. VWC hit 52.7% from the field, helped by a 7-of-13 showing from Vaughn and a 9-of-17 effort by Woodmore. Junior Tre' Ford (Falls Church, Va./J.E.B. Stuart) continued his solid floor leadership, dishing out a game-high five assists, recording two steals, and scoring nine points.
George led H-SC with 25 points, nailing 8-of-20 field goals and 9-of-10 free throw attempts. He laos pulled down 10 rebounds. Williamson added 17 points, hitting 7-of-11 field goals, Jessee finished with 14 points and White tallied 11.
Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Sunday, Jan. 8, hosting Pennsylvania's Haverford College at 2 p.m. at the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
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