GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Crunch time scoring was huge for Virginia Wesleyan College's women's basketball Marlins on Saturday.
The Marlins outscored the host Quakers of Guilford College 13-0 through the final two minutes of regulation play and the first three minutes of overtime en route to posting a thrilling 69-62 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victory.
It was a showdown for the No. 4 spot in the current ODAC standings as both the Marlins and the Quakers entered the game with 8-5 league records and 14-8 marks overall. But, the win was the second of the season for VWC against Guilford, giving the Marlins the edge over the Quakers entering the final two games of the regular season.
Guilford (14-9, 8-6) led 57-52 after a pair of free throws from Kali Cuttaia with 2:09 remaining in regulation play. But, while the Quakers turned the ball over twice and missed a pair of shots in the final two minutes, the Marlins (15-8, 9-5) received scoring from sophomore Alexis Platt (Virginia Beach/Princess Anne) and seniors Nancy Kelly (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) and Brittany Glasco (Fredericksburg/Massaponax) to post five straight points to make it a 57-all contest.
Guilford had the final possession and 10 seconds in regulation, but could not get the ball through a smothering VWC defense that forced a pass that was intercepted by senior Symonne Newsome (Reistertown, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls), as the buzzer sounded.
After the teams traded turnovers in the early going of the OT, Newsome gave the Marlins a 59-57 lead on a tip-in. VWC's defense continued to bother the Quakers, who turned the ball over three times, while VWC added points from Kelly and Platt to open up a 65-57 lead with 2:17 on the clock.
Brittany Drew (Greensboro, N.C./Page) hit a couple of free throws to halt VWC's scoring run, but it was too little, too late for the host team.
It was a tightly contested game from the start. There were 12 lead changes overall and eight ties. Seven of the lead changes took place in the second half.
Glasco finished as VWC's leading scorer with 16 points, followed by Kelly with 14, and Platt and senior Andrea Paphites (Virginia Beach/Princess Anne) with 13 each. It was a season-high total for Platt, who hit 5-of-7 field goals.
Anais Weatherly (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) led all scoring with 23 points and she led the Quakers on the boards with eight rebounds. Drew finished with 14 points.
VWC outrebounded the taller Quakers, 43-32, led by Glasco with 12 and Paphites with eight. Glasco also recorded a game-high six steals.
Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in an ODAC contest at Lynchburg College at 7 p.m.
--AMDG--