VIRGINIA BEACH -- Five Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins scored in double figures and a sixth was just a point away Monday as the nation's 13th ranked team rode a balanced offensive effort to an 87-71 non-conference victory over the Methodist University Monarchs at the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
Senior stalwart D.J. Woodmore (Virginia Beach/Landstown) once again topped the Marlins' point production by scoring 26 points, marking his fourth straight 20+ effort and his second highest total of the season. He nailed 10-of-18 field goal attempts, knocking through a game-high four triples, en route to the final numbers.
But, the Marlins (6-0) enjoyed help from all areas. Senior Colby Heard (Virginia Beach/Tallwood) added 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, senior Trent Batson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) added 11 points and led the Marlins with eight rebounds and two blocks, and junior Cameron Owens (Centreville/Centreville) and rookie Khory Moore (Arlington/Wakefield) scored 10 points each.
Junior Sedric Nady (Virginia Beach/Landstown) was next in line with nine points, but was key in getting the ball to his teammates for points as he recorded seven assists for the second straight game. But, it was senior Aaron Clark (Chesapeake/Virginia Beach Tallwood) who earned offensive catalyst honors with a career-high nine assists. VWC recorded 22 assists overall.
Methodist (2-5) trailed by 11 points with six minutes remaining to be played in the first half, when Austin Pack (Galax, Va./Galax) hit a triple that sparked the Monarchs down the stretch. They never wiped out the deficit, but scoring by Bryan Hockaday (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis), Brandon Monk (Jacksonville, N.C./Southwest Onslow), and Keith Corbett (Washington, D.C./Forestville Military, Md.) helped whittle the lead to 35-30.
Owens followed with a triple for VWC and Batson hit a triple at the buzzer as Virginia Wesleyan widened the advantage to 42-34 at halftime.
The Monarchs pulled back within five points early in the second half, but Woodmore nailed three consecutive triples and Owens added another in a scoring surge that saw Virginia Wesleyan push its lead to 59-44.
Virginia Wesleyan continued to add to its lead and opened up its largest spread of the game at 81-59 following a pair of free throws by rookie Brandon Mitchell (Albany, Ga./Westover) with 5:19 on the clock. Methodist never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way.
Desmond Parker (Fairmont, N.C./Fairmont) led the Monarchs with 16 points. Hockaday finished with 13, followed by Corbett with 12, and Pack with 11. Methodist outrebounded VWC 43-32, led by Hockaday with eight.
Both teams hit well from the field in the second half. While Methodist connected on nearly 54 percent of its attempts, the Marlins hit on nearly 58%. VWC owned a major advantage in three-point shooting however, hitting 11-of-26 attempts, compared to 3-of-15 by Methodist.
Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Wednesday, Dec. 4, hosting Lynchburg College's Hornets (4-1, 2-0) in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest starting at 7 p.m. at the Jane P. Batten Student Center. The Hornets will enter on a four-game winning streak.
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