VIRGINIA BEACH -- Guilford College's Quakers tried to extend a late comeback Saturday at Virginia Wesleyan College, but continued to run into the same obstacle ... Shawnee Lewis. (Box score)
Despite the pressure of standing at the free throw lines knowing a miss could give the Quakers
another shot at pulling closer, Lewis calmly connected on six consecutive free throws in the final 35 seconds to help lift the host Marlins to a 74-66 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Saturday at the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
Lewis (Alexandria, Va./Thomas A. Edison) (right), who leads VWC in free throws made this season, increased her season total by nailing 8-for-8 in the game en route to scoring a career-high 18 points.
But, it was an afternoon of career highs for the Marlins (6-6, 4-3), who benefitted from a pair of double-doubles recorded by junior Kristen Blalock (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian) and sophomore Kerry Johnson (Richmond, Va./J.R.Tucker). Blalock scored 16 points and pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds, while Johnson matched a career-high with 13 points and pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds.
Ironically, Guilford (6-5, 2-4) posted a 54-40 advantage in rebounding overall, led by Jazlyn Gibbs (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) with 10. But, the Quakers could not get the ball through the hoop consistently. Virginia Wesleyan led 35-27 at halftime and opened up a 52-33 advantage in the first six minutes of the second half, spurred by timely triples from senior Kristina Jameson (Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) and sophomore Rachael Miller (Sterling, Va./Park View).
The Marlins displayed a good mix of scoring inside and outside maintained a double-digit lead through much of the second half. Guilford started a final comeback with 2:42 remaining however, as Gibbs, the ODAC's leading scorer, hit a pair of free throws and followed minutes later with a huge triple. Guilford was within seven points.
A steal by Morgan King (Wilmington, N.C./New Hanover) kept the ball with the Quakers, who drew a foul and stepped to the line. King hit two freebies and Guilford was within five, 66-61, with 1:45 remaining to be played.
VWC turned the ball over again, but a layup attempt by the Quakers was off the the mark and Miller rebounded the ball for the Marlins. Seconds later Jameson found Blalock in the lane for a key jumper that put the host team back in front by seven.
A missed Guilford jumper on the ensuing play was rebounded by Lewis, who drew the foul, and began her repeated performances at the foul stripe in the final 35 seconds.
Virginia Wesleyan produced another strong effort at the charity stripes, nailing 21-of-27 attempts, led by Lewis with eight made and Blalock and Johnson with five each. Guilford had the opportunity to pick up points at the lines as well, but the Quakers hit on only 14-of-23 attempts, missing the front end of several bonus situations.
Jameson added 13 points to Virginia Wesleyan's balanced offensive output, which included eight points from Miller. Jameson also dished out five assists and had three steals.
Adams emerged as the leading scorer for Guilford with 16 points, helped by an impressive 4-of-5 from three point range. Gibbs finished with 14 points and Morgan added nine. Gibbs also recorded a game high seven assists.
Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Tuesday, Jan. 11, hosting Randolph-Macon College's Yellow Jackets at 7 p.m.
--AMDG--