Moore's 48 Leads Marlins to Tourney Crown

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Senior Khory Moore set a school record with 48 points as the No. 16 Virginia Wesleyan College men's basketball team defeated Concordia (Texas) University 101-94 Saturday to claim the Marlin Tip-Off Tournament title. Moore was named tournament MVP for the effort.

Moore's 48 points broke the school record of 43 set by Tom Brett against Wallops Island-UVA in the 1968-69 season. The scoring outburst moves Moore into ninth place on the Virginia Wesleyan all-time scoring list with 1,483, passing Tim Petrillo (1996-00).

Concordia held a 52-50 lead at halftime behind Joe Neal's 21 points. Moore had 23 for the Marlins at the break. Neal did a lot of damage at the charity stripe in the first half, going 5-7 at the line.

A big reason the Marlins rallied for the second half victory was that the Virginia Wesleyan defense held Neal to just eight second half points on 2-7 shooting. Moore countered Neal with 25 points in the final stanza, going 10-10 from the charity stripe. Moore finished a perfect 14-14 at the free throw line, tying for the fifth-most free throws made in a game in school history.

Concordia led for the last time at 66-65 when Rashad Coleman connected on a free throw with 14:34 left in the game. The Marlins responded when Keijon Honore found Moore for a three-pointer on the next possession.

The Tornados kept the game within a single score, trailing 72-71 with 13:04 to go when the Marlins went on an 8-0 run to take a nine-point edge. Tim Jones and Moore had three points each in the spurt, while Kaelin Poe added two.

Concordia battled back thanks to the second-half play of Ephriam Price, who scored 10 points over the next seven minutes. A layup by Payton Brown-Simon tied up the contest at 90 with 4:34 to play.

Following a Virginia Wesleyan timeout, Poe found Moore for another three, one of his six made trifectas in the game. Two free throws by Moore on the Marlins' next possession made it 95-90 with 3:23 to play. Concordia did not get closer than three the remainder of the game.

Neal led Concordia (1-1) with 29 points while Price tallied 27 after contributing 14 in the second half. Coleman posted a double-double for the Tornados with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Moore added seven rebounds and three assists to go with his record-breaking scoring total. Jones finished with 22 points and a team-leading four assists while Khalil Barnette netted a career-high, 12 points.

No. 16 Virginia Wesleyan (3-0) hosts Salisbury University Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of a doubleheader. The women's basketball team will play Ferrum College at 5 p.m.

Marlin Tip-Off All-Tournament Team

Khory Moore - Virginia Wesleyan (MVP)
Tim Jones - Virginia Wesleyan
Keijon Honore - Virginia Wesleyan
Joe Neal - Concordia (Texas)
Ephriam Price - Concordia (Texas)
Adrian Moore - N.C. Wesleyan