Harris Nets Career High 27 as Marlins Fall to Stevenson 81-69

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- First-year Jayla Harris led the way for the Virginia Wesleyan College women's basketball team with a career-high 27 points before the Marlins ultimately fell to Stevenson University 81-69.

Harris started her scoring before the game even started, putting home a pair of free throws prior to the opening tip-off as an administrative technical foul was issued due to a number issue in the official scorebook.

Harris scored four points in the first quarter as six Marlins contributed in a balanced effort to lead 17-15 following the opening period. Sara Tarbert, reigning First Team All-American, scored all 15 points in the frame for Stevenson on 6-of-8 shooting. The Marlin defense held the rest of the Mustangs to 0-for-9 shooting in the first 10 minutes.

The second quarter started in similar fashion as Virginia Wesleyan led 27-20 with all 20 points attributed to Tarbert. Harris took over for the Marlins in the frame, scoring 13 of her team's 17 points to carry a 34-30 lead into the break.

Virginia Wesleyan went up by as many as six points in the third quarter, 45-39, as Harris knocked down a jumper with 6:12 to play in the period.

Stephanie Martinez began to heat up in the second half for the Mustangs, forming a dangerous tandem with Tarbert. She scored five straight points for Stevenson on a jumper and three made free throws to cut the deficit to just one point, 45-44, with 4:02 to play. Tarbert gave the Mustangs the lead after a Martinez steal spoiled VWC's next possession. The Marlins ended the 7-0 Stevenson run with a pair of free throws by Raya Berkley at the 3:14 mark. No team would lead by more than three until the fourth.

The Mustangs led 51-49 at the start of the fourth quarter before a pair of free throws by Jonyae Curry put the visitors up for. Crystal Strother knocked down one of her six three pointers on the next possession to cut the lead back to one, 53-52, just 21 seconds into the quarter.

That is the closest the Marlins would get the rest of the way as Stevenson went on a 20-4 run to take a 73-56 lead with 4:25 to play. Tarbert had nine during the run while Martinez added eight.

Tarbert led Stevenson (4-4) with 41 points and 15 rebounds as Martinez posted 18 points and 10 assists. Curry and Caitlin Roy each tallied nine points and six rebounds.

Strother joined Harris' 27 points with 18 of her own to go with two assists and two rebounds. Berkley and Kelly Jones each added seven points while Jones contributed a team-high five caroms.

Virginia Wesleyan (2-8/0-2) will host Guilford College (8-1/2-0) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the first home Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) game of the year for the Marlins.