ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- One timely triple helped harness momentum on the basketball court at North Carolina Wesleyan College on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, for the host Battling Bishops, it was lassoed by the visiting Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan College, who rode it the rest of the way to a 74-62 opening-season victory.
Kristen Blalock, a 6-foot-1 center who can cause havoc inside for opponents, proved once again she can be a threat from the outside as well. The Virginia Wesleyan senior stepped behind the line to hit her first three-pointer of the night that gave the Marlins a 22-21 lead and momentum the team from Virginia Beach never let get away.
The victory, the seventh opening-game win in a row for Virginia Wesleyan, marked a milestone for ninth year head coach Stephany Dunmyer. It was her 125th win at VWC, where she is the most successful women's basketball coach in the College's history.
Blalock (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian) was one of the players who helped net that milestone win as she found her rhythm late in the first half to score 11 points in a span of 2:48 to help catapult the Marlins into a lead they never relinquished. Her triple gave the Marlins a 22-21 lead with 5:37 remaining to be played in the first half and North Carolina Wesleyan never moved in front again.
But, Blalock had ample help. Senior Jocelyn Spencer (Newport News, Va./Hampton Roads Academy) provided the spark that kept Virginia Wesleyan on even terms with the Bishops in the early going. Spencer scored on an assortment of shots and scored 12 points by halftime.
When the veterans weren't scoring, the VWC rookies stepped up impressively as Brittany Glasco (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) andSarah Seipp (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) came through with big plays on both ends of the court to keep the Marlins moving forward.
Virginia Wesleyan posted its largest lead at 42-26 to open scoring in the second half on a Blalock layup assisted by senior Beth Ann Boyce (Colonial Heights, Va./Colonial Heights). The Marlins played with a double-digit lead through most of the second half, before NCWC put on a closing run behind Monet Edwards (Temple Hills, Md./Crossland) and Samantha Urquhart (Franklin, Va./Southampton) to close to within a 68-62 score with 2:46 remaining to be played.
But, Virginia Wesleyan came up with the plays it needed to close out strong, beginning with a pair of big free throws by Seipp to restore the lead to eight points. A Blalock free throw, followed by a timely triple from junior Rachael Miller (Sterling Park, Va./Park View) gave VWC a 74-62 lead with 1:06 to play.
Blalock hit 9-of-16 field goal attempts and lead all scoring with 24 points. Seipp followed with 15 points, hitting 8-of-11 free throws. She also led both teams with five steals. Spencer, who led both teams with three blocks, hit 5-of-9 from the field and finished with 12 points, and Glasco scored 10 points. The Marlins hit 39% from the field overall, but were better from three-point range, nailed 42%.
NCWC also finished with four players in double-figure scoring, led by Edwards with 13 points. Shanice Goree (Waldorf, Md./Westlake) added 11 points and Leann Breeden (Manassas Park, Va./Osbourn Park) and A'leisah Henderson (Annapolis, Md./Arundel) added 10 points each. Urquhart led both teams with 13 rebounds.
Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Tuesday, Nov. 22, when the Marlins open the home schedule hosting Randolph College's WildCats in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference opener for both teams. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
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